Anyone familiar with the work of Stelarc [1], who administers electrical stimulation to parts of his body for public performance pieces, will quickly grasp the idea of how physical gestures can be used to trigger digital audio synthesis events. In this paper, the authors describe a chamber music performance where the composition is performed by biosensors, violin, and computer.

Central to this work is the problem of actually mapping digital musical instruments (DMIs) to a performer’s gestures using a wearable sound generation unit in a musical performance. Related work has been demonstrated by Stelarc, but with more musical complexity by the Biomuse Trio [2] using neuro-interactive technology.

The Biomuse itself is a set of sensors that can be attached to the human body to control DMIs. Biosignals “are bioelectric in nature [and manifest] as electronic change in living tissue or organs.” The authors elucidate how, for example, left forearm front and back may control electromyogram (EMG) sensors, and right forearm pitch or roll may concurrently control the accelerometer (ACC). Further to this, a musical score is presented in this paper that demonstrates musical notation for violin, the Biomuse, and a laptop. I found this intriguing as another compelling element of the challenge to integrate “digital musical instruments into computer chamber music.”

This work will appeal to those engaged in the sciences, the performing arts, and especially those who compose and perform using DMIs and body movements. Gestures in human-computer interaction are another rich and complex area of interest that seeks to extend simple gesture interaction toward more expressive and continuous interaction [3].

I found this work inspiring and fun, as well as cultivating fresh ground in performance in an accessible and relevant way.