Autonomy, Control, and Notation in Interactive Music

This paper proposes a conceptualization of notation for interactive musical environments. The notational approach describes the relationship between both human and non-human agents, instead of actions to be taken or sounds to be made. Of critical importance in contemporary networked culture is the degree to which technological devices and networks constrain (or control) the actions of their users. The author has developed a conception of interactivity and notational considerations which instead foreground the autonomous potential of participants and the computational systems. The author analyzes three case studies that demonstrate either a direct connection or a broader conceptual link to the described notational approach. The larger implication is a need for notational systems which do not constrain the identity of the users of interactive systems while also acknowledging and representing the agency of the systems themselves