Iannis Xenakis

Goods line 1

Goods lind 2

Garage-band Document of layers

Iannsi Xenakis is a composer and designer, mainly in the field of architecture, that uses both of his areas of study to work together and to draw inspirations from each other. When looking at his works you can tell that there is a large focus on the concept of timing and different levels as well as the importance and the impact that these would have on the item he is designing, whether it be music or a building. The statements, ‘There is no instantaneous jump from one point to another in space… the notion of time considered as duration’ by Xenakis (1989, pp. 84-85) that are seen in his article ‘Concerning time’ all suggest the importance of timing that was considered when creating. In the writing there is also a section on how Xenakis take mathematical equations and implements the curves that are created into making. Xenakis states in his book Formalised music, ‘The following formula, which derives from the principles of continuous probability’ (2001, p.12), showing that he had a large focus on the computer assisted composition which was made up of a lot of mathematical algorithms and equations, which were also areas of interest for Xenakis and also played a part when he was designing houses. His works create possibilities and guide line for other designers.

When making my project three I looked at the different ways that Xenakis would make notations of sound and the impact that different sound combinations, such as chords, would have on the note taking process. When looking at the comparisons of the same music with different noting technique, it creates more opportunity for emotive outcomes that would otherwise be missed. After looking into his works and listening to his music, the main observations that I made were the critical use of timing and the large amount or layering. These were both used simultaneously and made the ambiance of the music much more fluid. After walking through the city and looking at the surrounding spaces of UTS there was a large amount of machinery or louder sounds that would drown out and muffle the quiet sounds. I then used these sounds to create an environment that makes it feel like the city with them fading in and out as well as the projection coming from different speakers. These all create the 360 feeling of moving around in the city.

Xenakis. I, Brown. R, 1989, Concerning Time, Perspective of New Music.

Xenakis, I. 2001. Formalized Music: Thought and Mathematics in Composition

(Harmonologia Series No.6). Pendragon Press, Hillsdale, NY