Composing Holochoric Visual Music: Interdisciplinary Matrices · PDF file 2021. 2. 3. · Composing Holochoric Visual Music: Interdisciplinary Matrices Michael Jewell Rhoades ABSTRACT

Composing Holochoric Visual Music:

Interdisciplinary Matrices

Michael Jewell Rhoades

Dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in

partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

In

Visual Art, Musical Art, and Computer Science

Zachary Duer

Sang Won Lee

Charles Nichols

Nicholas Polys

Thomas Tucker

October, 29, 2020

Blacksburg, Virginia

Keywords: Visual Art, Music, Computer Science, Holography, Holophony, Extended reality,

Augmented reality, Virtual reality, Algorithmic Composition, Aleatoric, Csound, Maya, MAX,

Head-Mounted Display, AR, VR, XR, High-Performance Computing, Clustering

Copyright © Michael Rhoades CC BY http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Office of Scholarly Communications, University Libraries, Virginia Tech

Composing Holochoric Visual Music: Interdisciplinary Matrices

Michael Jewell Rhoades

ABSTRACT

With a lineage originating in the days of silent films, visual music, in its current incarnation, is a

relatively recent phenomenon when compared to an historically broad field of creative expression.

Today it is a time-based audio/visual territory explored and mined by a handful of visual and

musical artists. However, an extensive examination of the literature indicates that few of these

composers have delved into the associable areas of merging virtual holography and holophony

toward visual music composition. It is posited here that such an approach is extremely rich with

novel expressive potential and simultaneously with numerous novel challenges. The goal of this

study is, through praxis, to instantiate and document an initial exploration into the implementation

of holochory toward the creation of visual music compositions.

Obviously, engaging holochoric visual music as a means of artistic expression requires an

interdisciplinary pipeline. Certainly, this is demonstrated in merging music and visual art into a

cohesive form, which is the basis of visual music composition. However, in this study is revealed

another form of interdisciplinarity. A major challenge resides with the development of the means

to efficiently render the high-resolution stereoscopic images intrinsic to the animation of virtual

holograms. Though rendering is a challenge consistent with creating digital animations in general,

here the challenge is further exacerbated by the extensive use of multiple reflections and refractions

to create complexity from relatively simple geometric objects. This reveals that, with the level of

computational technology currently available, the implementation of high-performance computing

is the optimal approach.

Unifying such diverse areas as music, visual art, and computer science toward a common artistic

medium necessitates a methodological approach in which the interdependency between each facet

is recognized and engaged. Ultimately, a quadrilateral reciprocative feedback loop, involving the

composer’s sensibilities in addition to each of the other facets of the compositional process, must

be realized in order to facilitate a cohesive methodology leading toward viability.

This dissertation provides documentation of methodologies and ideologies undertaken in an initial

foray into creating holochoric visual music compositions. Interlaced matrices of contextualization

are intended to disseminate the processes involved in deference to composers who will inevitably

follow in the wake of this research. Accomplishing such a goal is a quintessential aspect of

practice-based research, through which new knowledge is gained during the act of creating. Rather

than formulating theoretical perspectives, it is through the praxis of composing holochoric visual

music that the constantly arising challenges are recognized, analyzed, and subsequently addressed

and resolved in order to ensure progression in the compositional process. Though measuring the

success of the resultant compositions is indeed a subjective endeavor, as is the case with all art,

the means by which they are achieved is not. The development of such pipelines and processes,

and their implementation in practice, are the basic building blocks of further exploration,

discovery, and artistic expression. This is the impetus for this document and for my constantly

evolving and progressing trajectory as a scholar, artist, composer, and computer scientist.

Composing Holochoric Visual Music: Interdisciplinary Matrices

Michael Jewell Rhoades

GENERAL AUDIENCE ABSTRACT

In this paper the author explores the idea that, owing to their shared three-dimensional nature,

holophons and holograms are well suited as mediums for visual music composition. This union is

ripe with creative opportunity and fraught with challenges in the areas of aesthetics and technical

implementation. Squarely situated upon the bleeding edge of phenomenological research and

creative practice, this novel medium is nonetheless within reach. Here, one methodological

pipeline is delineated that employs the convergence of holography, holophony, and super-

computing toward the creation of visual music compositions intended for head mounted displays

or large-scale 3D/360 projection screens and high-density loudspeaker arrays.

v

THE VIRGINIA TECH GRADUATE SCHOOL

STATEMENT OF COMMITTEE APPROVAL

Zachary Duer, MFA - Chair

School of Visual Arts

Sang Won Lee

School of Computer Science

Charles Nichols

School of Performing Arts

Nicholas Polys

Advanced Research and Computing

Thomas Tucker, MFA

School of Visual Arts

Approved by:

Karen DePauw

Vice President and Dean for Graduate Education

William Huckle

Associate Dean of the Graduate School

vi

Dedication

There are many individuals to whom this dissertation is dedicated. Certainly, it is dedicated to my

beloved wife, partner, and best friend Janet. She has endured numerous trying effects in putting

her life on hold to allow the pursuit of this work. The gratitude I feel toward her is immeasurable.

It is also dedicated to my wonderful daughter Madison and to my wonderful son Jordan. They have

each, in their own way, grown into capable, active, and dynamic human beings of whom I am so

very proud. This dissertation is further dedicated to several friends and family members who have

stuck by my side during my absence over the past several years. It is my steadfast wish that all of

the above mentioned receive the extreme gratitude I extend in their direction. I could not have

approached this work without their understanding and support.

Lastly, it is realized that we human beings experience our lives through the lenses of our particular

perspectives. Therefore, it must be mutually understood here at the beginning that it is in accord

with this realization that these perspectival views are collected and assembled. A clear perspective

may lend objectivity to perspectives in general and, if it is possible, allude to that which is beyond

them. Such is the intent of this work. However, though the notion of denoting a perceived truth is

tantalizing, no matter how clearly symbolized by language and thought, it remains elusive in that

we seem to exist within a constantly changing and evolving system. This ceaseless moment-to-

moment rearrangement of the reality we seem to perceive renders any apparent realization in one

moment impertinent in the next.

Therefore, the goal here is to achieve a generalized view from a limited position in space/time in

order to contribute a voice to a very broad chorus of views… past, present, and future. It cannot

be determined that such an endeavor consists of any inherent value, per se. We nonetheless

persevere in attempting to organize the fathomless into some sort of a linguistically based

(symbolic) structure. Such a structure is willingly relegated to the eventuality of failure in essence

if for no other reason than the consistency of life occurring. (In this context the terms time, space,

change, and life can be considered synonymous.) As such this work can be considered little more

than the fleeting vision of the one inspired to it. We seem to possess a brief moment in that which

we construe as space/time and so we must do something. This is an example, in an infinite sea of

examples, of it being occupied and rearranged.

vii

In summary, this work is ultimately dedicated to the ever-shifting sands of space/time to which

each of us contributes but a momentary minute grain.

viii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This research project would not exist in its current form without the steadfast and insightful input

from Professor Zach Duer. His extremely perceptive and steadfast input and discus