mengyu: For this final project, I would like to explore the idea of spatial interaction in network performance. My goal is to expand the three “problematics” indicated by GOLO FÖLLMER in his 2005 paper from Network Music into the field of Network Reality (network interactive performance + virtual & mixed reality), and argue that, with a new mode of spatial interaction, some problematics are no longer critical and it is possible to reconcile the "opposing paradigms of composition and communication” proposed by Golo Follmer.

The three problematics discussed in Follmer’s paper are: 1) the absence of space in the net music. 2) the absence of physical encounters between users. 3) The lack of control or regulation of machines. My proposal of virtual reality based spatial interaction is exactly aiming for solutions to them. Briefly, for the first problematic, a virtual space can be created to map different location-based sounds and objects together in it (exactly or hypothetically) so that a new spatial relationship can be constructed for the performers. For the second problematic, although it is impossible to encounter other users physically in a virtual space, we can use multiple “agents” to represent all the participants over the network and accompany the user with a specially designed interface to physically control their agents to see and interact with each other, which is not event or action based interaction but more alike real time performative interaction. For the third problematic, as we have granted machines a high level of autonomy in this age of artificial intelligence, I propose a transformation of machine control interface into agent. In such scenario, machine itself is to be treated as a performer participating in the network that we use a certain “protocol” to communicate with it via its agent (control interface). We design and build the agent so that our protocol with machine can get through. Composition over the network is no longer a self-centered production for the experiential or perceptual sake of user itself. it is a design of the protocols to trigger productions from different members across the network that produce a shared and collective experience. Beyond that, not only machine can have such an agent for us to communicate with in the network reality, other species, organic or inorganic, such as vegetables, minerals, and planets, can all be participants of the network performance, as long as certain protocols can be made.

So on the practical side, I am building this virtual space to map the sounds I receive from Rodney to formulate a spatial relationship with what I hear from the network. These objects representing and visualizing sounds are agents of Rodney’s “algorithmic machines” that I can interact with. At the same time, they are also agents for Ben’s music instruments as we discussed. Conceptually, Ben and Rodney are sharing the visual bodies of these agents in this virtual space while they are using different protocol components on these agents to communicate with me. Eventually, a simple version of "network reality" that I am proposing here is made.