Incompossibles: Speculative Thought and Algorithmic Architecture
Stefan Maier’s proposal questions the notion of freedom in the age of determinis-tic algorithms. Proposing a completely new direction for his work, Maier looks to explore and conceptualize human agency in a society dominated by feeds that socially condition our preferences and reinforce habitual modes of thinking.
“I am interested in the speculative potential of the algorithm: algorithmic logic as a means of exploring non-human thought. By developing software, I hope to curate generative ecologies of algorithmic architectures (economic, material, social, abstract) and develop a generative framework for my electronic set-up, where the voltage would be modulated as I improvise.”
In an attempt to move away from habitual patterns, Maier’s project will not produce sounds that he wants, but rather noise generated by conflict between the parts of his algorithmic structures. Using other components—such as electro-chemical gradients of plants—Maier hopes to develop his project and expand this ecology.
His composition thicket i (2014) explored the ways in which unruly, vibrant materials form a network of intermaterial relationships and culminate in a traditionally nonhierarchical sound. Similarly, his Music for Organs (2016) was conceived as a social architecture of air and united the traditional sounds of an organ with synthesizers and subwoofers to create a new and unique blend of textures and sounds.
Stefan Maier lives and works in Vermont. Find out more about him at soundcloud.com/stefanemaier.
Image: Maryanne Amacher