Stringesthesia: Dynamically Shifting Musical Agency Between Audience and Performer Based on Trust in an Interactive and Improvised Performance

Abstract

This paper introduces Stringesthesia, an interactive and improvised performance paradigm. Stringesthesia uses real-time neuroimaging to connect performers and audiences, enabling direct access to the performer's mental state and determining audience participation during the performance. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a noninvasive neuroimaging tool, was used to assess metabolic activity of brain areas collectively associated with a metric we call "trust". A visualization representing the real-time measurement of the performer's level of trust was projected behind the performer and used to dynamically restrict or promote audience participation: e.g., as the performer's trust in the audience grew, more participatory stations for playing drums and selecting the performer's chords were activated. Throughout the paper we discuss prior work that heavily influenced our design, conceptual and methodological issues with using fNIRS technology, and our system architecture. We then describe feedback from the audience and performer in a performance setting with a solo guitar player. CCS CONCEPTS• Applied computing → Performing arts; Sound and music computing.