Collaboration in a multimedia environment: world-building and design strategy in music production.

Abstract

This practice-based MPhil submission contains two elements, video recordings of my current practice in collaborative art, and an exegesis that contextualizes this practice. As part of this research, three artists from different backgrounds have worked together on the transformation of a musical album into a stage performance. The transformation of a symbolic space into a Multimedia Environment has been realized through the development of three prototypes. This iterative design process, based on improvisation, is described and evaluated from the perspective of the reflective practitioner. The artefact as practical element discussed in this exegesis is presented on an accompanying DVD. The advance and democratization of technology continuously provides new opportunities for artists to express themselves, as well as for audiences to experience and engage with works of art in new ways. This development gives rise to questions regarding human-technology interaction and has been generating an increase of interest in collaborative design and the distribution of creativity. This is clearly visible in the fields of filmmaking and game design, in which the construction of ‘story worlds’ and complex narrative structures has led to the development of network-based and nonlinear models for production and distribution of media. As part of an emerging discourse on design strategy for decentralized music production, this research expands the notion of transmedia storytelling and the appropriation of the concept of world-building in the field of music production. As a result, this research presents key issues regarding design strategy and collaboration in a Multimedia Environment, in particular, key issues related to the transformation and distribution of resources, the synchronisation of design processes, and support of involvement and engagement of participants. This research has led to the conclusion that the construction of ‘story worlds’ as a design strategy in artistic practice, and the field of music production in particular, supports the distribution of creativity and the development of a participatory structure.