Shaping sounds: The role of gesture in collaborative spatial music composition

Abstract

This paper presents an observational study of collaborative spatial music composition. We uncover the practical methods two experienced music producers use to coordinate their understanding of multi-modal and spatial representations of music as part of their workflow. We show embodied spatial referencing as a significant feature of the music producers' interactions. Our analysis suggests that gesture is used to understand, communicate and form action through a process of shaping sounds in space. This metaphor highlights how aesthetic assessments are collaboratively produced and developed through coordinated spatial activity. Our implications establish sensitivity to embodied action in the development of collaborative workspaces for creative, spatial-media production of music.