A discussion with Dagmar Abfalter, Karl-Gerhard Straßl, Walter Werzowa and Christoph Stuhlpfarrer of the approach to artificial intelligence tools at the mdw.

In mid-April of 2023, fans of Canadian superstar rapper Drake broke out in jubilation over a new release by their idol as the song “Heart on My Sleeve” appeared on Spotify and then on YouTube, after which it went viral on TikTok. It soon became clear, however, that what seemed to be a duet between Drake and his Canadian compatriot The Weeknd was actually an AI-generated deepfake.

Music scholars who engage in performance analysis are interested in examining performance characteristics such as style and expressiveness. They will typically collect multiple recorded performances of the same piece and compare their nuances.

The new artistic research project “Spirits in Complexity” is a cooperative effort together with the Johannes Kepler University (JKU) in Linz, the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, the University of the Arts in Reykjavik, and several artistic and scientific experts.

How can we help shape the everyday urban realm as musicians? How might a musical performance be influenced by conditions such as chosen location and the weather? mdw students report on the experiences they had as part of the seminar project Klang.Stadt.Klang. Straßenmusik autoethnographisch erforschen.

What is KlangBildKlang? This large-scale mdw project, whose name translates as “SoundImageSound”, may indeed evoke the odd question. Is the focus on sound, here, or actually more on visual depiction? The answer is neither-nor. It’s much rather about interaction—between not just sounds and images, but also people, mdw departments, performing venues, and organisations.

A hallmark of the mdw is the broad range of art forms and pedagogically oriented mediation formats that make their home here. And during this May and June, the unifying aspects of this diversity as well as interfaces and inspiring interconnections between the various artistic genres will be the overarching theme of the festival KlangBildKlang.

KlangBildKlang was developed with a consistent eye to those things that unite audiences and art. The idea was to go out into the city and its public spaces to perform, play, and present art and music right where people are, opening up new settings alongside familiar venues.

Creativity is a trait that can be learned and doesn’t care about age, as numerous workshops of the festival KlangBildKlang aimed at children, adolescents, and entire families will prove. The creative and innovative approaches in play here will overcome barriers and open up paths of approach that enable music to be experienced in a lively and inspiring way.

KlangBildKlang, the mdw's transdisciplinary festival, celebrated its start on 20 April at the Künstlerhaus in Vienna with a reception and the concert Beyond Keys: Synesthetic Soundscapes.  Johannes Meissl, Vice Rector for International Affairs and Art, presented the festival program and provided an overview of the more than 50 artistic projects accompanied by music and art mediation activities.