Sounding Letters / Ars Electronica Futurelab, photo: Ars Electronica / Robert Bauernhansl

Sounding Letters

Many attempts have been made to put music into words. But what happens when you translate a sequence of letters into music with the help of artificial intelligence?

In music, notes can be represented as letters. The letters A to G are used for this. For example, a C major scale is represented as C, D, E, F, G, A, B. Each letter corresponds to a tone that can occur in different octaves. In the case of the Ars Electronica Futurelab initials, the musical theme consists of A-E-F; in the case of the Ars Electronica Center initials, it consists of A-E-C. The AI-based music composition system Ricercar, which is being developed at the Ars Electronica Futurelab by artist and researcher Ali Nikrang, can interpret the initials A.E.F. and A.E.C. as musical notes and composed several pieces of music from them on the theme of “Sounding Letters”.

Ali Nikrang personally interpreted these compositions by an AI on the piano. He is not only a key researcher at the Ars Electronica Futurelab, but also a concert pianist and composer trained at the Mozarteum Salzburg. These concerts were recorded in the Ars Electronica Center’s “Piano Room”. Together with the visuals created by Lead Developer & Artist Florian Berger and the 3D video of the performance created by Senior Designer & Artist Raphael Elias Schaumburg-Lippe, a media artwork has emerged in which visitors can immerse themselves with all their senses thanks to the 3D projections on the wall and floor of Deep Space 8K.

More information about the project…