Xenakis's Philosophy of Technology Through Some Interviews

Makis Solomos (1)

1 MUSIDANSE - Esthétique, musicologie, danse et création musicale

Iannis Xenakis's pioneering role in new music technologies is well known. He contributed to their development through his electroacoustic works (Diamorphoses, Con-cret PH, Légende d'Eer, etc.), his theories (stochastics, granular paradigm, etc.), his machines (UPIC), and his multimedia realizations (polytopes, etc.). His first studies as a civil engineer sharpened his efficiency. But his practical mind was coupled with a speculative mind, oriented toward philosophical interrogations. In this paper, we will quote some historical interviews in which Xenakis develops his views on technology: technology and progress; technique as a tool; the dangers of technology; art for everybody thanks to technology; forward-looking view about the computer; the role of intuition; and, finally, computer and manual actions (bricolage). In his writings, Xenakis tends to present applications of technology, but in his interviews, he is more eloquent on his philosophy of technology.

Mots clés: Xenakis; Music Technology

Domaines: Musique, musicologie et arts de la scène

Makis Solomos. Xenakis's Philosophy of Technology Through Some Interviews. International Computer Music Conference (ICMC) 2014, 2014, Athens, Greece. ⟨hal-01202883⟩