S+T+ARTS at SONAR 2024
Contemporary Icons, dance music pioneers and innovators from multiple eras and disciplines, among the more than 200 shows, DJ sets, activities and collaborations in the program for Sónar 2024.
The Sónar 2024 program foregrounds innovation across all eras and disciplines, with dance music pioneers, contemporary icons and groundbreaking techno acts, and a renewed focus on radical aesthetics, boundary pushing formats and platforming of hyperlocal promoters and collectives from around the world.
AI & Music powered by S+T+ARTS Ec(h)o
AI & Music powered by S+T+ARTS is a programme of performances, talks, masterclasses and workshops showcasing artistic projects, creative proposals and research centered on the links between machine learning and musical creation.
Over the next three years, Sónar will dedicate a central part of its programming to exploring innovations in this rapidly evolving sector, building on the blueprint from past editions of Ars Electronica and SónarCCCB, and creating a lasting snapshot of how AI is unlocking musical creativity across the arts, the music industry and beyond.
Programme
Thursday 13
Music
A trailblazing performer with a unique vision comes to Sónar by Day.
Iranian-born singer, songwriter, director and composer Sevdaliza has always blazed her own path.
Thursday 13
Masterclass
Sound, vibration, art and AI.
A transdisciplinary artist and researcher from Santiago, Chile, Nicole L’Huillier explores sound and vibrations as a way to explore agency, identity, collectivity and imagination.
Thursday 13
Music’s leading technologist.
A prolific composer and producer, as well as a journalist, educator and DJ, Peter Kirn is quite possibly the music industry’s leading technologist.
Thursday 13
Exhibition
Digital choreography from two unique performers.
Montréal based digital artist and performer Myriam Bleau teams up with dancer, choreographer and lighting designer Nien-Tzu Weng for a brand new performance.
Thursday 13
Forum
We are the music makers… AI & Music.
With Anna Xambò (C4DM-QMUL), Magda Polo (UB EKHO), Moisés Horta, Sergi Jordà (UPF), and Thor Magnusson (Intelligent Instruments).
In this open forum, a panel of musicians, researchers, artists and academics will explain how they’re making use of AI in their work.
Thursday 13
Masterclass
An analogue girl in a digital world.
Marte Verde is a visual artist, creative technologist and educator. Her work explores the unpredictable relationship between the organic and the electronic, and how this can be visualised.
Thursday 13
Talk
Level up your visual prompting skills with help from Krea.ai and Boldtron.
On Thursday the Visual Arts session invites visual artists, CGI freaks, and anyone who wants to make AI–generated visuals that stand out from the crowd to join in the fun. Guided by creative geniuses Boldtron, learn how to get the most out of AI image and video generation with Krea.ai. No experience is needed, but make sure to bring your laptop.
Friday 14
Performance
An analogue girl in a digital world.
AI Performance Playground Hacklab, exploring how AI and technology can enhance artistic creativity. Led by renowned technologist, artist and writer Peter Kirn and multidisciplinary artistry and musician Cibelle Cavalli Bastos.
Friday 14
Talk
Level up your audio prompting skills with help from Stability AI
These collaborative sessions, each led by a leading industry expert, are designed to help you level up your AI prompting skills and share your knowledge. Exchange ideas, respond to challenges and get feedback on the results.
Friday 14
Exhibition
Project Area is the beating heart of Sónar+D, a forum, exhibition area and testing ground open to all attendees at Sónar by Day, where creative technology and innovative art meet eye-opening research, AI-generated visuals, and experimental video games.
Saturday 15
Music
Synthetic voices and abstract choreography.
British producer Lee Gamble wrote his latest album Models using AI-generated synthetic voices that sing in an almost wordless language.
Saturday 15
Music
Rob Clouth is a multidisciplinary artist who explores electronic music, computational audio and new media. With 20 years of experience creating DAWs, he’s recently switched to live performance, creating loopless live electronic music and visuals using algorithms. He’s also pioneered an AI-assisted technique he’s named ‘cheatboxing’ that enables him to transform his voice into any other sound in real time.
About S+T+ARTS Ec(h)o: Fostering ECOlogically conscious and Human compatible digital technology
Science, Technology and Arts limn a nexus at which insightful observers have identified high potential for innovation. STARTS Ec(h)o’s main objective is building towards the triple transformation and developing artist-led approaches through creative experimentation and recognising the most successful ones:
+ S+T+ARTS Prize highlights and promote outstanding technology-driven artistic projects and the achievements of the teams behind them towards the green transition and social sustainability. Two Grand Prizes, for Artistic Exploration and Innovative Collaboration, each with €20,000 prize money, are offered to honor innovative projects at the intersection of science, technology and the arts: The emphasis of both prizes lies on the creative appropriation and employment of technologies as well as the search for unique constellations of collaboration from the STARTS fields;
+ Through S+T+ARTS residencies, artists are enabled to develop new pilots on human-centered and sustainable technologies in the fields of AI, high-performance computing, simulation & visualisation, digital twins, medical tech or circular economy.
+ An annual AIxMusic program at Sónar will create an international platform for pushing limits of digital technology and exploring the compatibility of digital with human values and needs through artistic thinking.
