LASER Talks in Montreal: Artificial Intelligence, Human-Computer Interaction, and New Approaches to Musical Practice | Leonardo/ISASTwith Arizona State University

LASER Talks in Montreal: Artificial Intelligence, Human-Computer Interaction, and New Approaches to Musical Practice

 Registration is closed for this event
The Leonardo/ISAST LASERs are a program of international gatherings that bring artists, scientists, humanists and technologists together for informal presentations, performances and conversations with the wider public. The mission of the LASERs is to encourage contribution to the cultural environment of a region by fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and opportunities for community building to over 40 cities around the world.

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LASER Talks in Montreal Artificial Intelligence, Human-Computer Interaction, and New Approaches to Musical Practice

This event explores how AI and human-computer interaction are reshaping creative practices.

EVENT INFO

When: Wednesday, February 4, 2025, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM EST.

Where: Hybrid event

In-person: Milieux Institute at Concordia University, Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex (EV) Room 11-705, 1515 St. Catherine St. West Montreal, QC 

Online: Register via Zoom via the link below. After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

Access Info: https://concordiaca.zoom.us/meeting/register/lpl0qWm2SSes1g5OHVBb2Q

Website: milieux.concordia.ca / hexagram.ca


EVENT CONTEXT

Artificial intelligence (AI) and human-computer interaction (HCI) are revolutionising creative practices, offering innovative tools and methodologies for artists, designers, and technologists. These advancements challenge traditional workflows and open up new possibilities in sound, music, and interactive media. 

In this session, Gabriel Vigliensoni, Assistant Professor in Creative Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Design and Computation Arts at Concordia University, and Marcelo M. Wanderley, Professor, Director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT), and Area Coordinator for Music Technology at McGill University, will explore cutting-edge research and practices in AI, HCI, and musical interfaces. 

Gabriel Vigliensoni will present his research on the control and steerability of neural audio synthesis models through data- and interaction-driven approaches. His talk will emphasize how small datasets enhance performers’ creative agency and how interactive machine learning techniques improve expressivity and coherence in generative audio models. These concepts will be illustrated with examples from his creative practice, demonstrating the potential for rich, sustained musical engagements. 

Marcelo M. Wanderley will discuss interdisciplinary research on new interfaces for musical expression (NIME), highlighting the interplay between music technology, HCI, and engineering. His presentation will include an overview of early NIME designs, recent advancements from the Input Devices and Music Interaction Laboratory (IDMIL) at McGill University, and insights into creative AI opportunities within this field. 

Together, these talks showcase how AI and HCI are transforming music technology and performance, opening new horizons for creativity and innovation in sound and interactive media. 

SPEAKERS BIOS

Gabriel Vigliensoni, is Assistant Professor in Creative Artificial Intelligences, Design and Computational Arts at Concordia University. His work currently explores the creative affordances of the machine learning paradigm in the context of sound- and music-making. His practice merges formal musical training with extensive studies and experience in sound recording, music production, music information retrieval, human-computer interaction, and machine learning to explore and develop novel approaches to music composition and performance. https://vigliensoni.com/categories/featured/

Marcelo M. Wanderley holds a Ph.D. in acoustics, signal processing, and computer science applied to music. His interdisciplinary research focuses on the development of novel interfaces for music performance. He has authored and co-authored numerous publications on new interfaces for musical expression (NIME), including the co-edited volume Trends in Gestural Control of Musicand the textbook New Digital Musical Instruments: Control and Interaction Beyond the Keyboard. As the director of the Input Devices and Music Interaction Laboratory (IDMIL) at McGill University, he leads research in gestural control of sound synthesis, new instrument design, and analysis of performer-instrument interaction. https://www.mcgill.ca/music/marcelo-m-wanderley

SPONSORS


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Milieux Institute for Arts, Culture, and Technology is an interdisciplinary research hub at Concordia University in Montreal. Dedicated to research-creation, Milieux fosters innovation at the intersection of art, culture, and emerging technologies. Its diverse community of researchers, artists, and technologists collaborates across seven specialized research clusters, engaging in practices ranging from immersive storytelling and bio-design to textiles and gaming cultures. Milieux actively connects with the public through exhibitions, workshops, and events, creating a dynamic space for interdisciplinary dialogue and advancing creative approaches to global challenges.

Hexagram is an interdisciplinary network in Montreal dedicated to research-creation addressing the relationships between arts, cultures and technologies. It comprises around forty co-researchers, forty collaborators, and a little over 200 students from various artistic disciplines related, in particular, to living arts, visual arts, design, and media arts, while also touching disciplines in the social sciences and humanities or natural sciences and engineering. 

The Leonardo/ISAST LASERs are a program of international gatherings that bring artists, scientists, humanists and technologists together for informal presentations, performances and conversations with the wider public. The mission of the LASERs is to encourage contribution to the cultural environment of a region by fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and opportunities for community building in over 50 cities around the world. To learn more about how our LASER Hosts and to visit a LASER near you please visit our website. @lasertalks

When
February 4th, 2025 from  6:00 PM to  8:00 PM
Location
Milieux Institute at Concordia University
Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex (EV)
Room 11-705, 1515 St. Catherine St. West Montreal
Hybrid / Montréal, QC H3G 2W1
Canada
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