LASER Talks in Tel Aviv #9 : Improbable Melodies
Prof. Shai Cohen & Prof. Lee Koren in Conversation with Dr. Tal Ivancovsky
Moderator: Tal Yizrael
EVENT INFO
When: November 16th, 2023 | 20:00 (Israel time) 1:00pm EST/ 19:00 CET
Where: Online
Website: https://transmeet2021.wixsite.com/laser
What Can Rock Hyrax Songs Tell Us About Stress? Do Humans Sing Stress?
A collaboration initiated by Nano-The Fetter museum of Nanoscience and Art, between Prof. Lee Koren from the Faculty of Life Sciences and Prof. Shai Cohen from the Faculty of Music at Bar Ilan University was scheduled to premiere on October 12th during the Transmeet Art and Science Festival. However, a brutal and cruel terror attack on Israeli civilians on October 7th (that led to the current war in Israel and Gaza) changed our plans.
In light of the stressful situation and agony that surrounds us, we will discuss additional aspects of Prof. Lee Koren's research that revolves around the characteristics of stress in the vocalization of rock hyraxes. We will also explore human stress indicators found in Prof. Koren's research and also in Dr. Ivancovsky's work.
Prof. Koren investigates the singing of rock hyraxes, examining the range of sounds and frequencies they produce as a form of social behavior. This research can provide insights into the age, social status, and hormonal status of the singers.
Prof. Cohen analyzes the recordings of the rock hyraxes' singing made by members of Prof. Koren's laboratory during her doctorate. He will present a spectral mapping of the sounds in space and discuss the dialogue for flute and rock hyraxes that he has composed.
SPEAKERS BIOS
Prof. Shai Cohen is a composer and researcher specializing in electro-acoustic composition, synthesis, and computer graphics. He heads the track for music, technology, and visual media in the music department at Bar-Ilan University. His research interests include composition with a strong emphasis on virtual art (new media), the integration of the visual and digital worlds to meet stage requirements, and the development of working environments based on computational systems for research in concert music.
Prof. Lee Koren is a wildlife zoologist at the Faculty of Life Sciences at Bar Ilan University. Her research interests include hormones and wildlife behavioral ecology, focusing on testosterone and female social behavior, reproduction, maternal behavior, mate choice, risk-taking behavior, and fertility. Her lab also studies vocal communication, sociality, and the effects of human disturbances on wildlife and humans.
Dr. Tal Ivancovsky is a psychologist and neuroscientist at the Cognitive and Affective Science lab at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Spain. Her research focuses on different aspects of creative behavior such as cross-cultural differences, the relationship between creativity and curiosity and the relationship between creativity, predictive processing, and mental health
SPONSORS:
The Fetter Museum of Art and Nanoscience, Bina institute of Nanotechnology, Bar Ilan university
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 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
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