Design Strategies for New Notations and Choreographic Interaction 

Benjamin K. Bacon

This talk, rooted in Benjamin K. Bacon's latest research on information design in notation and novel digital musical instruments, explores how musical notation can function as a perceptual and interactive interface. Bridging music composition, human-computer interaction, and information design, Bacon presents notation as a choreographic tool, one that shapes behaviour and mediates the relationship between performer, technology, and intention.

The lecture addresses the continuum between prescriptive and descriptive approaches to scoring, with a focus on how metaphor and literal constructs inform the design of notational systems. Drawing heavily from principles of information graphics, Bacon proposes that notation is not simply a representational form, but a system of action; adaptive, embodied, and deeply contextual.

Using neural network-based instruments as a case study, the talk highlights the role of ambiguity and design choice in guiding interpretation, emphasizing the need to consider human perception, gesture, and expressivity in any notation practice. While grounded in music, the discussion extends to choreography and other time-based arts, offering a perspective on notation as a space for invention and new standards of gestural representation.

Benjamin K. Bacon is a Berlin-based composer, performer, and researcher working at the intersection of human-computer interaction, music notation, and the information design of musical compositions. He is currently completing his PhD at Technische Universität Berlin's Audio Communication Group, where his research explores embodied engagement and notation systems in new media performance.

Bacon is the founding Program Lead for the B.A. in Electronic Music Production and Performance at Catalyst Institute for Creative Arts and Technology, where he has played a central role in shaping the program's academic and institutional development. His teaching spans electronic music performance, interaction theory, composition, and sound design.

With a background in music technology and percussion, his creative research bridges experimental composition, interface design, and digital performance. His work has been presented at CIRMMT, IRCAM, the Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Oberlin Conservatory, Ableton Loop Festival, and EMS Stockholm. He has published in Frontiers in Psychology, the Conference on Technologies for Music Notation and Representation, and Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie, and maintains an active role as an educator, researcher, and composer in the computer music field.

11 June 2025, 7:30pm

UdK SoundS
Lietzenburger Str. 45
3.OG, 315
10789 Berlin

Accessibility

Venue
The event will take place on the third floor of the UdK building at Lietzenburger Strasse 45. There is step-free access to the building from the rear entrance via Schaperstrasse. There is an elevator that grants access to the 3rd floor from the main lobby of the builidng.

Public Transport
The nearest metro station with step-free access is U-Kufürstendamm which connects to the U1 and U9.

Times and admission:
The event will start at 7.30pm. If required, we can offer you earlier admission from 7:15 pm so that you can familiarize yourself with the surroundings and choose your seat.

Admission is free.
Late admission after the start of the event is possible. The duration of the event is approx. 90 minutes. 

Seating & sensory stimuli:
The seating available consists of wooden chairs with backrests.

The event tends to have a moderate sound volume. The event room will be darkened with projection light. The venue is heated by central heating. The event is not immersive. The event takes place in a spacious room.

Event type:
The event is planned as an Artist Presentation & Talk. This means that the evening will take place in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. You are free to move around, leave and come back whenever you like. The event is planned to be sensory-friendly. This means that care is taken to reduce strong sensory stimuli to create a place that is as pleasant as possible for everyone. Loud noises and intense lighting effects are avoided.

Language:
The event will be held in spoken English

Contact persons:
If you have any further questions about accessibility, please email or call Thomas Clarke: t.clarke@udk-berlin.de / 00352661476905
If you have any questions or require assistance on site, please contact a present member of staff.

sic! sound in context

Lecture series with international guests on sound art, electronic composition and sound-related media art with talks, presentations and lecture performances.

A cooperation of
Sound Studies and Sonic Arts  (MA) | UdK Berlin
UdK Berlin UNI.K  | Studio for electroacoustic composition, sound art and sound research

SoundS
communication@sounds.berlin