Dreaming Species
Dreaming Species
Dreaming Species is a listening experience for headphones in three parts. It imagines a world in which the human connection with animals begins to re-tune, using the shared processes of human memory and machine learning.
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Across three episodes, this dream-like piece embarks on a journey into a world in which human connection to animals is re-imagined using the processes of machine learning. To engage with the crisis of biodiversity loss in the UK, Wilson collaborated with an AI neural net, using the voices of animals at risk of extinction and human voices, creating a new sonic language.
Combining multi-part vocal music, animal and machine voice, text and binaural recording techniques, Dreaming Species is the opening creative chapter of a multi-year research process, in which Wilson has explored the possibilities of machine learning to imagine new sonic meeting grounds for human and animal narratives.
dreamingspecies.com
background
Wilson collaborated with PRiSM (Practice Research in Science and Music) at RNCM, Manchester, to create the machine-generated voice in this project. She also collaborated with singers Peyee Chen, Adey Grummet, Simone Ibbet-Brown and Melanie Pappenheim to create elements of the music through improvisation.
This work was funded by Arts Council, England and created as part of Sound and Music’s New Voices programme, of which Melanie was a 2020/21 selected composer.
Following this, Dreaming Species enters its next chapter on stage as Oracle: a new live music performance for six voices, live electronics and projection premiering in 2025.
credits
Concept, score, text, voiceover & sound design
Melanie Wilson
Singers
Peyee Chen, Adey Grummet, Simone Ibbett-Brown and Melanie Pappenheim
Neural net training voices
Peyee Chen & Héloïse Werner
Neural net programmer
Dr Christopher Melen
Video artist
Akhila Krishnan
Website design, identity & additional video design
Graeme Swinton
Music facilitator
Yshani Perinpanayagam
Mentor to Melanie
Dr Sam Salem
Produced by
Fuel
Recorded at Urchin Studios, London
This work was funded by Arts Council, England and created as part of Sound and Music’s New Voices programme, of which Melanie was a 2020/21 selected composer.
Dreaming Species is part of a wider research project. Warm gratitude to the vocal collaborators and musicians who have developed ideas with me:
Benoît André, Michael Betteridge, Sarah Cameron, Kate Huggett, Rosie Middleton, Robin Morton, Edmund Phillips and Rose Stachniewska.
A huge thank you for support and catalysis to:
Emily Howard, Director PRiSM
Laonikos Psimikakis Chalkokondylis, Sound and Music
Thank you to ASDP for binaural head loan.
Across three episodes, this dream-like piece embarks on a journey into a world in which human connection to animals is re-imagined using the processes of machine learning. To engage with the crisis of biodiversity loss in the UK, Wilson collaborated with an AI neural net, using the voices of animals at risk of extinction and human voices, creating a new sonic language.
Combining multi-part vocal music, animal and machine voice, text and binaural recording techniques, Dreaming Species is the opening creative chapter of a multi-year research process, in which Wilson has explored the possibilities of machine learning to imagine new sonic meeting grounds for human and animal narratives.
dreamingspecies.com
background
Wilson collaborated with PRiSM (Practice Research in Science and Music) at RNCM, Manchester, to create the machine-generated voice in this project. She also collaborated with singers Peyee Chen, Adey Grummet, Simone Ibbet-Brown and Melanie Pappenheim to create elements of the music through improvisation.
This work was funded by Arts Council, England and created as part of Sound and Music’s New Voices programme, of which Melanie was a 2020/21 selected composer.
Following this, Dreaming Species enters its next chapter on stage as Oracle: a new live music performance for six voices, live electronics and projection premiering in 2025.
credits
Concept, score, text, voiceover & sound design
Melanie Wilson
Singers
Peyee Chen, Adey Grummet, Simone Ibbett-Brown and Melanie Pappenheim
Neural net training voices
Peyee Chen & Héloïse Werner
Neural net programmer
Dr Christopher Melen
Video artist
Akhila Krishnan
Website design, identity & additional video design
Graeme Swinton
Music facilitator
Yshani Perinpanayagam
Mentor to Melanie
Dr Sam Salem
Produced by
Fuel
Recorded at Urchin Studios, London
This work was funded by Arts Council, England and created as part of Sound and Music’s New Voices programme, of which Melanie was a 2020/21 selected composer.
Dreaming Species is part of a wider research project. Warm gratitude to the vocal collaborators and musicians who have developed ideas with me:
Benoît André, Michael Betteridge, Sarah Cameron, Kate Huggett, Rosie Middleton, Robin Morton, Edmund Phillips and Rose Stachniewska.
A huge thank you for support and catalysis to:
Emily Howard, Director PRiSM
Laonikos Psimikakis Chalkokondylis, Sound and Music
Thank you to ASDP for binaural head loan.
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