ICMC2008 Roots/Routes

Since its inception in 1974, the International Computer Music Conference has been co-sponsored by the International Computer Music Association and has become the preeminent yearly gathering of computer music practitioners from around the world. The ICMC’s unique interleaving of professional paper presentations and concerts of new computer music composition and performance creates a vital interplay between science, technology and music.

The 2008 conference explores notions of placement and displacement in the context of music practice. It provides an opportunity for the investigation of the interface between technologies which develop through international collaboration and the specificity of music cultures rooted in a place. The theme of the conference reflects current trends in the de-centralisation of music production and dissemination demonstrated by the increasing number of artist-run labels, podcasts, web archives and blogs. The ROOTS/ROUTES theme can be addressed through papers, compositions, installations and performances which explore the sense of place and context in relation to sound and technology. The conference organising committee welcomes submissions on the theme and on all traditional areas of computer music.

The conference also exposes the synergies between computer music and Irish Traditional Music through the creation of an ensemble composed of contemporary and traditional music specialists. This new type of ensemble is designed to explore the juxtaposition of two distinct performance practices and musical languages through the creation of new repertoire.

ICMC 2008 takes place in Belfast, one of the fastest changing cities in Western Europe, and is hosted by the Sonorities Festival of Contemporary Music and the Sonic Arts Research Centre. Belfast is served by two international airports with direct flights to many European and International locations.

The Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC) is a newly established centre of excellence dedicated to the research of music technology. This unique interdisciplinary project has united internationally recognised experts in the areas of musical composition, signal processing, internet technology and digital hardware.

The Centre is established in a purpose-built facility located alongside the engineering departments of Queen’s University.

The centrepiece of SARC, the Sonic Laboratory, provides a unique space for cutting-edge initiatives in the creation and delivery of music and audio. The Sonic Laboratory’s uniqueness is vested in the degree of flexibility it can provide for experiments in 3D sound diffusion and for ground-breaking compositional and performance work within a purpose-built, variable acoustic space.

The Centre was completed in October 2003 and was officially opened by Karlheinz Stockhausen during the Sonorities Festival in April 2004.