The Project

In this project we introduce the NuSom - Research Centre on Sonology at the University of São Paulo, which aims at fostering the development of advanced research on Sonology and the interfaces between with Music and other art forms, as well as with science and technology in general. Our project is based on 5 lines of research:

1. Sonology: research on processes of creation and reception of elements related to art forms based on sound
2. Interactive Systems Development: study, design and development of systems for artistic creation and performance based on interactive processes
3. Artistic Production: creation processes per se, performed by artists connected to the Centre. The processes to be considered shall focus on experimental methods and techniques, geared towards the interaction between languages and the use of tools and spaces specifically designed for artistic creation
4. Interdisciplinary Interfaces: integration of disciplines related to Sonology with other areas related to academic and artistic research, bringing together disciplines to give room to the exploratory analysis of socio-cultural, cognitive, historical and technological aspects of artistic creation
5. Musical Acoustics, Psychoacoustics and Auralization: analysis of sound as perceptive and physical phenomenon, as well as the relationships between sound, space and listening.

These 5 lines of research are weaved together to form a coherent fabric for research in which different forms of artistic production related to sound take a central role. Our approach is interdisciplinary and encompasses: (a) reflexive analysis (lines 1 and 4), (b) applied research (lines 2 and 5), and (c) support for artistic creation (line 3).

1. Context
In this project we introduce the NuSom - Research Centre on Sonology at the University of São Paulo (USP), which aims at the development of advanced research on Sonology and interfaces with Music and other art forms, as well as science and technology in general. Our project is based on 5 lines of research:

1. Sonology: research on processes of creation and reception of elements related to art forms based on sound
2. Interactive Systems Development: study, design and development of systems for artistic creation and performance based on interactive processes
3. Artistic Production: creation processes per se, performed by artists connected to the Centre. The processes to be considered shall focus on experimental methods and techniques, geared towards the interaction between languages and the use of tools and spaces specifically designed for artistic creation
4. Interdisciplinary Interfaces: integration of disciplines related to Sonology with other areas related to academic and artistic research, bringing together disciplines to give room to the exploratory analysis of socio-cultural, cognitive, historical and technological aspects of artistic creation
5. Musical Acoustics, Psychoacoustics and Auralization: analysis of sound as perceptive and physical phenomenon, as well as the relationships between sound, space and listening.

These 5 lines of research are weaved together to form a coherent fabric for research in which different forms of artistic production related to sound take a central role. Our approach is interdisciplinary and encompasses: (a) reflexive analysis (lines 1 and 4), (b) applied research (lines 2 and 5), and (c) support for artistic creation (line 3).

The main goal of NuSom is to build the convergence between academic research and artistic creation, as the connection between these two fields, especially in Academia, features important challenges to be solved. For this reason, NuSom has a team formed by researchers whose production has primed precisely on this convergence. The research group at USP which has built this project has a history of at least 10 years of development of projects characterized by the integration between scientific research and artistic production. In these projects, we have had the opportunity to work on reflective research as well as applied research, whose results have been integrated into artistic productions. We have also built a significant portfolio of processes and artifacts which are aesthetically consistent and which have enriched the results of purely academic research.

We understand that reflection, artistic creation and applied research can be developed independently within NuSom. Nevertheless, we shall work on the integration of these practices. Experiments on this integration have been developed with satisfactory results in recent projects developed by the research group, in which interdisciplinary and integrative actions have been emphasized.