Music in Vitro—playing duets with living neuron cultures

In conjunction with the innovative Mind in Vitro - Computing with Living Neurons group at UIUC, David Rosenboom and Mattia Gazzola will lead a real-time brainstorming workshop and demonstration to envision a potential longer-term collaboration in neuromusic cybernetics. The workshop will examine possibilities of directly linking the electrical activity sensed in living neuron cultures with a computer music instrument that, in turn, may generate acoustic vibration stimuli for the neurons to react to, creating a new kind of performative biofeedback system. Speculations on how a biosemiotics approach might be helpful in interpreting both the behaviors of neuron cultures and musical results may be explored, along with a quick survey of historical work in biofeedback and the arts leading up to this new possibility. Interactive discussion with colleagues and attendees will be welcome.

Featured participants:

David Rosenboom (George A. Miller Visiting Professor), Kevin Hamilton (Professor of New Media, School of Art and Design; Dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts), Mattia Gazzola (Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering; Co-director of Mind in Vitro), & other members of the Mind in Vitro group.

Date and Time: Oct. 14, 2 – 3.40 pm

Place: CIF 3025 (Turn & Talk-80), Campus Instructional Facility, 1405 Springfield Ave , Urbana, IL, 61801

Host or Publisher School of Music