On Thursday 26 May 2022 we will host a presentation by André Damião on the history of computer music in Brazil, followed by a short presentation of his internet-art work chloroquine popups.

The perspective of this talk is to contribute to a discussion on how to think about some aspects of the relationship between Music & Technology, which are tributary to experimental practices in music, considering the Brazilian context. The talk has as its object of study the Núcleo de Computação & Música (NUCOM), created in 1993. In order to think about the development of this group, it is necessary to reflect on the historical course of national research on music creation mediated by digital media, which precedes the 1990s, and on the very definition of Computer Music in the international community. This trajectory shows how the period of the Military Dictatorship (1964-1984), through its national policy and censorship, had a definitive impact on Computer Music research in Brazil. The talk brings this reflection on the space of experience of Brazilian experimental music production to think about its past and possible reverberations on its horizon of expectations in the present.

Attendance at this conference is free of charge and does not require prior booking. From 23 to 25 May, Damião will offer a workshop on Mobile Music. On Thursday 26 May at 8 p.m. he will perform at Espai Souvenir (Travessia de Sant Antoni, 27). +info: [email protected]

André Damião works transversally between the fields of music and electronic art. He graduated in Electroacoustic Composition at the University of the State of São Paulo (UNESP), and holds a PhD in Sonology from the University of São Paulo (USP), where he wrote a thesis proposing a reflection on the history of computer music in Brazil. His work has focused on the critique of technology, interface aesthetics and mobility. Damião teaches composition and free improvisation at the São Paulo State School of Music (EMESP). He has received grants to develop his research, including the Giga-Hertz Award from the ZKM and the Radio Art Residency programme in Halle, organised by Radio Corax and the Goethe Institut. Some of his pieces have been presented in concert halls and galleries in 22 countries, including festivals such as MATA in New York, Sonorities in Belfast, Novas Frequencias in Rio de Janeiro, Gaudeamus Musikweek in Utrecht, Latitude in Berlin, WhiteNoise in Mexico City, LiveCodeFestival in Karlsruhe, 9th Media Art Biennale WRO in Wroclaw and Piksel Festival in Bergen.