- Part of 'A topology of musical encounter' (summary) -
When building networks between musicians in the digital sphere, the question rises which aspects in such an online network are exactly new, and what they add to the already gigantic existing offer. If we consider a major digital network like MYSPACE, the possibilities of representation for musicians are enormous. Millions of musicians and listeners form various networks-within-networks around collective interests, therefore highly contributing to worldwide collective cultures. But the step towards actual musical encounter is enlarged increasingly, parallel to the wider the world becomes. Physical distances between musicians and mass gathering are not particularly enhancing effective and high-quality artistic development. The interest of an initiative for a local community lies therefore in applying networks more actively and productively. In our case we want musicians to meet physically and challenge each other with their sounds, which is truly a step further than promotional and supportive networks like MYSPACE where the information that musicians publish is limited in content, and real musical collaboration and production only develop occasionally or very slow.
First of all we have to shift the focus from the quantity of a community to the quality. Quality means an increasing focus on content, opening a large and in depth insight into the musicians world. It also means a more narrow selection of who can join the initiative. It is in nobody’s interest to make musicians contribute profiles randomly. The musicians who become part of the network have to be available for active participation in musical developments. From this restriction follows the need for a more effective translation from digital space to the reality of musical encounter. It is therefore a logical result that the connective possibilities in the digital reality lead to a new ‘local’ application of the medium. In between this interaction of the global and the local, there is the chance to take the musical collective out of its digital context and continue the connection in the physical space in a new musical collaboration.
Although I started the work of the musical collection of contemporary Amsterdam myself, engaging in conversations with musicians and documenting their stories and sounds, the digital dimensions of the online public network should turn into a living development carried out by composers, musicians and listeners in Amsterdam themselves, who all become curators of their own unique imaginative musical world. The formation of new musical collectives within the borders of Amsterdam is enhanced enormously by digital means, providing hands-on possibilities that would never be available on this scale in the physical space. At the same time we create the possibility to connect our musical developments in Amsterdam to the global community, and a musical initiative that proves successful on the local level can gain influence worldwide. Concluding - the unlimited access to worldwide information can in fact not be separated anymore from local reality of a city like Amsterdam. The development towards an individualized worldview interrelates the personal freedom one seeks through access to digital reality.
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