The improvisation machine is an elusive figure. It has no universally agreed-upon form, but is instead in a state of continuous fluidity, changing between different configurations, versions, functions, perceptions, and identities. The “improvisation machine manifesto”, also in a state of flux and revision, attempts to deconstruct and demystify the black boxes of this machine by examine the technical processes and artistic decisions involved in its continual development.
Melody Chua (*1994) brings together music performance, interactive programming, and immersive visual mediums into her own practice, both as a solo performer and composer/programmer/artist in collaborative settings. She is the co-developer of the sensor-augmented flute (Chaosflöte), with which she improvises sounds and visuals in live performances, and she is the co-founder of the music technology NPO Null-state. Melody holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance and Music Technology from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in Music Performance with concentrations in electroacoustic composition and sensor-augmented instrument development, for which she received a Fulbright/Swiss Government Excellence scholarship. She is finishing her master’s in Transdisciplinary Studies at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste.
