Progetto P+ARTS

P+ARTS: Partnership
for Artistic Research in Technology and Sustainability

INTAFAM_00037
CUP G43C24000640006
Project coordinator NABA – Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti di Milano

P+ARTS promotes excellence in artistic research in Italy by supporting young talents through an innovative ecosystem focused on ecological transition and digital transformation. This interdisciplinary project integrates art, technology, and sustainability, involving prestigious AFAM institutions (Higher Artistic, Musical, and Choreutic Education) and public universities.

The P+ARTS project is supported by ten prestigious partners collaborating to innovate artistic and technological research: NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti; Accademia Teatro alla Scala Foundation; Academy of Fine Arts of Naples; Milan Conservatory; Academy of Fine Arts of Bari; Matera Conservatory; IAAD. – Institute of Applied Art and Design; SAE Institute Milan; Polytechnic University of Bari; Free University of Bozen-Bolzano.

As part of the artistic research initiatives developed within P+ARTS (Partnership for Artistic Research in Technology and Sustainability), the Milan Conservatory, together with the Matera Conservatory and SAE Institute, developed the Unexpected Sounds sub-project, which set out to explore the concept of musical improvisation in interaction with artificial intelligence, considering that improvisation lends itself particularly well to the dual nature of artistic research, both practical and theoretical.

Unexpected Sounds was developed in two phases: the first involved live performances, while the second focused on reworking the material with the support of artificial intelligence.
Student ensembles and individual students selected from the three participating institutions performed a concert featuring compositions drawn from the Baroque repertoire, folk music and jazz, as well as other works suited to improvisation. These performances provided the musicians with a platform to develop their own improvised interpretations.
Recordings of these performances were used as source material for AI-assisted electronic reinterpretation, with the aim of generating new digital outputs, both as standalone pieces and as components of interactive installations.

In addition to showcasing a range of improvisational practices, the project encourages a theoretical exploration of the nature of improvisation in the age of digital reproducibility.

Phase One: Download the concert programme (PDF)

Phase Two: Watch the video produced with the support of artificial intelligence – https://youtu.be/UKo4jhfj1sc

Visit the P+ARTS website: https://partsproject.eu/