The UPIC System of Iannis Xenakis: Autoethnography as rapprochement

Peter Nelson

doi:10.11647/obp.0390.32

The UPIC System of Iannis Xenakis: Autoethnography as rapprochement

Peter Nelson

Edinburgh College of Art

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

Abstract

As one of the core members of Les Ateliers UPIC in Paris during the 1980s, I perform a sort of autoethnography of my experiences teaching and composing with UPIC. Taking some cues from contemporary writers in Science and Technology Studies, I attempt to critique the breadth of purpose and the operative capabilities of Xenakis’s conception of the UPIC system, exploring the ways in which Xenakis’s initial impulse, derived from his work in Le Corbusier’s studio coupled with his desire to improve the speed and potential of mathematical modelling through the use of digital computers, found a rich seam of possibilities in UPIC’s unique interface and sense of social, as well as creative purpose.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Meta-Xenakis
Subtitle of host publication	New perspectives on Iannis Xenakis’s Life, Work, and Legacies
Editors	Peter Nelson, Sharon Kanach
Publisher	Open Book Publishers
Pages	501-514
Number of pages	14
ISBN (Electronic)	9781805112266, 9781805112297, 9781805112273
ISBN (Print)	9781805112259, 9781805112242
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0390.32
Publication status	Published - 9 Oct 2024

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10.11647/obp.0390.32Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution Non-Commercial (CC-BY-NC)

Nelson2024UPICMetaXenakisFinal published version, 1.35 MBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution Non-Commercial (CC-BY-NC)

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The UPIC System of Iannis Xenakis: Autoethnography as rapprochement

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