![[OLD FALL 2017] 15-104 • Introduction to Computing for Creative Practice](https://courses.ideate.cmu.edu/15-104/f2017/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/stop-banner.png)
http://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2017/august/butterfly-sounds.html
This piece is an evolving sound composition created by a class I was in Junior year. The Phipps hosts a butterfly bloom every year, and my class wrote generative music compositions within the space. The class split into about 10 teams, and wrote a sound piece using random event triggers to play an ambient melody.
In this project, randomness played a crucial role for the experience within the space. One lesson we learned about in the class is that predicable/repetitive beats can impose undesired movement within a space. We used the randomness to unify each teams individual compositions. Because there was no specific beat to the songs, a pleasant tone was set in the garden space.
Another concept we learned about randomness is evolution. If a framework for a musical or artistic piece is designed to allow for chance, the experience is always different. A viewer can explore the space on their own time, without fear of missing out.