Participants 2023
About the TEAM
Gabriel Zalles Ballivian is a Bolivian student living in San Diego and attending UCSD, where he is working towards a PhD in Computer Music. He is an audio engineer specializing in the field of immersive audio, specifically ambisonics.
He has experience developing software with MATLAB, JUCE (C++), and also loves open source hardware. He has experience with 3D printing, laser cutting, circuit design and general hardware manufacturing processes. His research and artwork have been shown at NIME, AES, NYCEMF, SMC, DAVAMOT, EDAM, and LAC.
About the SONG
This song is a reminder to myself to focus. I have a predisposition to get distracted easily and move erratically between projects. When I play tennis, I notice often that my best results come from moments of focus. The poem is a play on this idea as well, a reminder that free will is an illusion and how technology is shaping our future and present.
About the HUMAN-AI PROCESS
The song was created using Magenta stand-alone applications for the melodies, an AI poem generator for the poem, and a TTS model for the spoken word itself. It follows a simple format of ABA, where the B section is the recited poem using the words "time technology free will lotus flowers" as seeds for the poem generation. We also use free samples from online libraries and Ableton.
Focus
Lyrics
In the realm of time and technology, Where free will dances with lotus flowers, A world beyond mere dichotomy, Unveiling mysteries of transcendent powers.
Amidst the ticking clock's relentless beat, The digital realm unveils its treasure. A universe where minds and circuits meet, In harmony, a symphony of leisure.
But as time ticks and technology grows, Lost is the essence of free will's might. For in this realm, an illusion it shows, That choice remains, a beacon of false light.
Yet amidst the chaos, the lotus blooms, Its petals unfurling, serene and pure. A reminder of freedom, despite confines and glooms, That our spirit, unbound, shall endure.
Within the lotus, whispers of truth reside, Guiding us to embrace our inner voice. For beyond the realms where algorithms decide, Lies the choice to break free, to rejoice.
Let us reclaim our autonomy once more, Embrace the lotus, its wisdom untold. With open hearts, our destinies to explore, As time and technology gracefully unfold.