Standing Wave Radio
Algorithm as Ritual: Expanding the musical tastes of listeners through code and serendipity
Algorithm as Ritual Show Image. Courtesy Patrick Quinn. (Jun 01, 2019)
al·go·rithm
noun
a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer.
rit·u·al
noun
a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order.
“Get yourself out of whatever cage you find yourself in.”
―John Cage
“In the wake of digital colonisation, increasingly intricate algorithms scout for patterns in the data we generate. The ever-expanding archive not only reflects our values and society—it shapes new cultures, behaviours, and beliefs. We posit that future rituals and algorithms can be rehearsed through performing arts, and propose an intervention that is part discussion, part social experiment, and strives to explore the combined functionalities.”
—Diana Alina Serbanescu and Régis Lemberthe
What are the conditions that make an event possible? "Algorithm as Ritual" is a project that not only explores this question, but also, seeks to challenge the discourse surrounding human-machine collaboration. The playlists for the show are created using a variety of chance operations; primarily, I rely on the prescriptions of a computer program (written in Python) that randomly outputs links to music files/excerpts from an eclectic and continuously growing archive that I maintain. I search far and wide for music, from dusty crates in record stores to the immense flea market that is the Internet. My searching for music and use of chance operations are both components of a generative system—what some might also call a psychogeographic ritual.
–Patrick Quinn