Abstract
This paper argues that the Network Arts afford uniquely nuanced aesthetic interactions among humans and between humans and machines. After defining these moments under a new concept I call exquisite musicking, I investigate how distributed networks of human and nonhuman actors create experiences that challenge or complicate traditional notions of agency, ensemble, aesthetics, and synchrony. Using Actor-Network Theory as a lens of inquiry, I explore the exquisite affordances of network-based musicking, discussing how pitch, timbre, and texture are co-created in networked performances. I also examine how exquisite musicking could serve as a fruitful concept in music education, particularly in pedagogical strategies that foster the mindful, embodied practice of Deep Listening as developed by Pauline Oliveros and Thích Nhất Hạnh.
License Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
Recommended Citation
Adams, Seth. "Mediating the Exquisite: Aesthetic Affordances of the Network Arts." Journal of Network Music and Arts 7, 1 (2025). https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/jonma/vol7/iss1/2
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