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Sound, Space, and Creativity in Performing Arts
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Sound, Space, and Creativity in Performing Arts

A special issue of Arts (ISSN 2076-0752).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (27 December 2025) | Viewed by 10346

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Adam Rosiński

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Composition, Theory of Music and Sound Engineering, The Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, Prof. Jerzy Godziszewski 1, 85-075 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Interests: psychoacoustics; music theory; composition; computing; musical acoustics; audio engineering; music production; cognitive; analysis; perception; auditory scene analysis; music education; education sciences
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of the Arts journal is dedicated to an in-depth exploration of sound and sonic space as fundamental creative elements in contemporary performing arts. This Issue encompasses a wide range of themes related to the diverse ways artists from various disciplines—including musicians, actors, dancers, theatre directors, choreographers, visual arts performers, and multimedia creators—conceive, interpret, and utilise sound and sonic space in their artistic projects. The articles proposed for this Issue treat sonic space broadly, as a dynamic aesthetic, emotional, social, and interpretative category reflecting individual artistic visions and serving as a means of communication and interaction with audiences.

The primary aim of this Issue is to showcase the diverse approaches and strategies contemporary artists employ to shape and redefine audience experiences through the intentional use of sonic and spatial elements. Particular interest will be placed on topics exploring the creative potential of sound, its impact on aesthetic perception, emotional resonance, narrative construction, artistic identity, and the relationship between artist, artwork, and audience within contemporary performative practices. Additionally, contributions addressing new sound production technologies and techniques, significantly influencing audience reception and the interpretation of performances, are encouraged.

We invite submissions encompassing a wide array of theoretical and practical perspectives, including case studies, empirical research, philosophical reflections, and artistic interpretations offering fresh insights into the role of sound and spatiality in performing arts. Submissions exploring interactions between sound and other artistic media (such as movement, visuals, digital technologies, or text), highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary creative practices, are particularly welcomed. Articles addressing the influence of sound and sonic space on audience perceptual and cognitive processes, as well as analyses of historical and contemporary contexts of sound utilisation in performing arts, are also of interest.

We warmly invite contributions from practising artists, as well as scholars representing diverse academic disciplines, including musicology, composition, music theory, sound engineering, sound design, theatre studies, philosophy, psychology of art, cultural anthropology, media studies, cultural studies, and interdisciplinary artistic practice. Our goal is to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and encourage collaborative exploration of contemporary opportunities and challenges related to sound and sonic space as creative media within the performing arts of the 21st century.

Dr. Adam Rosiński
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Arts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • musical acoustics
  • electroacoustic
  • sound engineering
  • music production
  • digital composition and orchestration
  • computer music composition
  • digital audio workstation
  • sound design
  • dubbing
  • digital technologies in music education
  • auditory image analysis
  • cognitive science
  • perception
  • listening
  • psychoacoustics
  • music theory
  • composition
  • AI in music

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 1034 KB  
Article
Commercial Generative AI as a Tool—The Control–Convenience Spectrum
by Krzysztof Cybulski
Arts 2026, 15(2), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts15020033 - 4 Feb 2026
Viewed by 1143
Abstract
AI-generated content—spanning text, imagery, and music—is becoming increasingly commonplace. As the newest generation of song-producing AI systems garner attention, serious questions emerge regarding the role and place of music producers, particularly in the area of non-artistic, or “utility music”. While it might seem [...] Read more.
AI-generated content—spanning text, imagery, and music—is becoming increasingly commonplace. As the newest generation of song-producing AI systems garner attention, serious questions emerge regarding the role and place of music producers, particularly in the area of non-artistic, or “utility music”. While it might seem that human skills and creativity are unlikely to be replaced entirely by generative AI in domains such as art music or live performance, recent developments in the field suggest that human efforts in creation of advertisement or background music are already being challenged by generative AI systems. However, there is a number of alternative, more balanced forms of human–machine co-creativity. It is in this regard that I am posing a question: can commercial generative AI systems really be classified as tools in the strict sense of the term? In this paper, I am attempting to answer this question by introducing the “Control–Convenience Spectrum”—a concept I believe applies to all human creative processes that utilize tools. It bears some similarities to earlier ideas in complexity theory or flow psychology—particularly, it proposes that the extremes of this spectrum are unlikely to produce compelling aesthetical outcomes or satisfying creative practice. I argue that prompt-driven commercial generative AI systems occupy one of the far ends of the spectrum, thus failing to meet the criteria for a creative expression tool. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sound, Space, and Creativity in Performing Arts)
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30 pages, 8638 KB  
Article
Mediated Sound—Between Visual Art and Music: Three Case Study: Zbigniew Bargielski, Zygmunt Krauze, Bettina Skrzypczak
by Violetta Grażyna Przech
Arts 2025, 14(6), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts14060175 - 16 Dec 2025
Viewed by 525
Abstract
The article focuses on demonstrating the connections between works of visual art and their musical representation—in the sense of a musical response to a work that served as a source of inspiration. The discussion focuses on works by outstanding composers: Zbigniew Bargielski (born [...] Read more.
The article focuses on demonstrating the connections between works of visual art and their musical representation—in the sense of a musical response to a work that served as a source of inspiration. The discussion focuses on works by outstanding composers: Zbigniew Bargielski (born 1937), Zygmunt Krauze (born 1938), and a younger composer, Bettina Skrzypczak (born 1961). Among the distinguished artists are also the authors of works of visual art that provided the “causative impulse” for musical compositions: Władysław Strzemiński (1893–1952), Tadeusz Mysłowski (born 1943), Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966). Their works, taken into account by the composers, belong to various genres of visual arts: Strzemiński’s unistic painting fascinated Z. Krauze (including Unistic Compositions for solo piano), Mysłowski’s multimedia objects inspired the musical imagination of Z. Bargielski (Shrine for Anonymous Victim, Light Cross, Towards Organic Geometry), while Giacometti’s sculptures prompted B. Skrzypczak to interpret them musically (Vier Figuren). The methodological basis for developing the topic was the concept of ekphrasis, introduced into the field of musical semiotics (as musical ekphrasis) by the German musicologist Siglind Bruhn, as well as the work by Jacek Szerszenowicz, Artistic Inspirations in Music (2008), whose author, in the Polish context, undertook research on capturing the nature of the relationship between the extra-musical source of inspiration (artistic works) and music. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sound, Space, and Creativity in Performing Arts)
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15 pages, 303 KB  
Article
Topophilia—Space for Human Creation and Interpretation
by Katarzyna Szymańska-Stułka
Arts 2025, 14(5), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts14050105 - 3 Sep 2025
Viewed by 1433
Abstract
Topophilia, understood as a form of relationship between humans and their environment, can manifest in diverse ways—not only across various domains of art and life but also within the realm of music. This article seeks to expand the thesis of topophilia as a [...] Read more.
Topophilia, understood as a form of relationship between humans and their environment, can manifest in diverse ways—not only across various domains of art and life but also within the realm of music. This article seeks to expand the thesis of topophilia as a category defining the musical space of creation, performance, and perception of a musical work. Topophilia is seen here in the context of human activity in the artistic dimensions—philosophical, creative, architectural, and environmental. The methodological background is derived from the philosophy of place, phenomenology of perception, and musical analysis. This provides the opportunity to apply hermeneutic–philosophical analysis with elements of the theory of place. The thesis of this study is probably one of the first approaches to the category of topophilia in musical analysis, examining the style of composers, such as J.S. Bach, F. Chopin, K. Szymanowski, W. Lutosławski, A. Webern, and I. Xenakis, enriched with elements of musical performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sound, Space, and Creativity in Performing Arts)
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25 pages, 6626 KB  
Article
Expressive Circles—Original Concept Regarding the Structural and Dramaturgical Aspects of the Musical Composition in the Piece EXPRESSIVE CIRCLES—Three Pieces for Piano Trio: Composer’s Self-Reflection
by Patryk Kusiak
Arts 2025, 14(4), 98; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts14040098 - 20 Aug 2025
Viewed by 1147
Abstract
The objective of this article is to present an original approach for modern composers to construct their musical work regarding its structural and dramaturgical aspects. The concept of Expressive circles originated primarily in inspirations taken from the movement in art called Surrealism and [...] Read more.
The objective of this article is to present an original approach for modern composers to construct their musical work regarding its structural and dramaturgical aspects. The concept of Expressive circles originated primarily in inspirations taken from the movement in art called Surrealism and from music composed by Hanna Kulenty (which she describes as musique surrealistique). There are also parallels to other concepts (unism in music, surconventional deconstruction of the musical material) or to other composers (Witold Lutosławski). In the article, I present three types of Expressive circles (i.e., three form models)—closed structure, open structure and inverted structure. Each model is characterised by different approach to the musical theme and to its development in the musical piece. Considering the dramaturgical aspects of the work, the trance-like character of the music is important and there are two types of musical trances that I distinguish in Expressive circles, logarithm and drive; both are achieved differently in the musical work. The theoretical assumptions of the concept presented in the article are illustrated by chosen fragments from the score of my composition (EXPRESSIVE CIRCLES—Three pieces for piano trio) and by colourful schemes showing how the concept translates from theory to music. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sound, Space, and Creativity in Performing Arts)
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13 pages, 3767 KB  
Article
An Analysis of Audio Information Streaming in Georg Philipp Telemann’s Sonata in C Major for Recorder and Basso Continuo, Allegro (TWV 41:C2)
by Adam Rosiński
Arts 2025, 14(4), 76; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts14040076 - 14 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1179
Abstract
This paper presents an analysis of G. P. Telemann’s Sonata in C Major for Recorder and Basso Continuo (TWV 41:C2, Allegro), with the aim of investigating the occurrence of perceptual streams. The presence of perceptual streams in musical works helps to organise [...] Read more.
This paper presents an analysis of G. P. Telemann’s Sonata in C Major for Recorder and Basso Continuo (TWV 41:C2, Allegro), with the aim of investigating the occurrence of perceptual streams. The presence of perceptual streams in musical works helps to organise the sound stimuli received by the listener in a specific manner. This enables each listener to perceive the piece in an individual and distinctive manner, granting primacy to selected sounds over others. Directing the listener’s attention to particular elements of the auditory image leads to the formation of specific mental representations. This, in turn, results in distinctive interpretations of the acoustic stimuli. All of these processes are explored and illustrated in this analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sound, Space, and Creativity in Performing Arts)
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13 pages, 895 KB  
Article
Perspectives on Generative Sound Design: A Generative Soundscapes Showcase
by Grzegorz Samson
Arts 2025, 14(3), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts14030067 - 12 Jun 2025
Viewed by 3688
Abstract
Recent advancements in generative neural networks, particularly transformer-based models, have introduced novel possibilities for sound design. This study explores the use of generative pre-trained transformers (GPT) to create complex, multilayered soundscapes from textual and visual prompts. A custom pipeline is proposed, featuring modules [...] Read more.
Recent advancements in generative neural networks, particularly transformer-based models, have introduced novel possibilities for sound design. This study explores the use of generative pre-trained transformers (GPT) to create complex, multilayered soundscapes from textual and visual prompts. A custom pipeline is proposed, featuring modules for converting the source input into structured sound descriptions and subsequently generating cohesive auditory outputs. As a complementary solution, a granular synthesizer prototype was developed to enhance the usability of generative audio samples by enabling their recombination into seamless and non-repetitive soundscapes. The integration of GPT models with granular synthesis demonstrates significant potential for innovative audio production, paving the way for advancements in professional sound-design workflows and immersive audio applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sound, Space, and Creativity in Performing Arts)
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