Samhengi: Tölvera – Composing with Basal Agencies

This talk introduces Tölvera, a new software tool for composing with biologically inspired simulations in musical contexts. We’ll explore how Tölvera enables musicians to work with artificial life models like flocking, slime molds, and swarms as part of their creative process. We’ll discuss the concept of “basal cognition” – simple forms of intelligence found in nature – and how Tölvera allows composers to harness these principles in their work. The talk will cover Tölvera’s features, including real-time interaction, Open Sound Control, interactive machine learning, and visualisation. We’ll examine case studies of performances and installations created with Tölvera, highlighting how it can be used to encourage discourse about the notion of AI in music. The presentation will touch on broader questions about diverse intelligence in music technology and how to expand our vision for AI in composition and performance.