Perspectives on Time: performance practice, mapping strategies, & composition with MIGSI

This paper presents four years of development in performance and compositional practice on an electronically augmented trumpet called MIGSI. Discussion is focused on conceptual and technical approaches to data mapping, sonic interaction, and composition that are inspired by philosophical questions of time: what is now? Is time linear or multi-directional? Can we operate in multiple modes of temporal perception simultaneously? A number of mapping strategies are presented which explore these ideas through the manipulation of temporal separation between user input and sonic output. In addition to presenting technical progress, this paper will introduce a body of original repertoire composed for MIGSI, in order to illustrate how these tools and approaches have been utilized in live performance and how they may find use in other creative applications.