Digital Culture & AudioVisual Challenges

The project Music, entrepreneUrshIp, Creativity, For the Digital revolution, MUSIC4D, following the EU call National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Mission 4,  aims to promote the musical heritage of southern Italy and foster internationalization within the HEIs’ music Italian system. through the adoption of advanced digital multisensorial tools and innovative technologies.

Cutting-Edge Innovations in the Performing Arts

The integration of arts and sciences, coupled with technological research in music, has seen remarkable advancements recently, paving the way for revolutionary innovations. This evolution has introduced the concept of "multi-sensoriality," where data mapping, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), eXtended Reality (XR), and Digital Twin models converge to create immersive experiences (World Economic Forum 2022). Such innovations encompass virtual “sensorial” artistic activities (Caffio et al. 2022), data sonification (Fortino 2018), big data in auditory feedback (Chella et al. 2016), AI-driven artistic creation (Zhao et al. 2023), humanoid robots in musical events (Giardina et al. 2020), movement tracking in performances (Wechsler 2006), and wearable systems with robotic fibers (Cotton et al. 2021). These developments profoundly impact music development processes, education, performances, aesthetics, and entrepreneurial opportunities.

New Needs in the HEIS Italian Music System  (AFAM)

Despite the growing importance of virtual environments in music and the arts, higher education institutions, professors, and young artists exhibit low levels of digital proficiency (Laar 2020). The AFAM system, representing higher education institutions in music and arts in Italy, continues to adhere to traditional educational models (Sobitovich et al. 2020), failing to align with the EU Digital Compass 2020 and 2030 education plans. This issue is particularly pronounced in the music institutions of Calabria, Sicilia, and Sardegna, regions with unique geographic, historical, and social challenges and opportunities.

Digital as a Lever

MUSIC4D emphasizes the transformative potential of the digital shift within the music domain. Adopting multisensorial virtual environments has far-reaching effects on internationalization, creativity (Maddikunta et al. 2022), inclusiveness (Levinsonn 2022), social responsibility, and the prevention of disabilities (Perez et al. 2022). These digital tools and environments foster new ways of creating, experiencing, and sharing music, opening up unprecedented opportunities for artists and educators.

Project’s Goals

The overarching objective of MUSIC4D is to promote the musical heritage of southern Italy and foster internationalization within the AFAM consortium through advanced digital multisensorial tools. Specifically, the project aims to create and enhance international networks in music using cyber technologies to bridge development gaps in Calabria, Sicilia, and Sardegna. It seeks to develop the digital capabilities of staff, teachers, students, and researchers, reducing the ecological impact of artistic performances and productions. Additionally, MUSIC4D aims to implement international exchange activities, research processes, and artistic productions in southern Italy, initiating training courses and knowledge-sharing with foreign partners in new technologies and creative possibilities. The project also focuses on the international dissemination of southern Italy’s unique music heritage and supports AFAM institutions in the dematerialization process to create a unique electronic identifier for European students and alumni. Finally, it aspires to establish music “international ambassadors” among students and alumni to promote cultural democracy.

Expected Results

MUSIC4D is expected to yield several specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound results. The project aims to promote Italian culture through music and technological partnerships, enhancing the Mediterranean music heritage and organizing ten joint events between the thirteenth and twenty-second months of the project. It plans to create three "Identity Hubs” connecting EU cultural institutions with southern Italy and Mediterranean repertoire. The project seeks to reduce global emissions from performing and teaching activities by 20% compared to live activities, build networks between northern EU arts institutions and Mediterranean countries, the Balkans, South Pacific, USA, and Indian Ocean, and develop two digital technology didactic modules impacting at least 8,000 users. Additionally, MUSIC4D aims to attract high-profile international students and professors to the consortium's music institutions, increasing their numbers by 20%, and create mobilities, artistic research, and production activities with partner institutions, impacting 400 participants. The project will update and create at least ten music digital hubs with AR, VR, XR, and Digital Twin devices, build a EU digital student identity for 90% of consortium institutions, and develop three research paths with high-tech university departments merging advanced technologies and music. 

MUSIC4D has a strong interdisciplinary vocation. It will merge music with advanced technologies, adhering to the DNSH principle under EU Regulation. The consortium, which represents the entire music HEIs in south Italy, includes 13 partners, ranging from  AFAM Music Conservatories from Sicilia, Calabria, and Sardegna, to the advanced research departments from the University of Palermo and Cosenza UNICAL, that focus on IoT, AI, and robotics. This cross-sectoral approach is an added value for the foreseen impact, and it will reimagine artistic actions through a cybernetic process, blending art, senses, and environment, and overcoming barriers to build competitive advantages.