Vassallo’s project investigates how computational frameworks from machine learning and AI can generate new musical works, while also exploring the cognitive processes behind human creativity.
He has developed new computer-assisted composition tools and created four original pieces: Versificator – Render 3, Elevator Pitch, Oscillations, and I am a Strange Loop. His research bridges neurocognitive science and practice-based artistic inquiry. It explores both “composing within the system” using computational methods, and “composing outside the system” through subjective creative responses. The project addresses timely questions about the role of generative AI in artistic creation, examining ethical considerations around copyright and the evolving role of artists in an AI-dominated landscape.
Drawing on cognitive science, the research proposes three models of creative cognition: cognitivist, connectionist, and embodied approaches. Vassallo’s interdisciplinary method combines his background in programming, cognitive science, and composition to develop what he calls “intuitive computers” and “rational composers” – exploring how logical and intuitive creative processes can coexist. His work investigates technology as a creative partner in music composition, examining human-computer interaction, algorithmic poetics, and procedural media.
The Examination Panel is made up of:
Professor Heather Frasch (chair), Associate Professor Andrea Szigetvari and Professor Dr. Georg Hajdu.
Bio
Juan Sebastián Vassallo Juan Sebastián Vassallo is an Argentinian experimental musician and researcher based in Bergen, Norway. He holds a master’s degree in music and psychology and is currently finishing his Ph.D. in Artistic Research under guidance by Dániel Péter Biró and Örjan Sandred at the Grieg Academy, University of Bergen.