A dynamical system is a system whose state evolves with time over a state space according to a fixed rule. A dynamical system is all about the evolution of something over time. To create a dynamical system we simply need to decide (1), what is the “something” that will evolve over time and (2), what is the rule that specifies how that something evolves with time… A dynamical system is simply a model describing the temporal evolution of a system.
There is a rich history of music inspired by and connected to mathematical and scientific notions. I first became fascinated by dynamical systems because there seemed to be so many ways they could relate to art. They can form extra-musical abstractions which inspire the composition of a piece of music, where a composer attempts to embody the qualities of dynamical systems in entirely poetic ways; they can model composition techniques which utilize semi-autonomous processes, taking the trajectory of the music out of the composer’s hands. They can galvanize both algorithmic and generative composers who create electronic works based on number systems, and sound installation artists developing physical works that can run autonomously. This is a playlist of pieces and installations influenced by, embodying, and which may even be dynamical systems.
