Arja Kastinen
- Visiting researcher, Sibelius Academy Doctoral Programme and Research Centre, Sibelius Academy
- arja.kastinen@uniarts.fi
Publications in the research database (35)
Introduction
Visiting researcher, Folk Music Department.
Researching the Finnish-Karelian kantele improvisation of the runosong culture, its various manifestations in its original context, and its possibilities and dimensions in this era. The subject includes instrument, melody, culture, and historical research as well as improvisation research.
The latest project, "Human Creativity, Cultural Heritage, and Generative AI", examines how artificial intelligence could support vibrant and creative folk music without diminishing its diversity or cultural significance.
Acting as a bearer of tradition requires internalizing the tacit knowledge—and, particularly in the context of musical tradition, the embodied knowledge—inherent in that culture. Could AI be harnessed to act as a bearer of tradition, and if so, to what extent? What ethical, technical, or legal challenges does this entail?
The project’s research questions are:
- How do algorithmic systems account for diverse individual creativity and the cultural meanings embedded in oral musical traditions?
- How can issues of ownership and cultural rights be addressed regarding the music used to train AI applications and the music generated by them?
- How can an AI application designed to support the living practice of traditional music address concerns regarding cultural homogenization as well as the preservation and sustainability of the tradition?
Instrument research includes research of the special features of historical small kanteles: what is the effect of the structure and materials in different individual instruments on the tone, tuning level, playing technique, and through them on the music itself? The change in music culture is visible in the change in the structure of kantele instruments, from a monoxyle kantele to a diverse family of large kanteles. With the help of museum kantele replicas, it is possible to approach old instruments and the music produced with them in ways reminiscent of experimental archaeology.
Music research includes not only the research and use of runosong melodies and their variations on kanteles but also the study of kantele tunes recorded at the turn of the 20th century. Although a large part of the recorded songs already represents a newer layer of music, the way the old players played them is connected to the musical aesthetics of the runosong culture and thus opens up perspectives on the past.
Cultural and historical research includes connecting the hollow kantele and its use to the world of illiterate folk hundreds of years back. What was the significance of the instrument and music in that culture? How did it manifest itself in everyday life? What was the influence of the people of the surrounding cultures on the transformation of the music? The archival material at our disposal limits the tradition under study to the residential areas of the Orthodox Karelians in the 19th century. Therefore, cultural and historical research mainly focuses on their tradition.
The study of aesthetics influences almost all aspects of this research. The aesthetics of small kantele improvisation in the runosong culture is special and in many respects different from current general musical practices. Through its philosophy, the question is approached: how to create favorable conditions for an open and curious mind that enables creative improvisation? One of the goals of the project is to develop ways to study the dialogue that takes place within musical improvisation, which can be not only communication between individuals but also communication within an individual.