Utopia();

Utopia();

Work created in 2025/5/24

This work is an interactive web art piece that fuses programming code and music generation. The two programs, “Melody Initiator” and “Melody Responder,” which split the screen left and right, explore the possibilities of musical dialogue within digital space.
The title of the work, “Utopia(),” employs the syntax of a function call, presenting the concept of utopia itself as something executable by a program. The parentheses suggest that utopia is not a static place, but a dynamic process that is continually enacted.
On the left, the “Melody Initiator” functions as the caller, while the “Melody Responder” on the right is structured to respond. This dual arrangement reinterprets the musical tradition of call-and-response through the lens of contemporary programming paradigms.
The JavaScript code displayed on the screen functions as visual poetry, transcending its role as a mere functional element. Code fragments such as “function createMusicModule()” and “const mode = selectDialogueMode()” not only describe technical processes but also express the transparency of the creative process.
Particularly striking is the visualization of program parameters. Numeric values like “Phrase Length,” “Harmonic Energy,” “Response Quality,” and “Harmonic Match” reveal the internal state of music generation in real time, making the normally hidden workings of the algorithm observable.
The “utopia” presented by this work is not a world of perfectly harmonized algorithms. Statistics displayed at the top, such as “0% Average Accuracy” and “0.0 Harmonic Sync,” frankly indicate the system’s incompleteness and potential for failure. This embodies a critical perspective on blind optimism toward technology.
The set tempo of 120 BPM is close to the human heartbeat, hinting at the intersection between mechanical processes and biological rhythms. The “1.0x” speed notation also reflects the culture of playback speed adjustment in contemporary digital media consumption.
The play button at the bottom center transforms the viewer from a passive observer to an active participant. Through the act of clicking, the observer becomes a co-creator of this digital utopia.
By bridging code readability and musical audibility, this work presents the very act of programming as a medium for artistic expression. It can be seen as an important attempt to reconsider the relationship between algorithms and creativity in 21st-century digital society.