Math & Spirit(s)
Toma Gouband > composition > inspiration on arytmetic graphs
Math & Spirit OOW
Harmen Fraanje : piano
Brice Soniano : bass
Toma Gouband : drums/compositions
Inspired by his research on the intersection of numbers, Toma Gouband’s 2024 piece, “Math & Spirits,” explores how polyrythms mathematical formulas can generate an infinite number of forms and sounds. He developed “graphs” that, rooted in morphogenesis—where shapes emerge from formulas—become musical scores. These “formulas” are not constraints but sources of inspiration, offering musicians the freedom to infuse them with their own instinct and creativity. The work highlights the power of living creativity in the face of artificial intelligence, asserting that human inspiration and connection are essential for telling unique stories through music.
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Toma Gouband tells a bit more :
“ My exploratory and observational research into the meeting of numbers led me to create imagery and graphs that allow for a better understanding of the direct and indirect phenomena of these encounters. The formulas resulting from these phenomena reveal architectures directly linked to morphogenesis: forms stem from formulas, and/or formulas create forms. A flower, a tree, a galaxy, a bird, or a planet are all connected by these formulas, which vary in complexity, infinity, and evolutionary capacity.
What do these formulas inspire in an artist? What is their ability to generate forms and musical aesthetics? What do they evoke in musicians in terms of melodies and note choices? How do they influence instinct and inspiration? What spirit and sensitivity do they contain? When math connects with the spirit, a simple formula can result in a thousand and one stories and variations of forms: a thousand and one kinds of roses, a thousand and one bird songs, a thousand and one different citrus fruits… These formulas blend with landscapes and environments that generate their own variations of forms.
In “Math & Spirits”, the graphs and the formulas that compose them generate music. A thousand and one other pieces of music are possible from these same systems, depending on the creative power of each musician and their ability to let the graphs influence their inspiration.
In a time of incredible AI development, it is important to consider the unconditional creative powers of living beings: inspiration, connection with invisible worlds, and instinct.
“Math & Spirits” tells the story of my encounter with these formulas, which led me to adapt graphics to the music I had gathered in order to create graphics where everything is contained. The scores are an unfolding of these, and it is up to the musicians to bring their own instinct to tell a thousand and one other stories from these generative graphics.
Toma Gouband, July 2025
“Math & Spirits” was composed in 2024 by Toma Gouband. This piece received support from the Ministry of Culture’s Aid for the Writing of an Original Musical Work – Prefect of the Pays de la Loire Region.
Explore the scores ...
