Federico Visi

Federico Visi (he/they) serves as Guest Faculty in the Sound Studies and Sonic Arts Master's program at Berlin University of the Arts. Based in Berlin, Germany, Visi is a researcher, composer, and performer whose work bridges technology and artistic expression through innovative musical interfaces and performance systems.

Visi completed doctoral research on instrumental music and body movement at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research (ICCMR), University of Plymouth, UK. They have held postdoctoral positions at Luleå University of Technology (Sweden) and Goldsmiths, University of London (UK), establishing a foundation for their interdisciplinary approach to music technology.

Visi's research focuses on gesture in music, motion-sensing technologies, interactive machine learning, and embodied interaction. Their work explores how body movement and physiological signals can be harnessed in electronic music creation through both theoretical frameworks and practical implementations. They have developed novel instruments like the Sophtar and biosignal-based performance systems that translate physiological data into sound.

Recent scholarly output reveals a trajectory toward increasingly sophisticated integration of machine learning in musical contexts, with significant contributions spanning computer music, psychology, and human-computer interaction domains. Visi's publications demonstrate how algorithmic processes can be embedded in musical instruments to create new forms of musical expression and co-creativity between humans and machines.

As an active member of the research community, Visi co-edited a thematic issue of Organised Sound on 'Embedding Algorithms in Music and Sound Art' and organized the Embedding Algorithms Workshop at Berlin University of the Arts. They contribute to the Wilding AI collective that explores creative applications of AI in spatial audio environments.

Visi releases music under the moniker AQAXA, combining conventional electronic music production with machine learning exploration of personal sonic memories. Their work has been supported by the European Research Council, Swedish Research Council, Boström Fund, and Helge Ax:son Johnsons foundation.