ABSTRACT
This introduction provides an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book refers to spatial dimensions and characteristics of sound. The main perspective of the contributions is based on theories of embodied cognition and perception–action coupling. The book discusses evidence for correspondences between inner musical motion and outward bodily movement responses and deals with aesthetic qualities of sonification and explores human–machine interactions. It addresses multimodal perceptions of sound in relation to spatial dimensions – from the spatial design of musical instruments and its consequences for sound production up to metaphors of sound and space. The book employs the metaphor of music as 'fluid architecture' in order to describe spatial characteristics attributed to structured sounds. It describes multimodal experiences of music that are spatial in its structure and impact and refers to the separation of the senses specific to Western tradition of the arts, and developments in listening technology to overcome these separations.
