Raúl Dávila's music centers around the idea of cutting and that which cuts. His compositional practice, as well as his exploration with the electric guitar, creates a sound that oscillates between two opposite yet complementary extremes. On one side, there is the discontinuity of sound through the use of noise, voltage, and electricity; on the other, there is sound that remains static, continuous, and expands time to create immersive sound spaces for contemplation through the exploration of the harmonic spectrum and deep listening.
Musician and researcher in Humanities, Arts, and Technology. He holds a PhD in Humanities from Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Raúl Dávila’s research centres on the study of diagrammatic thought in sixteenth century mystic literature and its relationship with the aesthetic experience of contemporary culture and new media. He has two degrees in musical composition, one from the Faculty of Music of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the other from School of Music of the National Centre for the Arts, both in Mexico City, as well as a Masters in Comparative Literature, Art and Thought from Pompeu Fabra University. Specialising in the field of Artificial Intelligence, with a particular focus on Natural Language Processing, his work considers the construction of language from the perspective of mystic science and computers. His own aesthetic proposal both visual and sound, comes from the concept that he developed himself and has named La Estética del Corte (The Aesthetic of the Cut). Since 2018, he has been involved in the field of independent publishing as co-founder of the publishing platform Urbild Editions. His musical and visual work, has been shown in Caixa Forum (BCN-L); Lunario del Auditorio Nacional (CDMX); Sala Blas Galindo (CDMX); Fonoteca Nacional (CDMX); Centro de Cultura Digital (CDMX); Museu etnológic i de cultures del Món (BCN); Leopold-Hoesch-Museum, (DÜREN); Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien, (BER); among others, Download CV
Doctoral Thesis: Technologies of Monastic Devotion and Prayer. The diagram of the Mount of Perfection by St. John of the Cross in the light of sound experience.
This research focuses on understanding the diagram of the Mount of Perfection drawn by the Spanish Carmelite monk John of the Cross. Starting from an analysis of methods of prayer from the ancient contemplative Carmelite order with roots in Palestine and from the theology of Eastern Christianity, the diagram is studied as a pedagogical method and as spiritual communication which employs social and mental prayer as principal tools for reaching a state of divine contemplation. The study examines the diagram from the theocentric and orbicular thought that antecede it, establishing links with the circular design of the graphical music symbols which appeared in the second half of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century with the emergence of animated scores. The purpose of this research is the creation of prototypes of animated scores taking as a point of reference the diagrammatic visual designs generated in a sacred and religious context. This idea invites a dialogue between spirituality, art, and technology. Link
raul.davila.es@gmail.com