ミミます was composed using rhythmic material generated by cellular automata (CA) based on movement data from blind(-folded) persons.

brief description of the algorithmic approach:
A first CA receives recorded movement data from a tracking session (azimuth and speed). Based on this data active and passive cells are determined. The azimuth value activates a corresponding cell in the automaton and the speed influences the life span of the active cells.
During each cycle information on 'dying' cells is collected and send to four other automata which generated rhyhtmic textures. These four CAs control sound generators that produce the actual sound. The sound is played over a octophonic speaker setup. (Some sounds get panned by the extracted orientation data from the tracking session, others are discretely panned.)
The unfolding rhythmic textures generated by the cellular automata according to the movement of a blind(-folded) participant, as well as the evolving automaton itself with its neighbouring conditions, signify how the participant assembles her imagination of the surroundings by different sensations she collects (which is true for seeing and blind(-folded) persons but more obvious in case of the latter) - thereby putting together a cognitive map of the location.

About the title:
ミミます(read mimimasu) is a word creation, not a regular term. The last two kana ます point out that it is a verb. ミます (mimasu, written a bit differently: みます) means 'to see'. The first two kana みみ are the reading of the kanji for ear - written in katakana to emphasize it. Therefore we have 'ear' and 'to see' - seeing (in our visually dominated world this could also mean experiencing) with the ears.

About my motivation:
During my time in Japan - it was さくら/はなみ time (cherry blossom - absolutely wonderful, cold winter is over and it is getting warmer again!) - and we went to a beautiful place called Tanigumisan. There was an old, beautiful shrine and everywhere the cherry blossom - so quite a lot to look at and enjoy visually.
Inside the shrine there was a stair leading downwards to another space. It was allowed to go there so I went down and suddenly I found myself in a totally dark place - I could not see anything anymore. This was quite a contrast to all the visual appeal from outside. I had to feel my way and I was suddenly really impressed by that closeness of experience. No more looking at something that was in a distance but feeling something that was just next to me and that I could not see. For me that was a remarkable experience.

ミミます was first performed beginning of July 2007 during the Golem-concert carried out by the IZK (Institute of Contemporary Art, Technical University Graz) together with the IEM (Institute of Electronic Music and Acoustics, University of Music and Dramatic Arts Graz).
ミミますwas also presented during the 'Nacht der Kultur', Schweinfurt, Germany, October 2007.

download surround mix of ミミます (channel format: 5.0, single tracks, Apple® lossless audio files (.m4a), zipped, 167 MB)