What’s this about play and games?

AFK is all about play. Playing music, playing games, playing with friends, playing with and within dynamic and social structures. At the intersection of play and music lies endless possibilities of creativity, connection, and sonic exploration. AFK specializes in ludic pieces, which center play, interaction, spontaneity, and improvisation. From chamber works modeled after party games to interactive musical activities for participants of all experiences, AFK reimagines the roles of composer as game designer, performer as player, and audience as spectator (and hey, maybe participant too!).

Wait, what’s a ludic piece?

The term ludic piece was coined in Gabrielle’s doctoral dissertation. It’s a composition that contains play structures and/or game mechanics within its execution, so that a performance of the piece constitutes a play event and vice versa. Is it a game within a piece, or a piece within a game? Ludic pieces are multidisciplinary by nature, blending music, theatre, performance art, and game design; due to their multifaceted nature, they can be received, understood, and spectated in multiple ways.

What does “Away From Keyboard” mean?

AFK’s name refers to term commonly used in online gaming for when players step away from their devices (“sorry, afk brb”), but also alludes to stepping away and out of traditional boxes assigned to musicians and composers, stepping literally across spaces to act and interact, and lastly a pun related to one of Gabrielle’s main instruments.