Live coding performance projects the running code so the audience witnesses how the music is made

The defining staging choice of algorave and live coding is projecting the running code for the audience. This is not a technical necessity but an aesthetic and ethical commitment: it uses the computer as a performance tool and shows what you are doing, making composition transparent so viewers see not just what they hear but how it is being made in real time. It also creates a distinct audience dynamic and an element of surprise - the performer, and audience, may not know exactly what a change will do, and something can go wrong live. This contrasts with laptop performance where the screen is hidden and the software runs ‘under the hood’.

Examples

At a typical algorave a large projector behind the performer shows the TidalCycles editor live; the audience can see each new pattern typed and hear the result moments later.

Assessment

Explain why projecting the code is treated as an aesthetic and ethical choice in algorave, and describe how it changes the audience’s relationship to the performance.