Republic
of Cyprus

Polymediality was introduced by Marios Joannou Elia into his music in 2003^{1, 2}, during the creation of «Strophes» (2003/04), for eleven voices (choir), ensemble, loudspeaker system, and electronics — conceived for Volkswagen’s Transparent Factory (Gläserne Manufaktur) in Dresden. Integrating the architectural environment and employing the automobile both as a sonic medium and as a tool of synchronisation, the work anticipated the principles of Polymediality that would later define Elia’s creative trajectory. For «Strophes», he was awarded the BMW Prize of the Musica Viva contemporary music series of Bavarian Radio in Munich (2005).

The concept was later elaborated theoretically in his book The Concept of Polymediality, Schott 2017^{3, 4, 5}. The term defines an original compositional and aesthetic framework, in which the musical idea is realized through the interaction of non-conventional sonic and expressive means, interdisciplinary artistic forms, and technological applications^{6, 7}.

Elia employs the prefix «poly-» to denote a qualitative coexistence of heterogeneous media and constituent elements, in contrast to the merely numerical «multi-» of multimediality. In music, the prefix «poly-» aligns with terms such as polyphony, polyrhythm, and polytonality, which indicate not only multiplicity but also complex and foundational relations of meaning among distinct layers.