Month: October 2022

‘The Social Construction of the Sonic Experience’/’The supernatural force of sound’

sonic diversity

sonic imperialism

sonic neuro-diversity

sonic anthropology

living – in – sound

responding to sound (environmental) – social activity

• ‘Listening and not listening to voices’ (Cathy Lane, 2017)
• Seismograpf.org/english

possible chapters/sections

-social constructivism (and how it relates, sonically)

-listening

-materialist conception

-introduction (include question)

-separation but not separate, blurring of lines, can exist parallel but not separate

-the reason this… is important is that… (beginning of chapter/point, context)

Ch 1: Imperialism of sonic experience/normative conceptions of listening
Ch 2: Listening across cultures/sonic anthropology
Ch 3: Listening across neuro-normativity/diversity and dis/ability

–what is the central area of praxis relating to your prototype? the central area(s) of praxis for my prototype are: space & soundscape design, evocation and synthesis. specifically, evocation through the designing and manipulation of space and sound. how & why visual and auditory stimulation can evoke, and what that evocation could look like/bring forth.

–why are you interested in this? my interest in space/sound manipulation & design stems from the visual landscape of director Nicolas Winding Refn’s work, (his chosen cinematographers include Larry Smith, Darius Khondji, Diego Garcíaalongside and Magnus Nordenhof Jønck [his chosen composer is often Cliff Martinez]) as well as artistic projects such as Turrell’s illumination of the Dorotheenstädtischer Cemetery in Berlin. These synthetic, indulgent, neon-drenched landscapes are often able to evoke pure and unbridled emotion as well as memory (induced by feeling), and I want to be able to replicate this. being able to evoke through my own work, any kind of pure, unbridled experience, would be a source of vast satisfaction. evocation is, in my opinion, the most powerful and valuable response upon experiencing any kind of art form.

–what are your sources of information/inspiration/conceptual ideology? ‘Brian Eno: His music and the vertical colour of sound’ (Eric Tamm, 1995), ‘Nam June Paik’ (Sook Kyung-Lee & Rudolf Frieling, 2019), ‘Nam June Paik: There is no rewind button for life’ (Kunsthalle Bremen, 2006)

–

we are constantly making choices in our everyday lives (eating, direction, fashion, who we surround ourselves with). the choices that face the sonic practitioner(s) (us) are similarly diverse, fascinating and complex and are closely related to our unique subjectivity

-place, language, identity, community, sound, praxis

-place: you, uniquely render space meaningful by the entangled encounters you enact. this lived experience is the crucial move transforming space into place.

-language: language & technology are viruses. you do not control them. they control you

-identity: your identity, though composed via a unique set of experiences, is actually more general than you might think.

-community: does not exist. where it does, it is a negative characteristic governed by fear

sound: inherently radical, or smoothly representing ideology.

praxis: by doing, we become. through our work, we come to know ourselves. via our art, the world is changed.

how are we organising/thinking our work? (mind mapping, diagrams, reflection etc.). said methods can evolve as the project unfolds. expanding perspective/perception as project takes form to analyse/evaluate from different mindset(s).

It’s important to start from an acknowledgement that sound is always situated – you can’t separate a sound that you hear from the environment that you hear it in: reflective and absorptive surfaces, air temperature and humidity, other sounds present all influence what one hears. – could prove tricky when trying to pinpoint when obstructions become surroundings or vice versa.

-sound/sea waves – replication/recreation is unattainable

If you want to mobilise terms such as ‘natural’, you also need to be able to define what is not natural according to the argument that you’re putting forward. The same goes for ‘spontaneous’ or ‘authentic’ – you would need to define what you mean for each of these terms. – spontaneous meaning, in the simplest of terms, ‘by way of the world’. authentic might take a some time to define.

When speaking of ecologies, it is important to take into account that humans also are ecological beings. Perhaps thinking of the separation between human technology and nature would be more useful.

this installation prickles my brain. makes it move.

the installation in Berlin holds an amount of pleasant and thoughtful weight within sightseers and city folk alike. the installation begins with a cool blue light that impersonates the sky preparing to host a vibrant sunset, with smooth oranges, velvet pinks and vibrant reds — the colours the German capital has lacked in the recent, unusual summers that Berlin endure.

the spectacular presentation submerges audiences in a transfixing, shadow-less cavern, that creates the illusion of a secluded, dry sunset and not the city’s damp, soaked reality found outside the illuminated walls. by coinciding with the natural process of the country’s sunset, Turrell alignes the indulgence, ego and superficialities that surround his work with the natural, beautiful order of the outside world.

outdoor, goalless exploration using my housemates ‘touch me’ mic. the mic uses/relies on the flow of electricity

complete spontaneity and deception. guitar was random and flexible. goalless exploration. mic placed underneath sofa where my housemates were sitting, without their knowledge.

-‘fattening out’ the conceptual ideas behind the two projects. what are we trying to evoke? how are we able to achieve this to a realistic effect with sound? requires research. (science?)

-making key decisions about how I am going to present this and with what equipment. a technical execution of this size requires sharp, thought-out decision making.

-who else is making such work right now? (research). how can I make mine personal? does this require vulnerability?

-using the text as a script. including words within the ‘film’. the work as a film.

-an ability to experiment with the video/film resolution and definition, as well as the visual medium as which to project the ‘films’. both ends of the spectrum (grain/distortion-HD/4K) bring about their own advantages and disadvantages as well as the mediums of projection (Projector[s]/TV[s] [monitor, both old and new] ).

-setting limits to force extended creativity

-“write drunk ; edit sober’ (create phase ; edit phase) – freeing the mind within (primary) construction (looseness, spontaneous exploration) to then retrospectively make decisions with a somewhat critical/harsh attitude. induces separation/realisation of ‘gold & trash’ (both useful) ; repeat process.

– one part at a time

-disruption of process (using alternative method/equipment/collaborators) – reflect on what you find out/extract from this exercise.

– the tyranny of default (self destruction in remaining familiar/comfortable)

-goalless exploration – following random threads/methods of practice to see where said practice takes you. complete freedom. finding a purpose/use post commencement of random practice.

-time-boxing/procrastination – organising schedule and work-flow. clear structures/something to follow.

-problem solving as distraction – distinction between creativity & procrastination

-personal flow – explore one’s process(es) and how they help/hinder you and your work. absorb the information gained from this exploration in order to improve and refine process(es) for future work/practice.

PrePare:

-your ingredients (deep dives into technical requirements and executions of the work – understanding ones need for equipment/resources and how to cleanly translate ideas with precise/sharp planning [both technical and conceptual] etc.)

-your workspace/playroom (comfortability within practice/absolute clarity and attention within said space/organisation [key] )

-yourself (state of mind going into practice, embrace ones idiosyncrasy – self discipline & control regarding time and state of readiness)

-make templates (diagrams, anything useful in order to enhance the visualisation [both mental and physical] of one’s work)

-organise as you go (clear and precise process[es] to limit/reduce disorganisation & stress)

-always be ready