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.
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] ).
-“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.
-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)
-continuous drone (sound compositions) and lighting work (provocative & synthetic)
-filtered light (un-naturalistic, indulgent) & accompanying sculpture (blending of mediums
-‘new media’ : blending of mediums and/or worlds. placing one’s artwork within an unfamiliar, but choreographed setting. careful analysis of how to achieve said blend as precisely as possible.
-humanistic, spontaneous interference. blending the natural with the superficial (the idea of superficiality and indulgence as positive)
-“Dream Houses [that] will allow music which, after a year, ten years, a hundred years of constant sound, would not only be a real living organism with a life and tradition of its own, but one with a capacity to propel itself by its own momentum” (La Monte Young, 1964)- art as something that can become. something that can evolve and take form (enhancement, growth, rise). something that can live. exist as an organism within itself, not as something to be inherently viewed upon/separate or above those who view it.
–immersion. “all the sensory information is unusual and outside your normal frame of reference” (Marian Zazeela, 1966). complete transportation.
-many different forms, stretching from 1969-2020.
-a space set aside for personal exercise, both mental and physical (dreaming, stretching). excursion inducing (both self and outer).
within works/practice- how you practice is based on one’s idiosyncratic nature/makeup. derivative? what/how you derive from works (conscious/subconscious) to feed into your own; is in its own nature, idiosyncratic.
(necessity) sensitivity– sensitise yourself to your practice(s), research, and the world around you. this is spared when approaching something generally. sensing. making sense. the sensorial.
epistemic continuum (Shultz) of knowledge. (facts/quotes/interpretations changing meaning/perception [to you] over time). never settling on answers (ever changing). we are part of a knowledge flow. never alone in research. entering into the multi-directional stream of knowledge.
‘the cosmology of only one narrative’- denying that knowledge is universal – we are discovering truth constantly (colonial) – our knowledge is the right knowledge. undermines research.
urge to assert truths/ideas/observations onto one another. these work only within the individual. stop working when translated/imposed into rules. knowledge always renewing.
knowledge is open to interpretation (any way you want).
sonic fiction (Shultz) – changing knowledge/fact using self/worldly constructedfiction. what returns is often ‘fuller‘. its not about finding truth, but extractingthought/logic and alternative perception from what you absorb. discoveries/ideology often entail a leap of faith/imagination. taking fact as light-hearted, not as authority, so that you can play/mould with it. sometimes shows (too much) respect to what is initially said (could be problematic). performance of making a case/arguing for. place knowledge in a your own world, where it makes sense. you have authority on this, over yourself. use texts flexibly. you have your own arena for working. self autonomy.
10 listens/readings of an (audio paper) will offer 10 different interpretations. there is an intention to write/record, but there is a vagueness. using said vagueness to communicate (vacuum).
(sensitise yourself to your own from of) note taking– identify definition(s). articulation of theory/approach. seek argument(s) to support position. address viewpoints (contrasting). note-taking as scaffolding. engage with texts – come forward with your own words (anti copy & paste).
everything in one’s writing (abstract or not) stems or should stem from some sort of knowledge. passes knowledge on, which then can be interpreted by others however they choose (formingnew knowledge, renewing – full circle). research (what is behind your interests/ideas) places you in the position of where you come from (position within writing). sources/notes help to take your personal opinion into something that taps into knowledge. about stepping into your area of knowledge & interest and communicating with those who are there. being part of your own conversation.
what type of researcher am I?
epistemic situationism – (Bayo Akomolafe) one’s surroundings influencing one’s thought (complexity of agency).
embodying/immersion in the chosen work(s), in order to fully understand and analyse it.
‘but the way we imagine space has an effect…’ (Doreen Massey, For Space, 2005), example(s) (Cauleen Smith, Give It or Leave It, 2021) – ideal/favourite space for research/knowledge?. what are you inhabiting/embodying? contamination/incomprehension of phenomenon provokes/motivates one’s earnest inquiry.
‘when children ask me, “How does one make a film?” I always say that you have to have freedom to make a film, and to have freedom, you need confidence. I tell them to close their eyes, to look at the stars, and look into their hearts, and then to open their eyes and see if the film they want to make is there, in front of their eyes.’ (The Hyena’s last laugh: A conversation with Djibril Diop Mambety by N. Frank Ukadike, from TRANSITION 78 1999)
some evening, goalless explorative practice between me & my three housemates
my first introduction and usage of a ‘touch sensitive’ microphone/receptor. Is able to be patched into any synth or instrument for that matter, as well as producing its own sonic information upon physical contact. I plan to use this for my upcoming portfolio & audio paper work
extension of pre-dissertation essay ‘keeping sound natural‘
-recording as a research method
-inevitable translation=change/inauthenticity
-case study? recordings/experiences
-Marleu-Ponty- sensation
-conscious perception/unconscious perception/process of perception
-experience without mediation
-phenomenology
-building formations as a map of the human self
building formations/structures object placements (people too) within environments and how these change/affect one’s sonic receptions (bounce off)- said objects exist everywhere, and can be anything, depending on the source of sonic information and what is surrounding said source. context is important.
truest ‘ecological consciousness’ found when one is alone (at one?) with their surroundings? sound work as a body – heartbeat/consciousness (organic, ecological/industrial/humanistic [speech etc.] foundation) and then every other element/sound is complimentary/additional, making up a body (work)
‘organic’ sound (born from the spontaneity of your natural surroundings, undisturbed by human interference, untouched when translated into DAW) /sonic heartbeat/foundation (soundscapes/field recordings) – recording equipment as an obstruction/interference within the practice. how problematic is this? does the practice (context/aims are key) then become inherently contradictory? (this does not mean/connote negativity). sustainability – (what the contradictory nature of certain practice means for its future use).
what does ‘true sound’ sound like in 4/5 different, but natural & spontaneous environments with as minimal (or as much depending on aims, but still spontaneous) human interference as possible. – does the spontaneity of obstructions (human or natural) make it (the obstruction) true/authentic? if an obstruction is true/random, (way of the world), then is it a problem, within this context, at all? – (can you have) positive/complimentary sonic interference ? how would one define natural sonic interference? authentic obstruction? sonic inauthenticity – natural interference (ancient trees blocking sound-waves) is no longer interference (if unplanned), therefore becomes part of that heartbeat. planned interference (earmuffs, methodical production/prompting, pre-meditated practice techniques). sound cannot exist within a vacuum, therefore at what point do objects and humans (possible obstructions) become a necessity. at what point do objects/surroundings become obstructions? is interaction (outside/surrounding sources) different from interference/obstruction? negative/positive?
people as noise pollution/objects formation obstructions/blockages (literally, physicallyin the way of sonic information)- is authentic sonic information only possible when completely undisturbed (not experienced by anyone/left alone)? – unexperienced/absent (from humans) sound as the most true (existent/nonexistent if heard/unheardparadox) – hustle & bustle of the city = (we) as walking obstructions
Rabbit hole- receiver acting as an obstruction/object = where do/can you find the most authentic sonic consciousness/experience without being an obstruction? if not, how do we obstruct in the smallest possible way?
