Cora's blog

a) write up your review. You may include any photographs and sounds you may have recorded.

During the Gallery Visit the lady introduced us what is Longplayer, she said this piece has been played for 23 years and is designed to last 1000 years. And she is one of the person incharge to maintain this piece. As we walk in we can see this piece is build inside of tower, which creates great echos when the sound plays out. We also discussed about the meaning of maintaining 1000 years, she said the artist leave this artwork here for us to protect it, however this artwork will be maintain for 1000 years, which many of the protecters might not be able to stay with the piece forever. Therefore after thousands of years, who will be the one here to maintain it? And who will be here to listen, what is the meaning of this work? This made me think, because duration is always a considerable topic for many industry. And I believe this is the meaning of this piece, the artist is trying to maintain and keep this duration of something does not change inside of the fast developing world.

b) Reflect on what interested you about this piece. With reference to Steven Connor’s text “Ears Have Walls” think about how a durational sound art work such as Longplayer contrasts with a visually-led conception of art in the gallery context.

Steven Connor defined Sound in his text “Ears Have walls”, he states that “Sound is arousing and dangerous because it can so easily penetrate and permeate, so effortlessly become the soft catastrophe of space.” Use his understanding as reference, which means sound contains permeation it will largely increase the level of impact it has towards the audience compares to visual artworks. He has explicitly explains the difference between how visual and sound works for human body, “We inhabit sound, because it happens to us. We do not inhabit the world of vision because our acts of looking are constantly doing things to that world.” He explained how sound is impacting us but visual is impacting by us.

2) Start reading Sonic Arts from Trevor Wishart and pick a line that you found the most interesting. Try to add your thoughts to it (such as why it resonates with you or if you don’t agree, form discussions).

“We can begin by saying that sonic art includes music and electroacoustic music. At the same time, however, it will cross over into areas which have been categorised distinctly as text-sound and as sound-effects. Nevertheless, focus will be upon the structure and structuring of sounds themselves. I personally feel there is no longer any way to draw a clear distinction between these areas” – what is sound art? The categorise of sound art

“In future it might therefore be better if we referred to ourselves as sonic designers or sonic engineers, rather than as composers, as the word ‘composer’ has come to be strongly associated with the organisation of notes on paper.” – when the label of music has been set, it will need key terms to be developed to add into the public’s dictionary. At the same time, Sonic is not only associated with notes.

3) Pick a location (such as a park/gallery/street) and sit down. Bring paper and coloured markers. Close your eyes and actively listen to your surroundings. Then, try to illustrate this experience on paper using different colours to categorise each sound in a stereo field regarding their frequency content, their closeness, and how frequent/important they are to the scenery).

Practice:

Here are some of the best-known examples of the process. (Eco, 1989 p.1)

There are several famous instances for the process down below:

Citation:

Eco, U. (1989) The open work. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Brandon Labelle. (2015) Background noise: perspective on sound art, second edition. New York: Bloomsbury academic.

Hall:

Model citation:

1) Blog Post: select and find a book from the unit bibliography. Choose one quote from the book that you find confusing or too long and copy it into a new blog post. Then:

• Sound work makes us aware of the continuing emphasis upon division and partition that continues to exist even in the most radically revisable or polymorphous gallery space, because sound spreads and leaks, like odour.

a) Paraphrase the quote using your own (different) words.

Upon division and partition is the key to allow us to realise it consistantly exist in the
b) Reference the original source accordingly after you have paraphrased it.

(Steve, 2023)
c) Write a bibliographic entry for the original sourced quote.

Steve, C. (2023) Ears Have Walls. Available at: https://www.stevenconnor.com/earshavewalls/.
2) Read: the following text about sound art and the gallery in preparation for week 7: http://www.stevenconnor.com/earshavewalls/

“Rather than moving from source to destination like a letter or a missile, sound diffuses in all directions, like a gas. Unlike light, sound goes round corners.” – How sound track works

“Sounds, by contrast, have a power to relieve and invigorate just as smells do.” – feelings & emotions conveys from sound

“Sound is doubly extramural, first of all in a disciplinary sense” – definition of sound

“their libertarian vocation somehow to go over the institutional wall, is that sound, like an odour or a giggle, escapes.” – How great the libertarian is for sound

“Special status of music in European and other Northern cultures has a strongly architectural determinant:”

“Though many of the artists represented in the show might well have paid lip service to the idea of the importance and pleasure of the diffusiveness of sound, the potential for undesirable interference was high.” – There are questions towards sound art, whether it is noise pollution or art, negative and unsupportive voice exist in the audience.

• Select: one historical artwork or movement presented to you in lecture

Fluxus: In an early manifesto, flux appears as “Act of flowing: a continuous moving on or passing by, as of a flowing stream; a continuing succession of changes”. Which is the Ideas of indeterminacy, such as continually shifting process.

• Blog Post: research the work and in your blog, describe its historical context and how you think it relates to post-modernism. Also write about why it interests you.

The chosen artwork that represent Fluxus artwork is Cut Piece, Yoko Ono, (1964–66), in this artwork she is challenging the neutrality of the relationship between viewer and art object, Ono presented a situation in which the viewer was implicated in the potentially aggressive act of unveiling the female body. Emphasizing the reciprocal way in which viewers and subjects become objects or each other, Cut Piece also demonstrates how viewing without responsibility has the potential to harm or even destroy the object of perception.” (Phaidon)

This piece become the representation of fluxus becuase of the way it engaged with the artist body, the process of cutting the pieces is the major take away from the artwork, it had also break the distinction between the art and life. Which fluxus artworks has been set that “Fluxus transformed art from an object of aesthetic contemplation to a gesture of political action.”

This work is very much connect to the post-modernism: Post-moderism has two conditions, 1. history progress towards social enlightment and emancipation. Ono’s artwork is asking the society to reflect their mindset towards female body, the aggressive action of unveiling the female body will be new step forward to push the female liberation. Which is a royal historical progress.

2. knowledge as progressing towards totalisation, this artwork might not a be as direct as others, however, the knowledge of gender inequality and slience violation is the knowledge that summerize to explain the reason of female body shaming.

Compares to scientific knowledge, it mostly be social and ethical reflection, it is a pratice that is critical such as existance and identity. However, it wasn’t hyperreality to destory the concept.

• Read: “Umberto Eco “The Poetics of the Open Work”

Eco’s core argument is that certain artistic works, which he describes as “open works,” are intentionally incomplete and invite the audience to engage in the creative process. Unlike “closed works,” which are fully determined by the artist, open works provide a field of possibilities and interpretations, allowing each audience member to realize the work in their own unique way.

In the titular essay, Eco applies this concept to the field of contemporary music, discussing composers like Karlheinz Stockhausen and John Cage, whose compositions often involve elements of chance or indeterminacy, thus creating a different performance each time.

In subsequent essays, Eco extends this idea to other forms of art and literature, discussing authors like James Joyce and artists like the abstract expressionists, whose works resist singular, authoritative interpretations and instead invite multiple readings.

Eco also discusses the broader implications of the open work for our understanding of form and interpretation, arguing that this openness reflects a shift in the cultural and philosophical landscape of the 20th century, characterized by a new emphasis on process, dynamism, and multiplicity.

Key point I catched:

1. Openness in Literature and Art: Eco presents the idea of the “open work,” which is a piece of art in which the creator purposefully leaves something unfinished or unclear in order to invite the viewer to engage with the process of creation.
2. Change and Indeterminacy: Eco contends that the emphasis on process, change, and indeterminacy in open works reflects a larger movement in 20th-century philosophy and culture.
3. The Audience’s Function: The audience’s function in open works shifts from that of passive recipients to that of active participants in the creative process.
4. Multiplicity of Interpretation: To reflect the complexity and diversity of contemporary life, open works welcome several readings rather than a single, authoritative interpretation.

• Read: Brandon Labelle “Introduction” to Background Noise: Perspectives on Sound Art (2015) (p ix– xvi)

In the Introduction, LaBelle outlines the key themes and objectives of the book. He proposes to trace the history and development of sound art as a distinct artistic discipline, while also exploring the theoretical, philosophical, and aesthetic issues that it raises.

LaBelle starts by acknowledging the diverse and interdisciplinary nature of sound art, which intersects with various fields like music, visual arts, performance, film, and new media. He suggests that sound art’s hybrid and often ephemeral nature challenges traditional notions of art and aesthetics.

LaBelle also discusses the unique properties of sound as a medium. He notes that sound is temporal, immersive, and capable of invoking a strong emotional response. Sound also has the power to shape our perception of space and create a sense of place, which is a recurring theme in sound art.

In this context, LaBelle introduces the notion of “background noise,” which serves as a metaphor for sound art’s position in the broader artistic landscape. Just like background noise, sound art often goes unnoticed and underappreciated, staying at the margins of the mainstream art world. However, it also provides a rich texture and depth to our sensory experience, just like background noise contributes to our auditory environment.

Throughout the book, LaBelle aims to bring this “background noise” to the forefront, exploring the ways in which sound art challenges our perceptions, experiences, and understandings of sound, space, and culture.

Key point I have catched:

1. Sound art’s interdisciplinarity: Sound art’s hybrid nature is reflected in its intersections with other artistic fields.
2. Features of Sound: Sound affects our perception of space and is a temporal, immersive, and emotive medium.
3. Background Noise: LaBelle used the idea of “background noise” to alludes to the place of sound art in the field of art as well as its role in enhancing our sensory perception.
4. Experience and Perception: Sound art questions how we understand and relate to sound, space, and culture.

Citations:

Phaidon. “Yoko Ono’s Cut Piece Explained.” PHAIDON, www.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2015/may/18/yoko-ono-s-cut-piece-explained/. Accessed 29 Oct. 2023.

Three keywords related to sound arts that are important to your
practice/aspirations (what they mean to you and
why they are important/of interest):

Read Luigi Russolo ‘The Arts of Noises: Futurist Manifesto’:

The book begins with Russolo highlighting the evolution of the soundscape, from the limited range of noises in pre-industrial eras to the vast array of sounds that have come with the advent of machinery and industrialization.

Russolo’s central argument is that the human ear has become accustomed to the wide variety of noises in the modern world, and therefore the traditional approach to music, based on a limited set of notes and timbres, is outdated. He proposes that composers should embrace the “art of noises,” incorporating the sounds of industry, transportation, and other aspects of urban life into their work.

The book also introduces a new classification system for noises, which Russolo divides into six categories: roars, whistles, whispers, screeches, noises obtained from percussion, and voices of animals and people.

To achieve this new musical aesthetic, Russolo suggests the creation of new musical instruments, which he calls “noise intoners” or “intonarumori”. These instruments are designed to replicate and control the noises of the urban environment.

Even though Russolo’s ideas were radical for his time, they anticipated many developments in 20th-century music, especially in genres like electronic and experimental music. “The Art of Noises” is thus seen as a foundational text in the field of sound art and noise music.

Key point I catched:

1. Evolution of Sound: Russolo puts forward a theory of the evolution of sound, arguing that the advent of industrialization has expanded our aural palette.
2. Embrace of Noise: The traditional tonal scale is seen as limited, and Russolo advocates for the incorporation of a wide array of urban and industrial noises into music.
3. Creation of New Instruments: The “intonarumori” or “noise intoners” are proposed as a means to control and utilize these new sounds.
4. Futurism in Music: As a key figure in the Futurist movement, Russolo’s ideas reflect the movement’s embrace of technology, speed, and the new sounds of the industrial age.

Read Emily Ann Thompson “Sound, Modernity and History”:

Emily Thompson’s work provides a detailed examination of the transformation of sound and listening practices that took place in America during the early 20th century, a period of significant cultural and technological change.

The book focuses on the birth and development of architectural acoustics during this era. Thompson explores how the rise of new technologies, such as the telephone, radio, and sound film, along with the growth of noise pollution from urban and industrial soundscapes, led to a “quest for quiet” in many quarters of American society.

She pays particular attention to the role of acoustical consultants and architects, who became increasingly important as society sought to control and manipulate sound in various environments, from concert halls and theaters to factories and offices.

Thompson also highlights the cultural shift in listening practices that occurred during this period. She argues that the modernist emphasis on visual perception was paralleled by a similar focus on auditory perception, with a growing awareness of the importance of sound and listening in everyday life.

The book is also notable for its use of a wide range of primary sources, including architectural plans, photographs, and acoustical data, which Thompson uses to recreate the soundscapes of early 20th-century America.

Key point that I catched:

1. Architectural Acoustics: Thompson explores the rise of architectural acoustics as a discipline and its impact on the design of buildings and spaces.
2. Cultural Shift in Listening Practices: The book discusses how listening practices changed in response to new technologies and the increasingly noisy urban environment.
3. Role of Technology: The impact of new technologies, such as the telephone, radio, and sound film, on society’s relationship with sound is a key theme in the book.
4. The Soundscape of Modernity: Thompson uses the concept of the “soundscape” to explore the complex interplay between sound, space, and society in early 20th-century America.

Listen BA Sound Arts tutor J Milo Taylor: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/j-milo-taylor-a-history-of-sound-art-2011/

Conceptual art – is art for which the idea (or concept) behind the work is more important than the finished art object.

• Research the work and in your blog, describe its historical context and how you think it relates to modernism. Also write about why it interests you.

Bicycle Wheel is a readymade from Marcel Duchamp consisting of a bicycle fork with front wheel mounted upside-down on a wooden stool. This piece is quite controversial which it is also representing a part of Dadaism, because it challenges strongly held beliefs about the nature of art and celebrates meaninglessness and uselessness. The historical context of Bicycle wheel is the artwork as a protest against the excessive importance attached to works of art in the period of 1913. 

When the artwork is challege the idea of painting that is inspiration and suddeness of the idea, he is trying to explore more possibilities of art, experimenting the new concept of how art could be made, composite readymade elements into “artistic” way. This is deeply connect to modernism, which is a break with the past and the concurrent search for new forms of expression. It has break the trend of making regular paintings and 2D designs, it create a new concept of art, which is not limit with only paint and canvas, not limit with visual or appreciation. He encourage audience to question art with their artistic brain, how can an artwork can be called art? Why it is art? Is the concept strong enough? Or idea and concept itself could already be art?

5 Key Characteristics of Modernist Literature

• individualism;
• experimentation;
• absurdity;
• symbolism;
• formalism.

However, with this new concept, l personally hold a different point of view, l found paint and canvas are also elements that is conposite together by artist, it might not be readymade, but the concept of connecting two elements could be challeged and doubted in many different way. The originess for instance, how it definite whether the work is made by the artist when it is not completely made by them? Is this concept completely new or is just another way to perform “paint and canvas” but given a new title.

The retina is very intrest, because he think there are large amount of people including artist are only focus on visual, which is using their eyes to judge art, the concept of art, the creativeness of art without dig in deeper to the art itself. Therefore, this artwork is taking away this beauty and visual, is asking the audience to use brain to appreciate this piece of art.

It interest me because l really like 3D artworks especially installation work, which contains many construction and composition inside, it could be a totally different concept vs how it visualised. Also l very much enjoy the idea of questioning what is art? When he create his conceptual work he’s now thinking about how can l let the audience to question what is art, and this question is the doubt that himself having to the art fleid, which could be abstract, but this abstract is for letting people to doubt it.

• Read Douglas Kahn “The Latest: Fluxus and Music” (1993) in Caleb Kelly (ed) Sound (2011) (p28-42):

Fluxus was an international, interdisciplinary community of artists, composers, designers, and poets during the 1960s and 1970s who engaged in experimental art performances. Fluxus is often described as intermedia, a term coined by Fluxus artist Dick Higgins to describe the interdisciplinary nature of the movement.

In a general context, Kahn might explore how Fluxus artists used sound and music within their work. Fluxus had a unique relationship with music, largely because of the influence of John Cage’s teachings on many of the artists involved in the movement. The group embraced a broad definition of music, often incorporating everyday sounds, silence, and non-traditional instruments into their performances.

Kahn might also discuss specific Fluxus artists who used sound in notable ways, such as Yoko Ono, who incorporated elements of chance and audience participation into her performances, or Nam June Paik, who is known for his experimental performances and installations that combine sound, video, and television.

In Caleb Kelly’s “Sound,” a collection of foundational texts in sound studies, Kahn’s piece would likely fit into the larger context of exploring the role of sound in contemporary art and theory.

Citations:

Designercityline (2016) Analysis of Bicycle Wheel (1913), AEP E-portfolio. Available at: https://designercityline.wordpress.com/2011/04/05/analysis-of-bicycle-wheel-1913/ (Accessed: 29 October 2023).