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2015 marks the 46th anniversary of Alvin Lucier’s seminal work, “I am Sitting in a Room” (1969). ... more 2015 marks the 46th anniversary of Alvin Lucier’s seminal work, “I am Sitting in a Room” (1969). Lucier gently coaxed out the signature resonant frequencies of the room, using only his recorded voice, slowly transforming his speech into a harmonious drone. A landmark achievement in musical minimalism following the wake of Steve Reich’s process music, “I am Sitting” explores the complex acoustic phenomenon of sound waves in rooms, pushing the human voice into new territory. Despite its disembodied sound, the living presence of the artist ultimately remains within the work. Inspired by Lucier’s experiment three decades later, Danish sound artist, Jacob Kirkegaard produced “4 Rooms” using the same technique to capture room frequencies in Chernobyl’s radioactive “Zone of Exclusion”. Both works may be viewed in the broader context of phenomenology, going beyond the causal acoustic phenomena. However, they produce two sharply contrasting works. “4 Rooms” captures sporadic occurrences of minute room noise to create haunting drones that suggest a place once vibrant with human life. In this way, it presents an ontological quandary by giving presence to absence, documenting the existence of non-existence. Thus the work can be interpreted in the larger context of Jacque Derrida’s philosophical concepts of trace, spectre and hauntology, forcing us to grapple with our notions of transience and permanence beyond our existence.
Since the emergence of Direct Cinema in the late 1950's, documentary films have presupposed a mor... more Since the emergence of Direct Cinema in the late 1950's, documentary films have presupposed a more accurate “claim of truth” over their subject matter. Advancements in portable recording technology after World War II allowed documentarians to dissolve the line between subject and object using un-obtrusive camera and sound recording techniques, often regarded as the “fly on the wall” style. From the Arriflex 35 and Nagra III audio recorder to the advent of the GoPro, direct cinema has evolved in concordance with the capabilities of new technology. Direct cinema's attempt to display “reality” through a strict code of aesthetics not only relies on the visual “outside observer” model, but must also take into account an accurate representation of sound and soundscape. What role then does sound play in constructing reality where verbal narration and non- diegetic music is absent? The latest ethnographic film of Harvard's Sensory Ethnography Lab, Leviathan (2012) will be examined as the forefront of the new direct cinema style. This immersive film provides a heightened sense of reality remarkably without the aid of traditional sound design. Since the idea of film-truth is debatable, can artistic integrity outweigh the actuality of events, or is the concept of truth supplanted by a more visceral, experiential understanding through stimulating new camera techniques and rich soundscapes?
Primarily associated as a collaborator alongside John Cage, David Tudor is often overlooked as an... more Primarily associated as a collaborator alongside John Cage, David Tudor is often overlooked as an influential composer of 20th century electronic music. His work, though less documented, remains historically significant to the development of the art form. Perhaps his most accomplished sound art installation; “Rainforest I-IV” is an evolving series that explores the principles of analog circuitry, resonant frequency, sound diffusion, indeterminacy, and communal experience of environmental space. With renewed interest in his legacy, recent recreations of Rainforest IV have allowed listeners and performers to reexamine and redefine their relationship to the natural world through a multi-sensory sculptural environment. In a world that has become increasingly digital, advances in computational processing power have allowed generative sound systems to more accurately model complex, ‘life-like’ and ‘emergent’ biological systems. It is perhaps now that Tudor's Rainforest can be seen as setting precedent, approaching the limits of synthesized sound as ‘organic’ and ‘living’ in the analog circuit technology of the age. It should be noted however, that this was not the primary intention of the work, but a natural consequence of the processes and methods involved. The testament of Rainforest is not how successful it is in approximating nature but in its ability to express its own nature, providing a multi-sensual, tangible experience for all those who engage with it.
2015 marks the 46th anniversary of Alvin Lucier’s seminal work, “I am Sitting in a Room” (1969). ... more 2015 marks the 46th anniversary of Alvin Lucier’s seminal work, “I am Sitting in a Room” (1969). Lucier gently coaxed out the signature resonant frequencies of the room, using only his recorded voice, slowly transforming his speech into a harmonious drone. A landmark achievement in musical minimalism following the wake of Steve Reich’s process music, “I am Sitting” explores the complex acoustic phenomenon of sound waves in rooms, pushing the human voice into new territory. Despite its disembodied sound, the living presence of the artist ultimately remains within the work. Inspired by Lucier’s experiment three decades later, Danish sound artist, Jacob Kirkegaard produced “4 Rooms” using the same technique to capture room frequencies in Chernobyl’s radioactive “Zone of Exclusion”. Both works may be viewed in the broader context of phenomenology, going beyond the causal acoustic phenomena. However, they produce two sharply contrasting works. “4 Rooms” captures sporadic occurrences of minute room noise to create haunting drones that suggest a place once vibrant with human life. In this way, it presents an ontological quandary by giving presence to absence, documenting the existence of non-existence. Thus the work can be interpreted in the larger context of Jacque Derrida’s philosophical concepts of trace, spectre and hauntology, forcing us to grapple with our notions of transience and permanence beyond our existence.
Since the emergence of Direct Cinema in the late 1950's, documentary films have presupposed a mor... more Since the emergence of Direct Cinema in the late 1950's, documentary films have presupposed a more accurate “claim of truth” over their subject matter. Advancements in portable recording technology after World War II allowed documentarians to dissolve the line between subject and object using un-obtrusive camera and sound recording techniques, often regarded as the “fly on the wall” style. From the Arriflex 35 and Nagra III audio recorder to the advent of the GoPro, direct cinema has evolved in concordance with the capabilities of new technology. Direct cinema's attempt to display “reality” through a strict code of aesthetics not only relies on the visual “outside observer” model, but must also take into account an accurate representation of sound and soundscape. What role then does sound play in constructing reality where verbal narration and non- diegetic music is absent? The latest ethnographic film of Harvard's Sensory Ethnography Lab, Leviathan (2012) will be examined as the forefront of the new direct cinema style. This immersive film provides a heightened sense of reality remarkably without the aid of traditional sound design. Since the idea of film-truth is debatable, can artistic integrity outweigh the actuality of events, or is the concept of truth supplanted by a more visceral, experiential understanding through stimulating new camera techniques and rich soundscapes?
Primarily associated as a collaborator alongside John Cage, David Tudor is often overlooked as an... more Primarily associated as a collaborator alongside John Cage, David Tudor is often overlooked as an influential composer of 20th century electronic music. His work, though less documented, remains historically significant to the development of the art form. Perhaps his most accomplished sound art installation; “Rainforest I-IV” is an evolving series that explores the principles of analog circuitry, resonant frequency, sound diffusion, indeterminacy, and communal experience of environmental space. With renewed interest in his legacy, recent recreations of Rainforest IV have allowed listeners and performers to reexamine and redefine their relationship to the natural world through a multi-sensory sculptural environment. In a world that has become increasingly digital, advances in computational processing power have allowed generative sound systems to more accurately model complex, ‘life-like’ and ‘emergent’ biological systems. It is perhaps now that Tudor's Rainforest can be seen as setting precedent, approaching the limits of synthesized sound as ‘organic’ and ‘living’ in the analog circuit technology of the age. It should be noted however, that this was not the primary intention of the work, but a natural consequence of the processes and methods involved. The testament of Rainforest is not how successful it is in approximating nature but in its ability to express its own nature, providing a multi-sensual, tangible experience for all those who engage with it.