Thinking how to address this month's topic about sound installations, it occurred to me to write about a subject that is often neglected: the place that reproduced sounds has in the contemporary urban soundscape. Sounds generated by PA systems, sound alerts, radio, television, cellphones… These are all sounds that aren't necessarily produced at the place where … [Read more...]
Sonic interactions with the world: an interview with Hildegard Westerkamp
Thoughts on sound interactivity on different kinds of media should perhaps be accompanied by thoughts on how we relate to our daily sonic environment. Roughly speaking, the world we live in is actually the first and most important interface we have to deal with and sound plays a big part in that relationship whether we take it for granted or not. Internationally acclaimed … [Read more...]
A few places for recorded sound
Picture by T. Rider This article is intended as a small reflection about the place of recorded sounds in three artistic domains that use it as a working material: film sound, concrete music and sound arts related to the soundscape approach. Recorded sound is analyzed here over two main aspects: causality and context. Hopefully, these brief words will serve as an introduction … [Read more...]
Sonic Centaurs: An Exploration of the Common Grounds Between Music and Sound Design
Guest Contribution by Carlos Alberto Manrique Clavijo "The vocation of the sound film is to redeem us from the chaos of shapeless noise by accepting it as expression, as significance, as meaning. . . ."[0A] "(…) When does sound become music? Above all, in the supreme states of pleasure and displeasure experienced by the will, as a will which rejoices or a will … [Read more...]