MINGLING SOUNDS ASSIGNMENT - ANDRE / JOE
ANDRE'S TEXT
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ANDRE'S VIDEO
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JOE'S TEXT
◦ How does the sentence “The medium is the message” by Marshall McLuhan applies to your practice? Comment on this quote in the context of your own work and in regards to this transcontinental collaboration, etc.
What stands out for me about McLuhan's text is how the effect of the unconsidered and accidental can often be as meaningful as intentional actions and ideation.
For example, the 1967 publication of McLuhan's collaboration with graphic designer Quentin Fiore contained a crucial and unexpected difference from the famed first chapter of Understanding Media. A typesetting error caused the last word of the title to be printed as as "massage" rather than "message". McLuhan was delighted at this turn of events and kept the mistake as part of the title. This inclusion of systemic error in the total consideration of meaning has obvious resonance for contemporary applications of digital technology and the embrace of digital errors.
Unintended contextual considerations also affect how the ideas surrounding media also change over time. For McLuhan, this can be seen in his depiction of cultural binaries ("civilized" vs. "tribal") as well how he assigns value to his constructions. When viewed though a contemporary lens, McLuhan's projections of cultural difference can seem problematic and for some may affect how his work should be approached.
For me, a consideration of McLuhan points up the significance of the unseen and unintended in the understanding and production of technologically mediated communication and expression.
◦ American sound artist Bill Fontana made several pieces in which he transfers sound from one location to another. How does this locational switch change our understanding of a the space(s) in question? What new aspects of a sonic environment might emerge? What happens to our perception of a location once it is stripped from its original sounds and these are replaced by sounds from another location?
To me, the idea of locational and temporal transference is always present in any recorded or technologically mediated sound production. As such, the idea of direct and literal translocation of a sonic (or any other) environment seems like an unreachable goal. In transferring one sonic experience to another, the aural situation is always propagated through recording, transmitting, and sound reproducing objects that change the nature and context of sound to such a degree that the exact nature of what is transmitted becomes unclear. I prefer to consider trans-localized sound as expanded collaborative sound spaces made through a collaborative effort between regional sonic events and performers, both human and technological.
◦ How does an instrument through which sound is transmitted shape our expectation and the perception of it (loudspeaker, telephone, alarm-clock), in other words, what if the expectation is not met, what impact can this have on our perception?
The examples of sound producing objects given here seem to exemplify three distinct modes of listening: pleasure, communication, and sound of alarm or alertness.
For me, the aural expectations linked to any specific object are primarily culturally and contextually determined. For example, a wire recorder might provide vastly different expectation from those who know the function of the object and those who do not. As a result, meeting expectations implies determining and satisfying audience expectations. One approach to this dilemma is to include the personal experience and expectations of the artist as part of framework of the piece, so instead of attempting to presume a collective contextual and cultural association shared by an audience, a perspective is given that is grounded in the lived experience of the presenter and allows for varying levels of association and understanding by the audience.
JOE VIDEO
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