Following my investigations within sound, I came away from my blog to complete a portfolio of work explaining my findings and research. Through this process I have developed a proposal for the following stage of my project. Below are both the portfolio of work produced and my current proposal:
There remains something ultimately elusive about sound, about its complex movements in space and time, about the ways in which our listening and talking bodies perceive it and discuss it. Due to this interest, I have predominantly focused upon the aural experience of the Southbank.
In this project I have attempted to listen out for those whispers, cries squeaks and rumbles that lie beyond ‘only the heard’ but also to appreciate sound as meaning; as awareness but as humor and provocation. The aim is to showcase the diverse meaning of sound by making it become not only audile, but also legible, visible and even perhaps tangible.
The work produced based upon this study, is to be experienced in it’s specific location, therefore it must be about the place, reflect the qualities of the place and rely upon the place, to provide input to the process and therefore by its presence contribute a the dimension to the place.
To completely understand the site aurally and choose a site, which an installment of sound would suit, I have begun a series of audio maps. In this exercise I have had to truly listen to the site, and turn what I hear into a visual language, that not only I can understand but others also. Through these readings you can see graphically, where the sound-scape manifests and can therefore analyze the changes against activities, time and inhabitation differs. Enabling me to locate a site for an object which works and co-ordinates well with the site and its inhabitants.
My aim is to create an intervention for those who are already intrigued by the space, a design which is subtle and only noticed once present within the space itself. As the majority of the users are in a peaceful and tranquil state of mind or are seeking this. I believe their senses will be more perceptive to my work.
I have found it very difficult to produce a visual language representing something, which is not visible. I have produced two different keys, one using a graphic representation, and the second, a sensitive, personal representation, which I feel is more provocative. I wanted to test both of these against the equalizer from audio recordings taken at the time of drawing.
To ague this was a better method of conveying to others and understand what I was hearing, over the more scientific approaches, I asked a handful of people to follow my graphic score and the equalizer to see whether they could trace my movements.
After all of the participants followed the routes correctly, I feel this was conclusive that this method was a success and therefore backing up my process in elucidating a prime location for an audio installation.
Some comments from the experiment:
“The bar graph (is that what you called it) is in my opinion the best... you are trying to mix 3 very difficult things... the sound into an artistic but also scientific representation here.. it is very much like a graph which is in essence the representation of numbers...the key idea.. is ideally the simplest to convey... but it almost feels like you've lost information in the process... it is too scientific for this medium... to get the best you have to interpret this more emotionally” Mark Pendrous.
ME: Do you agree that by trying to represent sound graphically apposed to making an audio recording and reading the equalizer, that you have to listen much harder, therefore understand the space aurally to a higher level?
Yes, I completely and totally agree with your statement that you feel these do not convey the sculptural sense of sound. The equalizer is a more logical representation, but I feel they have no atmosphere to them, and take away the sculptural sense of sound.
The exercises I have undertaken have proved that how people perceive sound is a personal, spatial, emotional and physical experience The lack of implemented sound on the Southbank, I feel, is why so many people think of it as a place to relax and unwind. Rather than implementing sound which is invasive and unnatural to the space, I am interested to create a piece which concentrates on the interplay between sound, vision and tactility, the intervention will subsequently engage and immerse the user within the environment they inhabit everyday. Making them more aware of the affects of sound and how it is an integral part of how we experience the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment