04/10/21
Today we explored the meaning of Sound Arts. Questions like “what is Sound Arts?” were an instigator to explore ontology and in ontology we question existence and our categorical approach to reality… The lecture was a deconstruction of supposed truths, which I enjoyed since the absurd human world deserves criticism.
A term like Sound Arts can have different meanings to different people so we wonder how viable verabl communication is possible in a subjective reality? Again, exploring the term Sound Arts was a way to explore the wider reality that it’s linguistic and symbolistic values reside in, from a metaphysical perspective. In metaphysics we explore relationships between “mind” and “matter.”
Positionality affects how we experience the world. Our personal backgrounds and identities create a unique lens to absorb the external through our senses, and then percieve it. However, as Milo said, the existence of an objective external is a philosphical assumption. If positionality affects, what is it affecting?
Perhaps we can and will transcend identity to feel a real spiritual connection with other beings and lifeforms. Maybe beyond a conceptual reality all forms of life and matter blend into an ethereal oneness. Beyond identity, category and concept exists the glowing pool of universal conciousness. I like some new age music made by white men, but must we forgive the oppressors?
In the age of identity politics, we are aware that there is a use to categorising experience in the oppressive society. A translation of misery can encourage empathy and a willingness to make social change.
During the lecture, we used dualisms that can be useful to understand the world and even deconstruct other dualisms. I propose that a way to understand Sound Arts can be to seperate the descriptive terms sound arts or sonic arts, with the field of Sound Arts. sonic arts is self explanatory and encompasses any artform using sound. I believe the field of Sound Arts is different because of it’s cultural history, themes and community. It carries specific aesthetics and specific ways of seeing the world. sonic arts could be the empty audio track with a massive potentiality within a frequency and amplitude range. Sound Arts could be the exported audio track that is transient but sounds like itself at the moment of listening.
The CD cover of Murmer – They Were Dreaming They Were Stones looks similiar to other Sound Arts CDs. It doesn’t look like the Now That’s What I Call Music! CDs. Now that’s what I call Sound Arts!
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I appreciated the question: “I like a lot of new age music made by white men, but do we have to forgive our oppressors?”. That is a deep question which let me reflect on myself, my country’s position and think over the novel lyrics and fast rhythms of New Age music which I listen to in my daily life. Sometimes I feel like I am too calm and detached and I need to empathy more about the current virus situation, I was like living in the city but spiritual being an outsider. That is definitely not enough to become a sound-artist.
And I agreed that sound arts would be a kind of cultural history, themes and community, it would be a signal of the times. It’s about a focus sense of seeing the world and it is more about flesh-and-blood.
Yes, I feel like it is a personal journey, which will reflect in our art! As we engage with metaphysics, the outside murmur of social issues sometimes fade away. But perhaps somewhere along the journey we can combine these two seemingly opposing realities by realising how one affects the other. This affect might occur before anything reaches our conciousness!
I feel that many spiritual practices are for the cultivation of empathy. However, the major world religions of today have all been born in a feudal society. Are they critical of feudalism or simply coping mechanisms for the pain of oppression in the world?
Detatchment makes me think of anaesthesia, which has a source, and perhaps an agenda… Does New age contain anaesthetic elements?
But it is great to be relaxed and calm. Maybe we crave different music that engages or relaxes us, just to stay afloat.