I am here to explore my relationship to “spatialisation”. I have some questions to explore. How is sound spatialised? How can we observe sound in space? We listen with our bodies, we observe with technology. Reflection, absorbtion, refraction. Movement and being.
How do I design space with digital softwares? I use reverb plugins to create rooms and location; I use panning and amplitude to create movement. Sound design is beyond the object itself, it includes how these objects move and interact with an environment. We are designing environments, we are architects. What is the distinction between an environment and the objects it contains?
I like my melodies to fly about and have life to them. By listening and observing my environment I can learn how things move and sound through the material world. Listening is part of the practice. The world is spatialised. Do I listen to the mechanical sounds around me and recreate them with digital technologies? For what purpose? Can I experience the natural world as an inspiration too?
I am interested in exploring quiet in spatialisation practices. The spaces between. In the sound arts community in London I experience many overwhelming performances. The body is blasted with sound from all directions. Movement that defies physics. What does it mean when we design movement and spaces that don’t exist in the material world? Many of the multichannel compositions I have heard are overwhelming in the movement of sound objects. Artists want to show the limits of these new technologies. It is spectacular. It’s called technological listening. Human’s commitment to the spectacle is now expressed through immersive art pieces. Where will we go from here? Sometimes immersivity with new technologies feels like disembodiement. I am disappointed by the 8 channel spectacular compositions. We accelerate into oblivion. I’m eager to explore technological listening and the ethical debates around it.
I’m scared. I believe we need embodiement to access our empathy and love for eachother, for the environments that sustain us and the non-humans we share life with. Life is such a gift!
I imagine spatialised sound composition as a social experience. Humans gather together and listen to sound. I will share a drawing of an event I was running in the summer with friends. Humans bring different sound devices and participate in the sound system.
I feel urgency. I want my practice to tackle issues such as social alienation and disconnection with our environment. For now I am not interested in working with multi channel equipment as I don’t think it is accessible to most people.
Perhaps I will focus on expanding the radio setup. Maybe we can build a software that makes local broadcasting easy with little equipment.
Perhaps I will learn more about group vocalisation practices. The body is surely the best place to start!
Before making such big statements I have a lot to learn.