SITE-SPECIFIC

SOUND ART

I NI T

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O N C E P T FO R F

I NA L I N

S T A L L A T I ON

VESPERS• Alvin Lucier – Vespers• His inspiration came from the

noise produced by a whole field filled with cicadas

• Most of the time, however, insect noises may usually be easily disregarded in everyday life

• Similar to the cricket sounds, machinery sounds today may go unnoticed such as those coming from air-conditioners, car engines, refrigerators as well as kitchen range hoods

Source: http://www.newmusiccoop.org/past/fc_Sound_in_Time.php

MACHINERY SOUNDS• The increasingly noisy city lifestyle may be the prominent

reason behind it• Similar to Max Neuhaus – “To hear many places at once as

one rather than many”• The public space with all its humming, vibrating and

resonating is fabricating our urban conditions• Thus as we adapt to our surroundings, we become less

aware to hear these ‘subtle’ sounds

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dewynter/3063559861/

OUR AWARENESS• During the last installation, it was discovered that when the

speakers were brought outside, the sounds seemed a lot more fitting into the surroundings

• Therefore, it means that we are more aware and sensitive of sounds that occur indoor

• But just how sensitive are we to the sounds surrounding us indoors everyday?

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/foide/7979667082/

TESTING OUR AWARENESS• To test the awareness of the audience, we can use a number

of speakers in different spaces and try to place sounds that are subtlety ‘unnatural’ to its surroundings

• The sounds should be low in intensity/faint but still audible and should also be sounds that are usually produced indoor

• For example, continuous typing sound at the entrance to the faculty, vacuum cleaner sound inside the studios, microwave sound inside the toilet

• The responses and reactions from the audience then can determine just how much attention we pay towards machinery sounds that are so closely embedded into our daily life

OTHER IDEAS• In contrast to the last exercise where I have utilised a choir

sound echoing out into space, reversing the effect would mean that the sound would now draw people in towards a certain destination instead

• Speakers can be placed in several locations starting from the entrance into the faculty with echoing sound and gradually becoming less echoing as the audience moves closer to the chosen location

• Sound can be utilised to ‘lead the audience through the space” - Maryanne Amacher

Source: http://thewire.co.uk/in-writing/interviews/p=14992

OTHER IDEAS• “The Third Ear” – Maryanne Amacher• “Noise vibrates both the architecture of rooms as well as the ear

canal, situating a listener within a spatiality that penetrates as well as absorbs the body”

• Although according to Brandon LaBelle, ‘Sound is never a private affair’, as individuals, we would consider a ‘third ear’ sound experience to be a very private event

• The third ear allows the audience to hear something obscure or something unheard of previously, to be very audible

• Salvador Dali implemented this idea to his house (Oval Room - Gala’s Private Room)

The Third Ear - Samplehttp://www.amazon.com/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I0FJ/ref=pd_krex_listen_dp_img?ie=UTF8&refTagSuffix=dp_imgSource: http://www.flickr.com/photos/diegain/4494574464/in/photostream/

• The configuration of this room allows the smallest noise to be heard of very clearly in our heads i.e. heavy breathing, small chuckles