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| oscillation series - sonic theories and practices #1 |
// Talk, Presentation & Sound
// Date: 1. August 2010, 18h
Title: What is sonic theory?
The first meeting will be about the intentions of the whole series. After an introduction by the organizers, Axel Volmar (University of Siegen), media theorist and researcher in the realm of sonic knowledge in the history of the 20th century and organizier of the symposium “Auditive Medienkulturen” (Auditive Media Cultures) will kick off the series with some general remarks, thoughts and concepts of sonic theories and practices. Then artist Stephane Leonard will present his work “Panorama”.
Abstract Axel Volmar: Ideology and Sounddesign
Why do we need a Sonic Theory and what is it good for? To open the discussion on the key questions of the oscillation series talks, Axel Volmar (Siegen/Bern/Berlin) will investigate some of the major characteristics of the modern soundscape. By presenting various audio and video examples, the talk will argue that the analysis of sounddesign practices should be central to a Sonic Theory, because designed sounds carry subtle “messages” of specific ideological impact that influence the meaning of our sonic world. The talk will therefore trace conjunctions of ideology and sounddesign and will also discuss the role of digital audio art in this context.
Profile of Axel Volmar
Axel Volmar studied cultural sciences and media theory. His main focus of research is auditive culture and audiomedia. He has published various articles and essays investigating the temporality of media, the relation between sound and knowledge and the history of acoustics. Currently he is research associate at Uni Siegen where he has organised a symposium on auditive media culture which was dedicated to methods of interdisciplinary sound studies.
Axel is the editor of the book “Zeitkritische Medien” published in 2009.
Description of artistic project “Panorama” by Stephane Leonard:
- sound installation for 7 speakers, computer, sound card and amplifier (2007)
- composition for the Endliche Automaten – Laptop Orchestra Berlin (2010)
The 7 channel sound installation ‘Panorama’ is one piece spread out over 7 speakers. It has a length of 11:30 minutes and is played in a continues loop. The composition is based on a series of drawings about outer-space and the sound material was mostly made of recordings from outer-space. After some research on the internet I found a lot of recordings of cosmic storms, radio wave emissions from saturn, earth whistlers, electromagnetic fields, sky cyclones, etc. made by satellites. The NASA and other space organisations proved to be great sources for unique sound material.
I later deconstructed and manipulated those sounds with the help of my self-coded software to integrate them into the composition.
The piece opens the view upwards. Unknown sounds draw the listener inexorably deeper into the composition. The swelling of noise and the amount of overlapping tones make the listener come closer to the individual speakers to discover the individual elements within the wall of sound. The focus of the piece changes, depending on the position of the listener.
It is almost like a constant search for the soloists inside a huge mass of sound – a search for the uniqueness in the infinite variety of the cosmos.
Profile of Stephane Leonard
Stephane Leonard is a visual artist and musican. He has studied drawing under Professor Paco Knöller, a former student of the Joseph Beuys class. Leonard is a founding member of the naivsuper artist collective that publishes and promotes modern composers, adventurous music, art and books and the naivsuper film collective which makes films, music videos, documentaries and video installations.
He is also a member of various music ensembles. His work has been shown in exhibitions in Berlin, New York, Hamburg, Bremen, Groningen, Neubrandenburg, Oslo, Bergen, Vienna, Zürich, Massachusetts, Bangkok and the Kirgisien National Museum for Fine Arts.
More Info:
sonictheory.com/
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