Lydia Benglis - Now (1973)

Follow link to be taken to Video Data Bank's page on Now.

Joan Jonas - Vertical Roll (1972)

Richard Serra - Boomerang (1974)

As described in Krauss's Aesthetics of Narcissism.

Jonathan Horowitz

Maxell (1990)


Read about the piece here on Rhizome.org.

Krauss

I found this article to be dense and a bit wordy. But I was really interested in Lynda Benglis "Now" piece. I was intrigued by the way the artist layered herself in "Now" and perception of time and what "Now" was was irrelevant and indiscernible. Krauss talked about the different mediums and how video might be perceived as narcissistic. In most of these video performances the artist records himself/herself as if the recording apparatus is a mirror. He says that this act is psychological which is the basis and content of work, it is usually not regarded as the medium. Painting and sculpture are based on objectives and material. Video can transmit and record at the same time, producing feedback such as Holt's Boomerang piece. It is interesting that by hearing herself less than a second after of saying something, it distracts her and begins changing her perception of now.

The Aesthetics of Narcissism

I found this reading a bit hard to understand. I was initially confused as to the differences between video art and other art mediums, and the distinction between self-reflexive and self-encapsulating. I did find it interesting, however, the portion of the reading that talked about this relationship of self-encapsulation and spacial disclosure.

The idea of a continually renewed view of himself or herself. This seemed like the biggest gap between video art an other art forms such as painting; the artist, or subject, as a changing part of the art that is constantly responded to and is always manipulating the work. I found a lot of what the article was talking about to remind me of what little I know about performance art. I know a little about Vito Acconci's performance work and studied a bot on how photography was used as a medium to record his performances. At parts of the article it sounded like video was more about capturing the feelings with in a performative work or expression the narcissistic ideas of doing a performance work.

"The Aesthetics of Narcissism"

   After reading is deep passage by Krauss, I was initially most drawn to the section about the video Now Lynda Benglis. The repetition of the word "now" posses the question of confusion because we don't know who is speaking or where it is coming from. I like this because it creates a sense of abstraction and curiosity is formulated. I had actually been interested in doing some type of project with these concepts some time in the future... combining abstraction and curiosity with nature (or something...). I also like the juxtaposition of the two separate projections that were displayed. It created an even deeper sense of confusion for the viewers.

   Krauss emphasizes the concept of narcissism being portrayed in modern day video art. An analogy is made between video art and a mirror because they provide instant feedback from the artist to the viewers. I also like the metaphor of painting that was used in that in a psychological state is create to "paint" on the film. Towards the end of the reading, Krauss talks about Campus' video Vertical Roll. She makes a reference to this triangular relationship that is created between the camera, the projection device and the wall. The other figure is himself and he comes in and out of the frame. I feel that many video artists use self-portraits in their video art and Campus' video is an ideal example. He spotlights himself in various different ways.

Tough reading assignment, as I'm sure you are aware :)

The Aesthetics of Narcissism: Krauss Reading

I agree with Krauss that video is a medium of narcissism, while not necessarily singularly encompassing the medium. To me this was the most important and most obvious issue that Krauss takes on. Krauss brings me to terms with this conclusion by discussing whether the medium of video is mainly physical or psychological.

He discusses that it is difficult for some to accept this idea of video being narcissism perhaps because video requires certain physical mechanisms. However, the illusion that video can depict to the viewer represents and presents a different notion of an "extraordinary image of distraction". Krauss explains that artists achieve this with video through the simultaneous reception and projection of an image and the human psyche used as a conduit. He continues this discussion by explaining that use of these two features in video causes the present to appear to collapse onto itself because it is replaced simultaneously by itself and is instantly made into past history. This causes one to question present, past, and time in general. Whether the artist uses mirrors to view or audio, Krauss describes that the play with history is created with the use of text to tie one moment to the previous one.

Krauss exclaims that many compare this reflective mode or process to the way an artist would use a reflexive process with a different medium discourse. However, he describes reflective to be different than reflective instead of reflective simply being a variation of reflexive because reflective mode deals with radical symmetry and reflexive deals with radical symmetry. He describes the reflective mode, unlike the reflexive, implies the "vanquishing of separating" of subject and object. This fusion of subject and object actually diffuses the object, which Krauss describes as the electronic equipment and its capabilities, and enforces the notion of video being narcissism and not about its physical aspects.

Krauss: The Aesthetics of Narcissism

Krauss' Aesthetics of Narcissism is a rather difficult read. Even after going back through it multiple times, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around what exactly Krauss is trying to detail—and on top of that, my opinion on it. One of the important differentiations Krauss makes early on is the difference between film and video, which sets a precedent for the rest of the article. What is curious to me, on top of that, is that Krauss procedes to talk of the medium of video (which she details as narcissism)—but in my mind, video, most like film, but also like sculpture, painting or ceramics, is a physical medium in which to work. There doesn't seem to be a medium of video. Krauss acknowledges this, saying that it would be simplest to leave the discussion at that, and I think that is rightly so.

It's true also, as Krauss says, that there are psychological mediums. But I think they are different than physical mediums. You can be working in a mindset of narcissism as easily as you could work in a mindset—or want to explore the concept of the psychological state of—happiness. Krauss argues in the essay otherwise, and presents some interesting and compelling examples of narcissistic topics in video art—such as the Boomerang collaborations between Richard Serra and Nancy Holt, but one could just as easily create a concept that involves no human interaction in video. Serra's and Holt's collaboration seems like it would turn out similarly if it were filmed and recorded instead of taped.

So, ultimately, I think that just as the painter chooses to dip their brush in acrylic rather than oil, or the designer chooses to use a computer over a pen and straightedge, the artist working in the visual medium of film or video (or digital video, or harddrive based video) is choosing a tool and a mechanism. From there they can explore whatever concept or psychological medium they would like. Video, though, can be created outside the psychological medium of narcissism's limitations.

The aesthetics of narcissism

Strangely enough, I did not have much difficulty reading the first half of the article, but by the end I was just like "What happened?" Aside from Krauss's less than accessible word choice, I found the article brought up great points about narcissism and how it functions in both video art as well as other forms of visual art. I find myself drawing similarities in how narcissism functions similarly in video art, to Serra's Boomerang in which like Holt is contained to a reality of self, video art is also encapsulated in self because of the mediums inherentness to be connected to self. One aspect of the reading I really liked was Krauss's distinction between reflection and reflexiveness. Reflexiveness still maintains a separation between the object and subject. Reflection is about the fusion of subject and object and how the differences can be resolved through appropriation. Reflection being in video art seems much more narcissistic because it is about the "self" while Reflexiveness in other forms of art is not about the self. One aspect I do have trouble with in this article though, is that I do know their are paintings about self and video art not about self. Why did Krauss not address this more aggressively? I know I'll have to go back and read this a few thousand more times to really get what Krauss is saying, but I miss a little bit of counterargument that could strengthen his argument more. Or maybe if he plainly states what exactly he/she is chasing in the article, what the goal is. However, what I gathered from this reading is how narcissism functions in some types of video art. For me I think narcissism is common in video art because of the performative approach many video artists take. Humans are also inherently always going to be fascinated with themselves as well, which also lends itself to narcissism.

When first approaching this article I enjoyed how krauss paralleled painting to movie making. Incorporating the elements of painting like what composition does to the human psyche and applying that to movies is an interesting idea. I interpreted Serra's film "Boomerang" as more of a psychological experiment of distraction. I also really liked reading about the mirror effect on the psychology of humans. In film both the human and the audience is the medium, the author referred to the mirror effect as narcissistic and I think that is a bit extreme. When given a script and a different setting I think that mirror is lost.

The Aesthetics of Narcissism Response

I found this reading somewhat difficult to really get in to however, I thought that Krauss had some really interesting points. He says that video has the ability to be a simultaneous reception and projection of an image; this medium in which the past and present stand side by side is set apart from other physical art forms which exist in or represent one place and time. Some of the video projects mentioned that I found particulary engaging were Boomerange, Air Time and Now.

In Boomerang, the mirroring of Holts voice and her spoken thoughts that overlap and confuse each other as they are also confusing the participant and audience creates a situation in which the past and present are almost intertwining but in a way that appears forced. In a way this makes me think of the scramble of thoughts in my own head when I become really stressed or have a lot to think about: nothing is organized and as thoughts build confusion erupts and you lose sight of what you were trying to concentrate upon. The symbol of a boomerang to represent her ideas returning back to her is really effective for this piece as well. Air Time and Now function in a similar manner as Boomerang, but in a more visibly understood manner. ByAcconci talking to the image of himself he is able to reflect upon his own self, much like Holt is reflecting upon the playback of what she had previously said and Benglis’ video of her body working side by side with her body in the past also references this merging of the past and present into one time frame in which they become able to coexist.. The use of the word now within the video is a more direct relation to Boomerang in that the audio is relapsing upon itself, almost creating a musical rhythm of sorts. I especially liked how they referred to this overlapping of audio in saying that all layers of the now are equally present and the individual has no past and no connection to objects that are external to it.

Krauss’ emphasis on narcissism within these and the other video works mentioned makes sense in that as video artists are learning to explore the medium as well as their relation to it they focus upon their relationship with the medium. I think that is present in almost any art form though. Most artists (working in all mediums) work with their bodies by creating self-portraits that are conceptually or literally a reflection of themselves. The only difference with other art forms is that the image takes on a different aesthetic when transformed into a medium such as painting, drawing or sculpture while video art is more representational of the actual human form and voice and thus more narcissistic. As art is largely an expression of ones self I have always understood such video art as reflective and exploratory more so than narcissistic.

The Aesthetics of Narcissism

Krauss argues in his opening statement that at the center of film lies the inevitable act of narcissism, and he bases this on the medium of the practice compared to those of other fine art. While other mediums may employ paint to simulate a psychological state, video art uses psychological states as a way to paint the canvas of the film. Indeed, the human body is the central element to a majority of film; and its relative immediacy helps to promote this and give film its sense of narcissism by allowing the viewer to look into what is essentially a "mirror". But given a script or some other choreographed element and the film loses that immediacy and makes the viewer consider what may have occurred before. The confusion between immediacy and what may have been pre-recorded is what gives film its unique nature. Not so many other mediums can interact with the viewer in such a way, almost conversationally. Krauss cites the play on such slight inconsistencies with real time through works like Boomerang, which caused the actor and the audience to become frustrated and even distracted by the audio never achieving full synchronization. Again, video functions very differently from other mediums in its ability to not only activate, but involve the viewer's psychological state. The popularity of film in art today is cited by Krauss as originating from its ability to disseminate through mass media quickly and efficiently; a false sense of verification through art. This explores the most immediate influence of narcissism in video art, and is remarkably what I chose to focus on in my own group's film of the five obstructions! This article was fantastic for exploring the human psyche in connection to video art and why it has always been deeply embedded in narcissism -not just in today's youtube era.

Vito Acconci's Centers

Photoshop Cookie stop motion

This is an awesome video, check it out!!

Five Obstructions Blog Post

I was very interested in this video. It challenges you to do things in filming that you wouldn't normally do and necessarily like to do. I believe that it also opens a new door into exploration. With the introduction of obstacles into filming and cinematography, I believe that you, in solving your problems, create a new perspective that is more interesting than what you would have planned previously. Some of the best works of artists are created through mistakes and serendipity. This was very inspiring to me and I can't wait to try my own five obstructions. I also believe that even though you may not like to be directed, it leaves the door open for criticism and revision to create a more accurate or narrowed down work. I was also intrigued by the obstructions and how he played around them. I would definitely love to explore things like this in the future.

Five Obstructions Response

I thought this was a really neat idea to further and extend a projects possibilities.  I enjoyed the constant clips from the original "Perfect Human" instead of just showing it all at the beginning.  I felt as though this allowed for an almost comparison of the original film to the creator, Jorgan Leth, as the film goes along.  This constant juxtaposition brings the viewer through the film smoothly.  The idea of different obstructions altering the approach and process of a project is a great tool to use in ideation and production.

The Five Obstructions Response

I thought the idea of the film and the way in which it was filmed was really interesting. Though it was almost too slow for me personally at some points, the idea of finding perfection and being the perfect man was almost comical in an intriguing way. Defining perfection is such a vague and practically impossible task but I think the way that the artist went about defining it for himself defined who he was as an individual. The angles and clips of interviews and events throughout the film brought about a very real life documentary type feel that was informative but also engaging beyond the sense of a documentary. Additionally, I really enjoyed the parts in which he was interacting with and trying to share ideas with the other artist, who did not always see things from the same point of view.

The Five Obstructions response

Recently, I have been imposing some of my own "rules / obstructions" in my own work in other class projects as a way to force myself into one idea to pursue and build upon. I don't know why I haven't thought about using it in Time Based Media, something I am so unfamiliar in working with, like everyone else in the class. I suppose every project in itself has obstructions, but the more I give myself or have, the less time I spend thinking about what to do and instead just make. What I found interesting about the film is right from the beginning you are watching Leth imposed with these restrictions and must react, create, and remake. He is not creating something new, but recreating something that has been made already and put on a pedestal. Making something again, with rules, I find is just as difficult as creating something quite open ended. One thing that did cross my mind during the film is why? Why is it necessary for Leth to recreate his film with another mans rules? A conclusion I reached was that the deliberately annoying and strange obstructions made by Trier made Leth give up his control over the creative process. This I find is the root of the obstructions - giving up control. In times of distress while making something, sometimes the best thing is give up control. The obstructions are really a veil that cover the simple idea that giving up control over your work can help you create work that may not necessarily be the best, but something to go off of. For me the film also put an emphasis on the creative process, as opposed to the final product. The film itself only shows clips of what Leth made and instead mostly shows Leth's reactions to the obstructions and how he solves them.

The Five Obstructions

"The Perfect Human has nothing, and thus no limits."

This film is an amazing, living psychoanalysis of the self-destructive human character. It follows one man's ambitious pursuit of perfection while battling the most difficult obstacle he could ever face: his own impossible expectations. At the beginning of the film it appears as if the man has been worn weary by his severity, and in order to battle a fit of depression a friend chose to impose a litany of obstructions on a previously seminal work of his. Though this appears counter-intuitive, the placed obstructions actually served as a distraction to the man's own obstructive behavior. By forcing the man to go places he had never willingly gone before out of the intention of not satisfying himself, but another man's criteria, the man was able to learn how to preserve his sense of identity throughout his work instead of sacrificing it for the sake of the work. At the final moment of letting go of his self-destructive behavior, the man learns that he was living up to not only the once-in-a-lifetime success of his most seminal film, but the message of it: to become the perfect human.

"This is how the perfect man falls."

Five Obstructions Film

Out of all the films and clips we have seen this semester, this was by far my favorite. I found Leth's film style/content to be really interesting--the idea of the perfect human. I love how he dealt with the obstructions and their contrast to the original film. His use of bold textures and colors in the "reboot" videos were beautiful--his Cuba film was particularly rich in these qualities. Out of all his videos, I loved the one in Brussels the most; it read like an experimental movie style to me. It particularly reminded me of the Brechtian theater model--the use of a narrator and characters that explain to the viewer what is happening and who they are. The scene where the woman roles down the window to talk into the camera was a Brecht-like move on Leth's part. This style directly calls attention to the audience's presence in the performance.

Overall, in terms of the content in relation to us, I like the idea of obstructions. Limitations on projects, while irritating at first, really help the creative process. I certainly find that the more open-ended projects are more difficult and daunting. Obstructions require you to get out of your usual comfort zone and solve problems you wouldn't normally be faced with, as well as give you a starting point.

The Five Obstructions

The relationship between Lars Von Trier and Jorgan Leth in The Five Obstructions is curious to me because I didn't picture it the way it happened: Leth looks much more like he would be sending Von Trier on exercises. But that's what emphasizes the friendship between these two smart, creative people.

I was impressed with the editing and pacing of the film itself. Thinking about it, there was a lot of content to fit into even 90 minutes. It was clever to teach the audience about the Perfect Human as the film progressed, so that by the end, it was understood in full. It did leave me to wonder if Leth was recreating the Perfect Human each time in its entirety. (I can only assume that he did. I'd be interested to see all those complete versions.)

Overall, the story is that of the occasion to rise to. It was interesting to me that it seemed that Leth's overall greatest struggle was the Obstruction left open ended as deliberate punishment. I can relate—a list of directions is much more kind than a blank page. Coming up with original ideas is scary and rather daunting. The Obstruction is something that I think will be exciting to apply as a creative building exercise.

the five obstructions

On a technical level, the way this movie was filmed grabbed my attention. The movie's ironic theme as whole brought it on an entirely different level. I loved the playback of the classic "perfect man" mixed in with the conversation that these two men had about how the film would be. Trying to define something so abstract as perfection is impossible, and the director responds to it by creating the five obstructions. Leth, however, turns each obstruction into a new version of perfection- expanding its definition.

5 Obstructions Response

I found it really amusing to watch two artists collaborate and feed off one another, and I actually found these two artists in particular to be very funny. What made this film so entertaining to me and different from other film screening I've watched was its combination of presenting the finished work and presenting the progress they went through to create it. I couldn't help but relate to the artists and the situation and compare it to my own way of working. I also find it helpful to assign myself certain guidelines or to decide to use certain methods and such before I even begin a piece. At first, however, I was not the one that had me work this way but it was also a fellow artist and my professor. Before one artist can rein free in creating the work the other artist gives not only rules but also something to start from, in this case the film The Perfect Human. I really liked this process because a blank canvas can be pretty intimidating and it gave the two some common grounds to start from and relate at least a little theirs train of thought. I think that this way of working forces the artist to problem solve therefore automatically causing creative thinking.

The Five Obstructions

This documentary was really intriguing to me. It was so interesting to see these two intelligent men go back and for like a chess match. Von Trier wants to see Leth create an imperfect and messy film, and help him get out of his old habits. And through out all of the obstacles and obstructions Leth still creates a good film, to Von Trier's disbelief and want. I thought the restrictions were good exercises and is something I want to play with in my art. Obviously these set of rules contribute to making a work that is going to be stylistically different than a work without obstructions. Even if Leth didn't create a film as good as the original "The Perfect Human" I think he learned many lessons during this journey that Von Trier led him through. He got through his creative wall and probably gained a new process for his work.

Obstructions Screening

Once you get past the feeling of sick, twisted humor that Lars von Trier uses while helping Jorgen Leth get past his depression, the documentary was actually very interesting. Although I liked the original The Perfect Human, it was amazing how by simply adding a few limits and obstructions, the piece can change completely. I think Lars von Trier was very smart, or atleast a great muse, by challenging Jorgen Leth in ways most people would not. By being pushed to your limits and out of your comfort zone, strong and magnificent work can be made. It also amazes me how this entire process was over the length of about 3 years, and as the movie goes along, you can see Leth becoming happier and slowly finding his way out of his depression or slump of no creativity. I am interested in seeing how our project will grow and transform by using our own obstructions and working in a group, which could almost be interpreted as yet another obstruction.

The 5 Obstructions

I really enjoyed this video. The main part about it that I liked was seeing how many different works could be created based off one previous video. The original video seemed to me to have a very specific style and tone. The Perfect Human seemed like a very unbiased, general representation. The human shown within seemed relatively universal, a decision that was most likely a conscious decision. As the obstructions were placed on the subsequent videos, the representations that were made seemed to have much more distinct representations of these humans, but yet created a similar message. I felt that the video as a whole became another representation of The Perfect Human.

What I found to be one of the more interesting parts of the documentary was the influence of other artists or the effects of a collaborative work. I was surprised at just how much the obstructions pushed and changed Leth's films. It just made me think about collaborative work and the ways that individuals can shape work as a group. These two filmmakers were not even doing a traditional collaboration and yet the limits von Trier set had an impact on Leth's thinking, process, and outcome.

Memoryscape Blog

It's interesting that now that we've become so adept at taking sound out of context through music, journalism—recorded sound in general, when sound is in context, it is our inclination to not consider it. Butler has compiled and interesting collection of examples of what he acknowledges as—and I think still is—a phenomenon. Putting the context back in sound allows it to become a richer experience because it can be combined with other senses to complete an experience as a whole, as well as offer additional commentary and meaning past experiencing the place itself.

Memoryscape

While reading through this article, different thoughts and ideas raced through my head of great applications of GPS synced audio tracks.  The first thoughts that came to mind is when i think of New York City.  I have deep associations with New York and my grandparents, having visited them in New York multiple times a year my hole life, I always hear specific sounds when I think of the city or see their building even though they have since passed.  This idea of memory scape really intrigues my scenes and makes me curious of the idea of documentation of important events not only visually, but auditory as well.

memoryscape reading

I really enjoyed how this article brought up ideas of connection and accesibility. Often times in the "art world," I feel as if people are put off by the idea of art because of how convoluted it can become. In the reading, I particularly like the part "connecting place in oral history" and how much of an emphasis is placed upon community and shared experiences. Because sound is something so accesible, no matter age or place, I believe it in the art context can be a connecting factor, as opposed to one in which no one can understand. I found it interesting towards the end of the article, when the author is discussing his own memory scape experiment, and stated that even people who did not have a direct connection with the experience, were still able to be connected. This I think really demonstrates the accessibility of it.

Memoryscape Reading

I really enjoyed reading this article, especially because I read it outside! There were several statements in particular that sparked my interests. I liked thinking about how traffic and such doesn't have to be considered 'noise'. I found myself listening to the high range of a large vehicle stopping and the low rubbling crescendo of traffic coming from the distance and then passing by me. My connection to this part of the article was a perfect transition into the next part of the article, adding in the element of place. I liked the idea of taking sound art outside of the gallery, and never really thought about how unnecessary it was to contain such work in a confined room. It was very interesting to think about how direct and personal the connections a listener can make to the work once the sound is not only interacting with the place as a backdrop, but through the place's actual historical events, oral history by people from that place, and sounds that actually relate and interact with specific happenings in that place.

Memoryscape Reading

As I read through the first half of the reading, I found myself becoming increasingly aware of the noises around me (particularly those traveling into my room from my window). The sound of construction, cars, buses, people, airplanes filled my space. It is strange to notice them after your mind has stopped actively taking notice.

I really liked the second half of the article, which spoke of oral tradition and this idea of the "audio trail." The idea of the Memoryscape intrigued me--creating audio that incorporates the sounds of daily life in particular areas accompanied by local voices and stories. These audio trails mimic the audio tours set up within museums, but they take groups of people through a real place. Everyday life and sounds become art. The audio walks influence the way people experience the sites. In this sense the concept that people know the world through the places they experience becomes really powerful to me--almost romantic. This type of sound art is ones I think I would really appreciate if I experienced it myself.

Memoryscape

Throughout the reading, I was reminded of ImprovEverywhere's MP3 experiment and how I participated in the local mp3 experiment on campus last year. I find it similar to the music trails discussed in the reading, but developing more of an experience both personal and to the people not listening to the mp3. Although I have seen people with guided oral recorded tours but never participated myself. After reading Memoryscape though, I think it would be a great experience. The discussion about noise and sound evolution with the industrial revolution and the modern world was interesting and made me think of all the sounds I hear throughout the day. I also realized it is hard to totally escape modern day noises because even out in the middle of nowhere, airplanes still fly overhead, disrupting the natural sounds.

Memoryscape

This article is very intriguing because I have seen examples of these audio tracks for museums and  instructional talks. It was also pretty interesting about the gps how we can be located during through a computer or even cell phone. It is showing how common and every day these technological advances are. Since we have more access to these sound recorders and audio devices, more people can explore sound and how it affects fine art.

Memoryscape Reading

   I personally have listened to several audio recordings while walking through trails because my family and I camped and traveled to historical places a lot while I was growing up. I always found them very interesting and intriguing. I also have done an audio walk through bluetooth on my phone while I was in Spain over the summer, it was truly awesome. The uprising technological concept of including GPS is games so that you can see where the people you are playing with/against is ingenious. This goes allow with the soon production of this devices being able to take your heart rate, which is very important to many.
   In the past, certain sounds meant certain things were to happen (such as the ball) and for the most part, this is still true today. Aldous Huxley said that in this century we have covered "physical noise, mental noise and noise of desire". I agree with this statement and that the sounds we hear today are in either one of those categories. Sometimes we know what a sound is exactly and other times we can predict what we want from the sounds we hear. I would love to do as Russolo says and walk with my ears instead of my eyes. I feel that I don't appreciate natural sounds or pay attention to the sounds around me. Janet Cardiff's "Louisanna Walk#14" sounds really interesting and i really like the concept of walking through a garden. It seems very relaxing.

Memoryscape

It is completely viable to say that new technologies concerning GPS and other interactive media will begin to transform the place sound has in fine art. I particularly appreciate the Toby Butler's emphasis on noise regarding such technological evolution as not merely a "destruction of harmony", but an genuine exploration of modern noise-making tools. Butler noted one sound treatment where the artist took his audience on a trail to various locations to hear strange experiences of sound, in one case under a flyover. This is an interesting exploration of art outside the gallery, as many artists believe the unique sound experience should be something felt live and in context in order to be genuine; which makes me think of Russolo's statement about noise as something that cannot be replicated. I was less inclined with the use of sound as art in the oral history approach as it felt much less experimental than it was passive observation. That is, until it transformed into ideas about the changing evaluation of societies from being locally to globally conscious and breaking away from these ideas of "community". When Butler was discussing his own work, I found myself wondering why it was important that one's audience feels connected to the place in which they are experiencing the audio; putting aside his desire to create a live "surreal" experience, which I think can be done without the use of noise whatsoever. But the tools he notes are very exciting for the future of sound art.

Sound Effects Link

http://www.archive.org/details/WilliamDyerSoundEffectsLibrary

Here is a link on the sound archive website that has some great short sound effects.

Art School Humor

via fyeahartstudentowl

MemoryScape response

I thought that this article had some really engaging points. The way in which he talks about the connection made between geographical context and people is something that I can relate to personally and that I find interesting. Sounds define so much of our experience within a space, even when we may not notice their existence or impact upon our understanding of an environment.

While I think that the development of such updated tracking systems is actually quite awful and scary, the way in which he applies their function to our experience of our context brings about a whole new way of looking at such technology. Yi-Fu Tuan and Edward Relphs argument that the bond between people and places have a fundamentally important part of our experience informs this development in technology in the sense that such a bond grows from a greater understanding and comfort with ones surroundings. In this sense, this technology can almost override the difficulties of that definition which are the conceptions of mobile or traveling individuals because one can become more accustomed to and more connected to a place simply by understanding the dynamics of that context better through the use of such devices (as well as personal experience). Additionally, the part of the reading that discussed the rapidly changing character of modern, urban life related a lot to what we talked about in class and references the advances of technology in a different respect. As we discussed in class, noises of nature have always been around us but the introduction of such complex noises that were harsh and startling when they were first heard interrupt the environment in which they are placed and thus do change the relationship between the environment and the people who live there. Personally I don’t really see this as a negative change; I agree with Thompson that these noises have much to offer in terms of soundscapes and creating environments as well as Russolos appreciation of such industrial noises that are used to create performances that sensitize people to the music of every day sound. The use of such noises to compose an orchestra or harmony of sound is intriguing and really effective when done as a site specific project because it creates a musical character of the place and its inhabitants.

Memoryscape article Response

I think this article was interesting. It explored different ways of exploring a space geographically. One was through the eyes of the artist, in which they would record a walk through a particular space or street way, but keep the area silent so that you could experience the sounds in the present. One also infused sounds into their soundtrack for the viewer to notice or recall more things than are currently happening. I found it interesting that someone can record sound and information as heard through the ears and play it back to be exactly like thoughts in your head. I think this would be a more personal experience and would like to experience the effects of such close relations with the thoughts going on in your head. I enjoyed the thought of art or the gallery space outdoors. This is an interesting concept to me which could be expanded or experimented with. I think it would be interesting to experiment with pieces that are manipulated by the natural weather occurrences such as rain and other forms of precipitation. Overall, I enjoyed the exploration of space in this article..

sound blog post

This article was interesting because it outlined the start of the experimental music genre. It explained the introduction of experimental sounds in concert halls, and how these noises were interpreted by the people. Bill Fontana decided to take the city landscape and bring it into an art environment so people can appreciate their surroundings. More artists started experimenting with sound but more with the methods used to record them which led to sounds that have never been heard before. Like the one artist who recorded her footsteps with a special type of recorder.

Guitar Drag (2000)

Is this music? Or noise?

Nicola Costantino

Nicola Costantino, "Soccer Ball,"1999.
Daros Latinamerica Collection, Zürich.
Photo by Peter Schälchli, Zürich.

Artist Nicola Costantino has a solo exhibition on display in collaboration with Daros Latinamerica as guest of Migros Museum of Contemporary Art. The exhibition features sculptural objects, installations, and photographs by the artist from the 1990s to present day.

Here's a link to the E-flux write about the show!

Mundane Ethnobotany

Jef Geys, "Hartrick Avenue / Euphorbia maculata," (detail) 2010.

New exhibition by artist Jef Geys entitled Woodward Avenue now on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.

From the exhibition article:

Operating across conventional boundaries that often limit discourse within the social, the political, and the aesthetic, Jef Geys' Woodward Avenue is guided by an intellectual curiosity that incorporates collaboration and community, with a distinct conceptual method grounded by the unambiguous reality of plant life. Linking two seemingly different places in Bolivia and Detroit, the films included in the exhibition were made by Vandebroek during her workshops and edited with detached precision by Geys. Revealing sensitivity to the utility of indigenous plants among traditional healers, which occasionally contrasts with the biomedical healthcare providers conventional practice, the films broaden the scope of the exhibition geographically, while underlining the persistent gaps in the promise of modernity routinely filled by the perennial resourcefulness of those on its margins.

Water Walk - John Cage

There's No Sound In My Head - Mark Applebaum

Is noise music? Can notation that does not follow convention be considered a score?

There's No Sound In My Head from lateral on Vimeo.

B Flat : The Frequency of the Universe

Find out why B Flat is the frequency of the universe.

Luigi Russolo reading

I found this article to be dry and dense.  I did not enjoy it, however it did have some interesting points and ideas.  "Ancient life was all silence. In the nineteenth century, with the invention of the machine, noise was born." This is an interesting idea, however I completely disagree with it.  Nature, even ancient nature, has sounds.  Weather, animals, tree branches falling, wind rustling leaves, the crash of the ocean against the sand; all of these and more are different sounds that can be heard by nature.  However, the invention of the machine did have a direct effect on the sounds heard in nature.  For example, I was walking back to my apartment today and I heard a bird mirroring the sounds a car alarm typically makes.  While this brought me some amusement, after reading this article I wonder how many other natural sounds have been effected by the invention of the machine.

Art of Noise Response

The Art of Noise by Lugi Russolo was about the forth coming of sound into this world. Beginning in Ancient time where there was silence and progressing to the present where our boundaries are limitless to the amount of sound and noise. It was mentioned that sound was originally created to be soft, simple and sweet and I wish we had more of that in today's lifetime. The concept of the musical evolution being paralleled with the multiplication of machines is an interesting idea. I wonder if people recognize this. There would be no music or dense sounds without this creation of machines/instruments. Music is about the sensations felt when hearing something. Russolo draws up a point that most people are unaware of the sounds they are hearing. Most people are in tune with their eyes and not their hears and only pay attention when sound is deliberate. I enjoyed reading the section where Marinetti gave his interpretation of Adrianopolis. It reminded me of an assignment we had to do in my Visual Dynamics class, when we had to write/draw our thoughts and emotions from listening to this orchestra play.

The Art of Noise: Response

Rosollo suggests we break down barriers with the Art of Noise; we stop discriminating between what is music and what is the sounds of our world. It's true: the industrial world, the electronic world have made our world in total a lot noisier. I find Rosollo's viewpoint interesting and indicative of Futurism and, in a more contemporary sense, experimental sound-based art. The amount of different noises in the world today is frankly overwhelming and makes good raw material for conceptualization.

However, one, noise isn't new. True, there is much to be explored nowadays, but "the eighteenth century ear" had much to hear. In that matter, so did ears that came much before that. Rosollo acknowledges that new developments in technology have made such noise art possible, but I take that to mean that he believes that there is now more to hear. I disagree; I think noise as art from before the industrial and technological revolutions of the 19th and 20th centuries would be fascinating in itself. What I do think is that development in the ability to document and replicate the noises of our world have made it possible to create such art.

Two, although there is a vast library of sounds at our disposal today, the limitations that musical masters worked within were there for a reason. Certain musical formulas are pleasing to the human ear just as certain color combinations are pleasing to the eye, and we should take caution in using massive amounts of new raw material just because technology allows us to manipulate it. Rather, careful selection will allow for richer and more meaningful sound and music in the long run.

The Art of Noise Response

In the beginning of the article Russolo begins by discussing how "Ancient life was all silence." And with the industrial revolution and integration of machines in society, noise was then born. He then talks about how nature is mostly silent (minus major catastrophes in which the world is destroyed). I don't know why, but I have a huge problem with that statement. I guess it depends upon how you define "noise," and I suppose Russolo is referring to a type of manufactured sound, man made ones. But often, I tend to think that no sound in itself is a noise of its own.

Later in the article Russolo talks about how there is no point to to noise that is only pleasant to the ear, and it is not productive to reject exclusively loud noises. Looking at it from an artist point of view, I can kind of see how images that are pleasing to the eye have just as much power as those that aren't. The same goes here with sound/music/noise. Just because a noise is not thought of as conventional, it is not useful to only write it off as annoying or loud. These noises have just as much meaning (maybe more?) than those that are simply agreeable to the ear. This relates to my conclusion from before, of no sound being sound itself. No sound/noise has just as much meaning as one that is traditional music or more futurist compositions.

The Art of Noises

I really enjoyed reading Russolo's ideas on music and noise and sounds in general. I liked that he explained ancient times as the beginning being silent and then goes through the progression of new sounds being introduced but restricted, and then to the invention of the machine and Futurist music. Russolo's examples of war sounds, orchestras, and machines helped my mind to venture away from the idea of sound that I initially may have thought of and allowed me to ponder noises in a more creative way. I found the differential Russolo made between singing/ talking and the other sounds humans are capable of making the most interesting. I suppose the difference is the intention and the consciousness of the sound. This reading was a great boost to my creative thinking on a subject I was not as familiar with before. Russolo now has me listening to the strangest noises and even contemplating sounds while they're not even occurring that I had paid no attention to before.

sound and noise

I loved that when first reading this article the author made a clear distinction between sound and noise- he said that when music first began the goal was a harmonious composition that would soothe the ears. However, the introduction of Futurist music changed that, it became a composition of noise and different sounds, not meant for a melody. The example shown in class of "music" left me in disbelief that noises like that could even be called music. But after reading this article and learning the new movement that has emerged from this I understand that the sequence and gradation and tone of the noises does make this in a way music.