For this project you will be working in pairs. The brief for your second pair's project is to create a 3-MINUTE, AUDIO, 'SENSE OF SPACE'
Your space may be an actual physical space or an imagined space. Consider how you might use audio to represent or recreate the physical dimensions or atmosphere of your chosen space. You might perceive your given space as one of high activity, or of marked quietness. The space might have a predominantly human quality, or be devoid of the evidence of people and instead be marked by the presence of machines or nature. How do these differences manifest themselves?
We were then played several tracks so as to inform and give inspiration for the project idea.
‘The curious ear: Meat factory earworms’ d. Richie Beirne P. Ronan Kelly (2008)
Notes; Documentary, voice over, knife sounds – factory sounds – quietens with voice over, juxtaposing music played over the top, chainsaw. Earworms – songs that get stuck in head – distracts from brutality of factory work. Music on a car radio “sights sounds smells are all the same” even though the people have changed – reminiscent. He goes back to record the atmos, moments of silence – talks about his childhood.
I think this track gives not only a sense of space but also a sense of time through the use of the voiceover. Revisiting this factory is reminiscent for the creator, whilst the sound is of a modern world, we are taken back to the past via the voiceover, giving us an insight into the perception of his world, adding depth and a sense of feeling to the space. Having not listened to much solely sound pieces before, only listening to music, film and television, I was surprised how documentary based a sound piece can be. Recording music playing through a car radio was an interesting technique that sparks ideas, that where we hear sound itself, can take you to a particular place. I also find it interesting that I’m not focusing on individual elements of the piece or documenting more how the piece works as a whole and the idea’s it provokes.
‘Child of Ardoyne’ (Between the Ears) (7/5/11 21:00 Radio 3)
Notes; naming the dead, ira, regional divide, describing their existence, children killed, English reporter, music playing, ticking sound, - time passing. Documenting a sense of time and place, not a story of an individual but of a place, the effect on a wide range of people. Less dynamic range technically compared to previous.
This was an interesting piece that gives a real sense of time and space giving insight into the turmoil of a village’s traumatic experience. It is in my opinion successful in portraying across these hardships giving an insight into a world that you may have been completely ignorant of. It aims to be hard hitting, creating an impact on the audience provoking thought, sympathy and anger. The cold flat voiceover reading out the names dead and their ages adds to this sense of despair. Whilst it isn’t as interesting technically when compared to the previous piece it does work. You also have to consider individual affect, whether the listener is knowing of, or have experienced the turmoil, evoking a stronger sense of reminiscence and pain, or as previously said ignorant to the hardships faced in Ireland during this period.
‘Blue Vales and Golden Sands’ Delia Derbyshire, BBC Radiophonic workshop
This was a curious piece which for me, whilst atmospheric, doesn’t give a sense of space, it needs that complimentary image, working perfectly in a scifi film. The aim was probably to create new and interesting sounds developed through new technology, but more importantly challenging the viewer’s imagination, to create a world from this sound. However, I find it doesn’t give a distinct sense of space; you are trying to decode the information provided and given conflicted visions, which I found quite headachy and didn’t work in its own right. Though at the time I’m sure this was ground breaking stuff, and I fully enjoy the Dr Who theme tune developed by the BBC Radiophonic workshops, this new wave sound compliments foreign image perfectly.
‘Sound of Sport’ Radio 4 (30/04/11 20:00)
Notes; sports – voiceover – sporty sounds – techno music overlay. Vuvuzelas blocked out sport sound a constant hum. How sound can drum up excitement. Reminisces when he first encountered sound – a history of his life in sounds. Documentary.
In this documentary Dennis Baxter gives an insight into the world of sound recording for sport, possibly sparked by the constant hum of the vuvuzelas in Africa which blocked out the sound of sport leading to a consideration of the importance of sound in sport and how it can build up tension and excitement. This gives a distinct sense of someone’s life’s work and life, through the use of sound. I think it worked as a whole, holding interest and insight, whilst not personally interested in many sports, it was interesting to listen, therefore successful in engaging with the listener. This differs to the previous formats, in terms of it’s not trying to create a sense space rather multiple times and places, but instead describes how he captures this sense of place in sound creating thrill and excitement for TV sport viewers and the detrimental effect of not being able to capture this.
‘Tunnel visions’ Pejk Malinovski (2001)
Notes; Tube system, voiceover, sensory, invasive, intrusive, talk about desires.
This piece didn’t particularly interest me and failed to engage my attention. The world it was painting wasn’t a particularly great perception of life. However, it did hold some interesting form, diving into the thoughts of people on the tube giving a sense of existence in an extremely voyeuristic way; your thoughts are no longer private. Nevertheless it picked on the grotty example of human thought depiction, which created a negative listening experience, despite its interesting form. Though it is arguable that with art if you come away with an experience pleasant or otherwise it is successful, just look at Bruce Nauman; a hugely influential artist across many mediums who explored with unpleasant experience. Despite this the sound piece failed to engage me the listener which shows its ultimate weakness in my own opinion.
‘A walk through the city and transformations’ Hildegard Westerkamp
This was a bewildering piece which evoked images different to what the title dictates, what came through for me was low flying aircraft. Nevertheless, I did find interest in its form; building sounds up into crescendos that then dissipate away, having great rise and fall, which gives interesting ideas and may inform upon the direction of the project.
Unfortunately I left the session early due to ill feeling which distracted from the task at hand with an inability to concentrate. Despite this I have been given a wide range of material that use different approaches in representing a sense of space. I find this gave a new insight into the world of sound, especially in terms of the use of documentary style in sound productions. This has therefore been of great use in terms of giving direction for the project giving insight into something I may not have explored or thought about without.
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