I chose to respond to "Walking as Do-It-Yourself Urbanism" by Kenny Cuper because after completing the drift walks for my final art project, I found it easier to understand the relationshp between city planners and city users. This article explores that relationship in depth.
Cuper explains a brief description of radicalism in urban environments and then goes on to explain how walking can be a form of transformation for a city. Through walking, a city user can explore more of a city, as well as continue the tension between rest and walk. This tension is a fuel to the walk which can be used as a source for art. The article was accompanied by several still images from a similair art expiriment, and show clearly the type of exploration that can occur when one radically uses their own urban environment.
Until this articel I had not truly understand the purpose of "finding" material to use. Now I understand that in order to break away from the pre-planned path, in order to emerge with a new set of eyes, one must break away from the normal. Being radical was never a bad thing in my opinion anyway. I enjoy the idea of still being capable of exploring something that has already been explored. The urban jungle can be just as dangerous or adventurous as the jungles of South America or Africa during the colonial spread of Europe. (That is just my own thought after reading this.) It is interesting to me how much the world can open up through this walking method.
1. How was your experience with the Olympus digital camera? How did it compare with other still or video cameras you have previously used? Were you able to successfully implement your Image Capturing Strategies using the features of this camera? In an ideal world, how would your still/video camera of choice function?
My experience with this digital camera was very pleasant. I enjoyed using it because it was fairly simple. I could not do much visually at the moment of image capture, and I preferred it that way. I was not tempted to play with an image on site, and allowed myself to have more natural effects. I have not used many other digital equipment, other than a digital camcorder, but for a digital camera with video capabilities this was very nice. In an ideal world, I do not know what I would use since the project called for this camera and I believe it worked out just fine.
2. Discuss your choice of video-editing software and describe your history with this software. If you used this software for the first time, explain why you chose this particular application and how you think it helped you to accomplish your creative goals (or proved detrimental). Will you use this software again for future projects?
I chose to use Quick time Pro, which I had never used before in my life. I found it easy to use but overly simple. Some things I would have liked to do such as titles easier. I chose this program because it was suggested in class and in the end its simplicity allowed me to stay true to the images which I found most appealing. I will definitely use this program again for other small projects because it is not very time consuming.
For my second reading response, I have chosen to write on the article “Sound, Art, Music?” by Aaron Ximm. I chose this article because I found it to be an interesting critique on an artist’s own abilities and ideas. To me, the most important aspect of creating any art is the ability to self-reflect while tweaking your craft. More specifically, I chose this article because I enjoyed rather thoroughly the comments the author made about the ideas of recorded and organized sound being music or otherwise.
In his article, Ximm discusses many things including who he is as an artist, what he does as an artist, and how he interprets the direction of his art, as well as the direction of sound art generally. Ximm points out that most commonly the work he does which receives an abundance of response is along the lines of musical. Though, he had previously stated that what he does is collect sounds from the world and present them (sometimes unedited, and sometimes manipulated), he openly admits that many of those are his own favorites as well.
Ximm’s section about the direction of his own art. He discusses the clichés of artistry in regards to instinct and vision. He seems to be saying that if one commits only to their own vision one loses many of the dialogue within the art itself they can have. This dialogue causes a growth of knowledge and education. Only through expanding the narrow realm of the artist’s own personal vision can true enlightenment through art take place.
In regards to my own artistry (sound art or otherwise) I find many of Ximm’s comments useful and intriguing. As much as I enjoy a good old fashioned soul search, I realize now the importance of looking outside of oneself for not only inspiration, but opportunity as well. I do not know what the future holds for me and sound art (musical and non) but I am aware that in any form of art these principals will stay true.
1. Discuss your experiences with building your microphones. Was this process more or less what you thought it would be? How did your microphone rig work on your Drift walks? Were you able to capture both overall ambiance and extreme close-ups? Describe your ideal microphone and recorder setup, with unlimited time and money.
The process of constructing the microphone was a bit harder than I thought it would be. Using the older, dirtier soldering irons it was quite difficult. This is why I went out and bought my own. Once I had new tools the process was over rather quickly and efficiently. On my drift walk the microphones worked very well, at times picking up more ambiance then I would have liked. It still managed to pick up on close up sounds. Most of the sounds on my walk were traveling sounds (meaning that I would travel from point a to point b to record sounds fading in and out naturally). I rigged the microphones to mimic my own ears by attaching them to my headphones. This approach worked very well, I think.
Ideally, I would have liked a microphone with a better wind screen. Otherwise, I quite enjoyed the smaller set up. For a project like this the set up works very well and only loses quality due to the wind screen.
2. How was your experience with operating the MiniDisc recorder? How does this recorder compare to other audio equipment you've used? In an ideal world, how would your recorder of choice function?
The MiniDisc recorder was a major pain. Having to put it in manual all the time was difficult because sometimes the menu would not give me the option of REC SET, and I had to sit around for near half an hour before I could figure the tweeks out. I have never really worked with sound recording devices before, so I have no real frame of reference, but other than the wierd menu glitches this worked fine.
In an ideal world the recorder would stay on manual at all times. This is the only problem that I encountered in my drifts, otherwise I think everything was fine.
3. Discuss the audio-editing software you chose and your history with this application. If you used this software for the first time, explain why you chose this particular application and how you think it helped you to accomplish your creative goals (or proved detrimental). Will you use this software again for future projects?
I used SonicStage and Audacity, as was recommended. I chose it because it was highly recommended for the project. It worked very well. SonicStage transfers were time consuming but fairly simple. Audacity was very easy to navigate because it seems to have been designed to be user friendly. I will definitely use them again in the future.
1.Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
The first situation I can describe that aggravated me while doing my drift walks was the interruption of otherwise nice recordings by people asking me what I was doing. It happened several times and ruined a lot of nice sounds because first they would ask what I was doing, then I would explain, and then they would want to talk about it for ten minutes. The whole situation was frustrating the first time, and it only got worse the next fifteen times that followed.
The second most aggravating situation that arose was they blending together of sounds. It was difficult trying to find a place that didn’t always have the constant palpitating hum of the West Allis foundry on 68th street. So, I suppose the more aggravating thing (not the sound) was being unable at times to isolate one sound clearly because of excess background noise (such as the foundry, people, cars, etc.).
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
At many times during my drift I felt at ease. Part of my strategy allowed for this since my strategy was to allow my ears to act as my eyes. One specific time that I felt at ease was as I recorder the birds chirping. I sat beneath the tree, closed my eyes and attempted to hear the different sounds with the tree. I started at the closest sound to me and worked my way outwards. By the time I was finished I had a ten minute recording because I had lost track of the time.
A second time I felt at ease was when I came across the dirty corner bar recording. I was wandering at for some reason the sound of children’s laughter caught my attention. It made me think of things from my own childhood and I found myself not dwelling on the recording so much as I was dwelling on a simpler time. I thought it was quite funny how a bouncy castle and a game of tag can do that to a person.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
One: I was surprised to realize how much chit chat happens in the streets of West Allis. You simply could not escape it most of the time. It is interesting to me how even natural sound of birds, or crickets, can be paired up with the dull roar of small talk in a city.
Two: I was unaware of how much I hate the low hum of the city until it was amplified in my ears for several hours. I always thought I loved the nuances of a city (especially sounds and smells) but as I recorded my sounds I realized that nothing irritates me more than the blurred droll of the city. Nothing is specific unless it is right in your face and everything causes a headache.
Three:One thing that shocked me about the Farmer’s Market was the different languages being spoken. I was shocked to hear Polish, German, Spanish, English, and Korean all being spoken next to each other. I expected everyone to speaking English, because it is all I had ever heard in West Allis’ Farmer’s Market, but once I truly began to listen (not just hear) I discovered those different languages are present right in my hometown. That was a pleasant surprise though, and most likely the only one I had this drift.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite portion of my drift was recording the Dirty Corner Bar sounds. Not only did I feel happy listening to the children playing but I enjoyed how sharply contrasting the bar was right next to that scene. I enjoyed the feeling of teleporting from one world to another, completely caught off guard by the whole mess. I remember walking through the situation knowing how unusual it was to go from a rated G backyard to a rated R pub.
I came upon a bouncy castle and recorded the sounds of the children playing inside of it for a while. That’s when I realized that the bouncy castle was in the backyard of the corner bar. I could faintly hear the sounds of U2 rocking loud in doors so I slowly walked over. As I came closer to the front of the bar I could hear the seedy world inside unfold. It was weird and silly. I decided to go in and have a drink then continue my walk.
What I like most about this situation is that way it still resonates with me how different two worlds can be even when they are right next to each other. That is something I never realized so easily before.
In "The Art of Sound" (found here at http://www.tate.org.uk/tateetc/issue3/theartofnoise.htm ) David Topp writes of sound as a force that functions throughout time and space. He goes on to discuss the difference between music and noise, citing the theories of both as the developed through the industrial age, both world wars, and into modern times. The ideas of art and sound and sound art as they have grown into their own "creatures."
I chose to respond to this article because I find a great many ideas contained within it that I would like to apply to my own sound art experimentation with media. I found the section of Topp's essay on the lack of dialogue between visual artists and sound artists to be the most interesting. In film the two often go hand in hand. Art is such an expressive medium for the soul, and I personally visualize images in my head as i listen to pure sounds, or music and vice cersa when I stare deep into a splatter painting or a montage transition in a graphic novel, I do hear the soundtrack of the story in my mind.
Lastly, what I enjoyed most of this article was the brief moments when Topp writes of the industrial noise surrounding us in this new modern age. It can be calming and peaceful, or abrupt like "when a car alarm shatters the peace of a Sunday morning." All of these sounds within our world create a sort of tapestry for which ours ears cannot escape. The soundtrack of our lives is built with those elements whether we like it or not. We cannot always choose what sounds we hear and what sounds we ignore, therefore sound is, in fact, a force. It carries time and fills space. As it blends it becomes music and I plan to utilize that symphony to go hand in hand with my visual art. I believe that is the goal, and has been from the beginning.
