INTERMEDIATE SOUND ART (DMS 215)
Production Course Designed for the Department of Media Study, State University of New York at Buffalo
Course Description
This course is designed to give students a theoretical, historical and practical introduction to sound as a creative medium. Sound art is a broad discipline that is inherently interdisciplinary, with strong roots in experimental music, installation and performance art.
Through a series of readings, discussions, and collaborations, we will investigate the ways that sound influences our understanding of public space. We will also examine the work of contemporary artists that use sound as a relational, particpatory medium through interactive technologies and participation-based practices. Students will have the opportunity to create innovative, experimental installations in public space through self-directed Studio Projects.
Required Reading
PDF copies of Course Readings are available on UBLearns for students to download and print as needed.
Stephen Ascher and Edward Pincus The Filmmaker’s Handbook (2008 Edition)
Michael Bull and Les Back The Auditory Culture Reader
Michael Bull Sounding out the City: Personal Stereos and the Management of Everyday Life
Nicolas Bourriaud Relational Aesthetics
Nicholas Collins Handmade Electronic Music: The Art of Hardware Hacking
Tony Gibbs The Fundamentals of Sonic Art and Sound Design
Thom Holmes Electronic and Experimental Music: Pioneers in Technology and Composition
David Miles Huber Modern Recording Techniques, Sixth Edition
Douglas Kahn Noise Water Meat: A History of Sound in the Arts
Brandon LaBelle Background Noise: Perspectives on Sound Art
R. Murray Schafer The Soundscape
David Toop Haunted Weather: Music, Silence and Memory
Hard Copies available at Queen City Imaging, 3100 Main Street, Buffalo, NY, 14214
Schedule
Varies per Semester. For a copy of the full syllabus for the current semester, please email jessica[space]thompson[at]sympatico[dot]ca
Section 1 Soundscapes, Listening and Recording
In this section we will introduce some of the basic concepts that will carry us through the course. We will start by looking at the ear and the waveform, and will begin to train our ears to pick up the subtle acoustic nuances that make up our sonic experience. We will examine the work of composers such as R. Murray Schaefer, Pauline Oliveros and Hildegard Westerkamp and complete listening exercises outside the building. On the technical end of the spectrum we will learn the fundamental principles behind microphone design and field recording. In the Mac Lab, we will learn to import tracks, perform basic edits and export tracks using Audacity and ProTools.
Section 2 Sound Hacking, Circuit Bending and Basic Electronics
In this section, we will begin with a look at the Futurists, and how Russolo’s intonorumori influenced the next century of electronic instruments, and we will learn how to we will learn how to make simple electronic instruments using ordinary, inexpensive materials and repurposed consumer products, such as radios, greeting cards and old-school sound toys.
Section 3 Noise, Conceptualism, Fluxus and Performance
In this section, we will examine some the major historical movements that have shaped the history of sound art. We will start by looking at the work of John Cage, and will examine his influence on Minimalist art, Happenings and Fluxus, and Conceptual art and will look at the ways that Musique Concrète influenced the development of electronic music. At the end of this section, we will produce a public exhibition in downtown Buffalo.
Section 4 Site-Specific Installation, Relational Practice, Mobile Technologies
In this section, we will look at the ways that contemporary artists are using sound to investigate the body and the ways that new technologies are dramatically changing the ways we interact with each other in public space. Some of the projects that we will discuss are Layla Gaye’s Sonic City, [murmur] and Mark Shepard’s TSG Toolkit. We will also examine the social and political role of broadcast sound and will look at the work of artists such as Richardo Zuniga, Benoit Maubrey and transmission art collective, free103point9.
Studio Projects
Studio Projects are designed to enable students to explore the concepts discussed in class and to develop sound-based artworks that reflect their own interests. Projects are due on the Class Presentation days indicated in the schedule, and each student will sign up for a Presentation Day in advance. Unexcused absences from your presentation day class will result in a “0” presentation grade for the project, no exceptions. Late projects will lose a 5% grade per class that it is late.
Open Studios
Because of the self-directed nature of the Studio Projects, student projects may require that they spend time working offsite, in the Mac Lab, the Robotics Lab, or raiding the nearest Radio Shack. Open Studios are flexible classes that can be used as lab time, to learn new skills, or as a platform for experimentation.
Public Exhibition
This exhibition gives students the opportunity to present their work in a professional context and to gain practical experience in arts administration. Past exhibitions have taken place at Gallery 1716, Squeaky Wheel Media Arts Center, Sugar City Gallery, Soundlab and the Lenox Hotel in downtown Buffalo and have been attended by fellow students, graduate students, faculty, and members of the arts community. Many students have used the exhibition as an opportunity to create site-specific work that takes place in public space, or to create large-scale participatory projects. Participation in the final exhibition is mandatory. Approximately one month prior to the exhibition, students will form small groups to cover areas such as Marketing and Publicity, Design, Exhibition Logistics and Reception Logistics.