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Convergent Media Area |
Topics in Convergent Media: Sound, Fall 200 |
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Soundscapes |
RTF
331T unique #07275 and RTF 393Q unique #07630, |
Course Description:
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Sound and its concomitant, noise, define our spaces of interaction and creation, provide clues to social roles, enhance or inhibit sensuality, produce and modulate emotion. Sound can not only define spaces of action but can create plausible worlds. This semester we will study a broad range of topics under the general rubric of sound, but we will focus on using sound as a machine for creating active space, sonic environments through which one physically moves, which may change in response to human presence and action, and which evoke emotional response. We will use computers, sensors, and objects we make as means to achieve this. You will learn to think in 3-d; these aural spaces are analogous to the environments you would create if you chose sound design for film as your work. The illustration above is an example, though an extreme one: a sketch of conductor Pierre Boulez's sound installation Répons, which uses live instruments, a computer, and six loudspeakers. I include it here because it's one of the best graphic representations of an interactive sound space. The light and dark bands are not physical objects, but indicate the relationships between the loudspeakers. This is a highly sophisticated example, so don't panic -- your project doesn't have to take this form; in fact, it probably shouldn't. If you already have some skills with computers, so much the better, but I assume no prior knowledge on your part. And a fair amount of our work will not be with computers but with physical objects that make sounds, including the human voice. The course is in studio format. For the first part of class we will discuss assigned readings. For the remainder of the time (i.e., most of class time) you will make stuff. What you make and how you make it will emerge from our interactions in class. You will produce a project every other week -- a few simple ones, a few more complex ones, and a final project that sums up what you have learned during the semester. All will involve sound (or noise) in some form. You may team up for the final project providing it is sufficiently complex to represent a semester¹s work for each team member and provided that I can clearly tell who did what. You will have four weeks to construct the final project. Final presentations will be open to the public. There are no written exams. We will take some field trips. I will show some films and play a lot of recordings. After a bit, so will you. |
Things you'll need:
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A recorder of some sort. Cassette, tape, minidisk, laptop, anything. A cheap microphone. If you're a slacker musician and have the skill, any kind of sound pickup will do. Something soft to lie on. The second class day we'll be lying on the floor in the dark listening to surround sounds. The ACTLab floor is a cement slab, so be prepared. Bring a blanket or camping mattress. |
What to expect:
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Unconventional attitudes. I don't lecture. Well, hardly ever. I don't give written tests. I don't tell you what you have to do to get an A. The object of the adventure is to find out. Participate, risk, make. If you need more structure to feel comfortable, please drop the course. You'll be sorry if you don't. Hardware and software tutorials. These are generally given outside class time. Use Œem. Long, hard work at the end of the semester. Unless you are Superman, I advise against taking this course if you are also taking an intensive film or video production course. You will be doing as much work as, or more work than, an intensive production course. There aren't that many hours in the day. Fair warning. |
Grading:
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As with all Convergent Media classes, grading is subjective, which is the flipside of the lack of written exams, the actlab's freewheeling style, and our emphasis on your willingness to experiment, to take risks, and to adventure into Convergent Media's modes of learning. If you were to break it down, it might look something like this: Class participation 30% Journals 25% Final project 45% |
Questions? Email me at sandy@actlab.us
More Info:
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In addition to your project you must submit documentation, i.e., a thorough, articulate description, photographic record, and sound files of the project, in web-ready form, so we can link it to the ACTLab web page. Don't slight this step, because a spectacular web page significantly raises your visibility as a Convergent Media professional, and I take notice of that. No grade will be issued until this requirement is satisfied. |
Journal:
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the semester that cheap little recorder will be your constant companion,
your best friend, worst enemy, husband, wife, and lover. Talk to it, mutter
to it, whisper to it, point it at interesting or commonplace or weird events;
wrap it in watertight plastic and dunk it in water; tie it to your bumper
and drive poorly in traffic; throw it and let your dog retrieve it... Use
what you capture on it as raw source material, think-pieces, suggestions,
notes... In addition to the recorder you will keep a physical journal of such notes, thoughts on theory, ideas, diagrams of projects, etc, that work better on paper than aurally. You turn it in at the end of the semester. Your physical journal gives me some sense of how you think about the course and how your ideas evolve over the semester. The method is simple: If you have an idea or a sketch or drawing that doesn't express well aurally, note it down. If you find a useful idea or photo or a saying from a magazine, paste it in. At the beginning of the semester I'll show you my workbooks to give you a sense of what I'm looking for. |
Texts:
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Douglas Kahn: Noise, Water, Meat: A History of Sound in the Arts(Get this first) John Cage: Silence Mark Prendergast: The Ambient Century: From Mahler to Trance: The Evolution of Sound in the Electronic Age Paul Theberge: Any Sound You Can Imagine: Making Music/Consuming Technology Jacques Attali: Noise: The Political Economy of Music (Get this last) |
Re-read "What to expect". Particularly the part in italics.
Schedule (subject to change):
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Sep 5: Mythic aural spaces 1: early synthesis (Telharmonium; ; Clara Rockmore and Leon Theremin; Louis and Bebe Barron, Forbidden Planet); noise pieces. Intro to the equipment. Workshop. Exercise: Make a short (30 second) noise piece. Try for a narrative arc if possible.
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Final Presentations: Open to the public. Date to be
announced.
End of semester cleanup.
| You leave the ACTLab in the same condition in which you found it at the beginning of the semester. No grades will be issued until this requirement is fulfilled. If one person doesn¹t do their job, no one gets a grade -- i.e., all classes are responsible for the workspace and you are responsible for each other. |
The Fine Print:
Regarding Scholastic Dishonesty:
| The University defines academic dishonesty as cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, falsifying academic records, and any act designed to avoid participating honestly in the learning process. Scholastic dishonesty also includes, but is not limited to, providing false or misleading information to receive a postponement or an extension on a test, quiz, or other assignment, and submission of essentially the same written assignment for two courses without the prior permission of the instructor. By accepting this syllabus, you have agreed to these guidelines and must adhere to them. Scholastic dishonest damages both the student's learning experience and readiness for the future demands of a work-career. Students who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. For more information on scholastic dishonesty, please visit the Student Judicial services Web site at http://www.utexas.edu/depts/dos/sjs/. |
About services for students with disabilities:
| The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TTY. |
About the Undergraduate Writing Center:
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The Undergraduate Writing Center, located in the FAC 211, phone 471-6222, offers
individualized assistance to students who want to improve their writing skills.
There is no charge, and students may come in on a drop-in or appointment basis. |