Effective Dose:Creating Physiological Responses to Invisible Networks

A ThesisPresented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Masters of Fine Arts in Digital + Media in the Department of Digital + Media of the Rhode Island School of Design By Mark Cetilia Rhode Island School of Design 2008

Masters Examination CommitteeApproved by:Bill Seaman, Department Head, Primary Advisor Jocelyne Prince, Professor, Secondary Advisor Butch Rovan, Professor, Tertiary Advisor

Dedicated to Laura

Table of Contentsiii v 1 3 5 15 21 25 29 33 35 43 47 49 TableofContents ListofIllustrations Abstract Introduction Noise SpectralEcology ToolsandTechniquesI:PhysiologyofSightandSound ToolsandTechniquesII:Projection ToolsandTechniquesIII:Synaesthesia ToolsandTechniquesIV:AlgorithmicComposition Work Bibliography DocumentationonDVD SoftwareonCD-ROM

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List of IllustrationsFigure 1 Title and Source Shannonsschematicdiagramofageneralcommunicationsystem(1948) ClaudeE.ShannonandWarrenWeaver,The Mathematical Theory of Communication (Urbana,Illinois:TheUniversityofIllinoisPress,1963),5. PitchmatrixfromSchoenbergsVariations for Orchestra (1928) DavidCope,New Directions in Music (LongGrove,Illinois:WavelandPress,2001),24. ThaddeusCahillsTelharmonium(1910) ReynoldWeidenaar,Magic Music From the Telharmonium (Metuchen,NewJersey:TheScarecrowPress,Inc,1995),234. HarryPartchsMazdaMarimba(1963) Cope,60. LuigiRussolo(l.)andUgoPiatti(r.)withtheirintonarumori(1914) MarcellaListaandSophieDuplaix,Sons & Lumires (Paris,France:CentrePompidou,2004),251. RobertIrwin(front)andJamesTurrell(back)inanechoicchamber(1970) JanButterfield,The Art of Light and Space (NewYork,NewYork:AbbevilleModernArtMovements,1993),26. PerformanceofJohnCagesVariations VII (1966) CatherineMorris,ed.9 Evenings Reconsidered: Art, Theatre, and Engineering, 1966 (Cambridge,Massachusetts:MITListVisualArtsCenter,2006),76. ThrobbingGristle(1981) V.Vale,ed.Industrial Culture Handbook (SanFrancisco,California:RE/SearchPublications,1983),10. KurtSchwittersMerzbau (ca.1930) ElizabethBurnsGamard,Kurt Schwitters Merzbau: The Cathedral of Erotic Misery (NewYork,NewYork:PrincetonArchitecturalPress,2000),Fig.1. InsidestaircaseofBrunoTautsGlashaus(1914) KurtJunghanns,BrunoTaut,1880-1938: Architektur und socialer Gedanke (Berlin,Germany:E.A.Seemann,1998),Figure55 PierreSchaefferatworkinhisstudio(1952) PeterManning,Electronic and Computer Music (NewYork,NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,2003),134. DunneandRabysdiagramofHerzianspace(2001) AnthonyDunneandFionaRaby,Design Noir: The Secret Life of Electronic Objects (Boston,Massachusetts:Birkhuser,2001),102. ChristinaKubischs,Oasis 2000: Music for a Concrete Jungle(2000) AntjevonGraevenitz,Christina Kubisch: Klangraumlichtzeit(Heidelberg:KehrerVerlag,2003),46. JoyceHinterdingsAeriology (1998) FrancesDysonandDouglasKahn,Wrapture:LiminalProductGetsAllTangledUpinJoyceHinterdingsArt, Arbyte(October,2000):82. Comparisonofeyeandcameraobscura(earlyeighteenthcentury) JonathanCrary,Techniques of the Observer: On Vision and Modernity in the 19th Century (Cambridge,Massachusetts:TheMITPress,1992),49. Schematicdrawingofthehumanear HugoFastlandEberhardZwicker,Psychoacoustics: Facts and Models(NewYork,NewYork:Springer,2007),24.

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PhilipsPavilion(1958) RobertMorgan,Twentieth-Century Music: A History of Musical Style in Modern Europe and America (NewYork,NewYork:W.W.Norton&Company,Ltd.1991),393. TheGroupedeRecherchesMusicalesAcousmonium(1980) CurtisRoads,The Computer Music Tutorial(Cambridge,Massachusetts:TheMITPress,1996),454. InstallationviewofMicolAssalsChizhevsky Lessons (2007) PollyStaple,RiskAssessment,inFrieze Magazine 110(London:Frieze,2007),229. AlexanderWallaceRimingtonscolororgan(1912) AriWisemanandJudithZilczer,Visual Music: Synaesthesia in Art and Music Since 1900 KerryBrougherandJeremyStrick,eds.(London:Thames&Hudson,2005),70. ThomasWilfredsUntitled, Opus 161 (1965) WisemanandZilczer,98. OskarFischingerssoundscrollexperiments(1932) ListaandDuplaix,210. JohnandJamesWhitneywiththeirpendulumsystem(ca.1945) WisemanandZilczer,126. WoodyVasulkasuseoftheRutt-EtraScanProcessorinDidactic Video (1975) MaritaSturken,ed.Steina and Woody Vasulka: Machine Media (SanFrancisco,California:SanFranciscoMuseumofArt,1996),39. LaurieSpiegelwiththeGROOVEsystem(early1970s) JoelChadabe,Electric Sound: The Past and Promise of Electronic Music (UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey:PrenticeHall,1996),161. TableofmeasurenumbersfromMozartsmusicaldicegame(pub.1792) Cope,160. KNOBS:instructionsforperformanceofCageandHillersHPSCHD (1969) JohnCage,LejarenHiller,andBenJohnston,HPSCHD / String Quartet No. 2 (NewYork,NewYork:Nonesuch,1969),insert. GeoffreySonnabendsmodelofobliscence(1946) SocietyfortheDiffusionofUsefulInformation,The Museum of Jurassic Technology: Primi Decem Anni Jubilee Catalogue (WestCovina,California:SocietyfortheDiffusionofUsefulInformationPress,2002),65. MarkCetiliasObliscence Field (2006) Courtesyoftheartist MarkCetiliasHand of Doom (2007) Courtesyoftheartist WilliamBurroughswithGysinandSommervillesDreammachine(1972) JohnGeiger,Chapel of Extreme Experience: A Short History of Stroboscopic Light and the Dream Machine (Brooklyn,NewYork:SoftSkullPress,2003),coverphotograph. MarkCetiliasEye is to Window (2008) Courtesyoftheartist FloorplanforMarkCetiliasEffective Dose (2008) Courtesyoftheartist ViewingapparatusfromMarkCetiliasEffective Dose(2008) Courtesyoftheartist

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BlockdiagramofMarkCetiliasEffective Dose (2008) Courtesyoftheartist RobertIrwinsFractured Light Partial Scrim Ceiling Eye-Level Wire (1970) Butterfield,23. UntitledvideoperformancebyMarkCetiliaandYuniKwon(2008) Courtesyoftheartists

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AbstractWeliveinanageofconstantdataimmersion.Whereverwego,transmissions fromcountlesswirelessnetworksfloatthroughusaswaves.Yetoursensesare onlycapableofreceivinganddecodingtheinformationcarriedbythesewaveforms throughtheuseoftechnology.Cellularnetworksareconqueringever-larger areasofthespectrum,andhavebecomeubiquitousthroughoutthedeveloped anddevelopingworld.Thoughweareincapableofdecodingcellulartransmissions withournativefaculties,theyarepracticallyunavoidable.Whenweexperience frequenciesintheaudiblespectrumwithoutintentionallyexposingourselves tothem,wethinkofthesefrequenciesasnoise.Thus,cellulartransmissionsmay beconsideredahighlypervasivesourceofnoisefoundinareasofthespectrum outsideofhumanperception.Duringthepasttwoyears,Ihaveprimarilyfocused oncreatinginstrumentsthatusesoundandvideoprojectiontechnologiesto directlystimulatethesensoryapparatusoftheuser/participantinordertoallow accesstohiddenphenomena.Formythesisproject,Ihavedrawnuponthis experienceandmyinterestsinnoise,acousticandspectralecologytocreate ahighlyfocusedareaforcontemplationofcellulartransmissionsinthelocal environmentinrealtimethroughtheuseofprojectedsoundandlight.

1

IntroductionIaminterestedincreatingadialoguesurroundingtheuseofradiofrequency spectrafromtheperspectiveofacousticecology,especiallyinrelationtotherapid expansionofthecellphoneindustry.Mythesisproject,entitledEffective Dose, isacontemplativeenvironmentinwhichusersmaydirectlyexperiencethetraffic ofcellularnetworksviacustom-designedinstrumentsthatminethefrequencies utilizedbythesenetworksforlocalactivityandcreatetangible,physiological responsesthroughnon-representationaldatavisualizationandsonification inrealtime. Thispieceiscomprisedofafullyimmersivesoundscapeutilizingtraditional surroundsoundanddirectionalsoundprojectiontechnologiesinordertocreate ahighlyfocusedlisteningenvironmentinconjunctionwiththeuseofthecastglassprismaticlenstoactasamediatorbetweencomputer-generatedimagery andtheperspectiveoftheactiveviewer.AsIaminterestedinusingtechnology torevealtheinvisible,theuseofdirectionalsoundandprojectionthrough aprismaticlensenablesviewerstoexperiencethesephenomenafromasingle vantagepoint.Thisbothaffordsadegreeofinteractionthatcouldnotbeotherwise achieved,andusesthemediumtospeakofitscontent. Throughtheprocessofanalysisandresynthesisofdatafoundinspecifiedradio frequencybandsusingEttusResearchLLCsUniversalSoftwareRadioPeripheral1 1 inconjunctionwithGNURadio2softwarefordataacquisitionandfrequency demodulation,andthemultimediaprogrammingenvironmentMax/MSP/Jitter3, 2 Ihavebuiltaspaceforcontemplationrelatedtotheomnipresenceofthecellular 3 networksinourenvironment.Developinganunderstandingofpsychoacoustic phenomenaandperceptualconnectionsbetweensoundandimagehasbeen criticalintherealizationofthisproject,soalargeportionofthewrittenwork aheadisdevotedtothesetopics,aswellastothehistoryandtheoryofacoustic ecology,whichhelpsprovideaframeworkfortheburgeoningfieldofspectral ecology.Thefinalportionofthiswrittenworkwillincludeanoverviewofthe project,technologicalimplementation,andcriticalanalysis.Letusbeginwith adiscussionofwhatconstitutesmusic,sound,noise,andsilencefrom historical,scientificandart-,music-,andcultural-theoreticalviewpoints,which willbeimportantforestablishingacontextfortheworkthatfollows.

cf.http://www.ettus.com cf.http://www.gnuradio.org/trac cf.http://www.cycling74.com

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NoiseWhetherwearetalkingofsound,video,orscientificdata,noiseisgenerally regardedasapresencethatactsuponasignal,reducingareceiversabilityto understandtheinformationtransmittedbythesender. 4Anoiseisitselfa signalwhosepresenceisdisruptive;itis,asBartKoskosays,asignalthatdoes notbelongthere.5Theperceptionofnoiseisthereforepartiallyasubjective phenomenon,dependingnotonlyonanindividualstaste,butalsotheconditions atanygivenmomentintime.AsoundthatIgenerallyfindpleasant,suchas thesoundofchurchbells,mightjustaseasilybecomenoiseifIamtryingtoleave someoneavoicemessagewhilewalkingbyachurch,ormyfavoritealbummight becomenoiseifIamtryingtoconcentrateonwritingmythesis.

4 ClaudeE.ShannonandWarren Weaver,The Mathematical Theory of Communication(Urbana,Illinois:The UniversityofIllinoisPress,1963),5. 5 BartKosko,Noise (NewYork, NewYork:VikingPenguin,2006),3.

Fig. 1.Shannonsschematicdiagramofageneralcommunicationsystem(1948) Thisisnottosaythattherearenoculturalbiasestowardsspecificsoundsor combinationsofsoundsthatmightlabelthemasbeinginherentlymusicalor noisy.Westernmusicisdeeplyrootedinthedevelopmentoforganizingprinciples meanttoprovidethemostpleasantmelodicorharmonicrelationshipsbetween notes.Thehistoryofthetwelve-notescaleinWesternmusicdatesbacktoancient Greece,withtheinventionofthePythagoreantuningsystem,whichusesaratio of3:2todetermineapitchthatisfivewholetonesabovethepreviousone.After repeatingthisprocessoftuningbyfifthstwelvetimes,onewillarriveatanotethat isslightlyhigherthananexactsevenoctaves(anoctaveisaratioof2:1)abovethe pitchwithwhichheorshestarted.Thedifferencebetweenthesepitchesisknown asthePythagoreancomma.6Despitethisfatalflawinintonation,thePythagorean tuningsystemwastheprimarybasisforWesternmusicupuntiltheeighteenth century,whenwelltemperament(loweringtheintervalsbetweensuccessive notesevenlysothatoctaveslineup)becamethenorm.Inthetwentiethcentury, equaltemperament,inwhicheachnoteisdiminishedtwoone-hundredthsof awholetone,hasbecomethepredominanttuningsystem.7Meanwhile,theuse ofthePythagoreantuningsystemhadcreatedanemphasisonintervalsoffifths andoctavesaswellasfourths(anoctaveminusafifth),whichwereviewedas consonant,whileotherintervalswereseenasdissonant. ThroughoutmuchofthehistoryofWesternmusic(andmuchofthepopular musicoftoday),dissonancehasbeenusedtocreatetension,buttheultimategoal ofresolvingtothetonalcenterismerelydelayedbyitsemployment,orinrare circumstances,avoidedtocreateadramaticeffect.Inhis1722Trait de lharmonie, composerandmusictheoristJean-PhilippeRameauoutlinedhishighlyinfluential systemofsuchorganizingprinciplesforthegenerationandanalysisofharmony.8 Theemploymentofsuchprincipleswassodominantinthemusicwrittenbetween 1700and1900thatthesecenturieshavebecomeknownasthecommonpractice periodofWesternmusic.9Itwasnotuntilthenineteenthcenturythattheneedfor resolutiontoatonalcenterbegantobequestionedbycomposerssuchasRichard Wagner.WagnersTristan und Isolde,premieredin1865,underminedthe foundationofClassicalformthroughtheuseofsuspendedtonalityinwhich tonalcentersseemedtomeltalmostimperceptiblyintooneanother.10

6 DonMichaelRandel,ed.The New Harvard Dictionary of Music (Cambridge,Massachusetts:The BelknapPressofHarvardUniversity, 1986),181. 7 Ibid,837.

8

Ibid,851.

9 RobertMorgan,TwentiethCentury Music: A History of Musical Style in Modern Europe and America (NewYork,NewYork:W.W.Norton& Company,Ltd.,1991),3. 10 Ibid,5.

5

In1889,ClaudeDebussyattendedtheParisExposition,wherehewitnessed aperformanceofaJavanesegamelanorchestrawhosetuningsystemwas unrelatedtothetwelve-notescale;in1890,hemetandbefriendedErikSatie. Thetwoundertookanumberofcompositionswhosegoalwastofreemelody 11 ThomasB.Holmes,Electronic fromitstraditionalunderpinningofkeysandchords,allowingittomoveand and Experimental Music: Pioneers in developindependentlyofanypresupposedandmelodramaticsuperstructures.11 Technology and Composition(NewYork, Debussysinterestinformlessnessisperhapsmostfamouslyembodiedbyhis NewYork:Routledge,2002),3334. onlycompletedopera,Pellas et Mlisande.Begunin1893andpremieredin1902, Pellas et Mlisande wasavirtuallyunalteredsettingofMauriceMaeterlincks 12 PieroWeissandRichard dramaofthesamenamewithoutanydistinctnumberedsections. 12Satie Taruskin,eds.Music in the Western departedfromtraditionalformevenmoreradicallywithhis1893Vexations. World: A History in Documents(New Thispiececonsistedofashortphrasewrittenforsolopianotobeperformed York,NewYork:SchirmerBooks, eighthundredandfortytimes.Thisperformance,whichtakesovereighteenhours 1984),418. tocomplete,wastobeundertakenonlyafterpreparationbeforehandindeep silenceandseriousimmobility.Theattentiontotheconsciousness-changing effectsofthispieceareevidentfromtheoriginofthetitlealone.Thetitleisan allusiontothealchemicaltextofthesamename,writteninthesixteenthcentury 13 DavidToop,Ocean of Sound byParacelsus,inwhichtheauthordiscussesthetranquilityofmindthatwould (London:SerpentsTail,2001),199200. comeattheconclusionofthealchemicalprocess.13Vexationsthusintendsto leadtheperformertoenlightenmentthroughtheactofrepetition,amechanical meansoftransformation. Bytheearly1920s,ArnoldSchoenberghadformulatedthetwelve-tonesystem, inwhichanentirecompositionwouldbebaseduponatonerow(aseriesof twelvenon-repeatingnotes);thisseriesofnotescouldbeinvertedorreversed, butnonotecouldberepeatedwithoutplayingtheremainingnotesintherow. Thisstrategyremovedtherelianceuponatonalcenter,butstillrelieduponthe useofmusicalmotifsandtraditionalmelodyandaccompaniment.Intheyears tofollow,AntonWebernexpandeduponSchoenbergssystemtoincludetimbre aswellaspitch,leadingtothedevelopmentoftotalserialismbycomposers suchasPierreBoulezandMiltonBabbit,inwhicheverypossibleparameterof soundcouldbeorganizedbasedonaseriesofevents.14

14 JoelChadabe,Electric Sound: The Past and Promise of Electronic Music (UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey: PrenticeHall,1996),3637.

Fig. 2.PitchmatrixfromSchoenbergsVariations from Orchestra(1928)

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Theanalysisoftimbreasaprimaryconcerninmusicalexpressionreachesback tothenineteenthcentury,withthe1863publicationofHermannvonHelmholtz On the Sensation of Tone,inwhichHelmholtzstatesthatanysoundmayberecreated bycombiningaseriesofsinewavesofdifferentfrequencies,amplitudes,andphases, asmathematicianJeanBaptisteFourierhadprovenpreviouslyinregardstothe transmissionofheat.15Helmholtzpublicationcreatedanuproarinthescientific community,andtheyoungengineerThaddeusCahillreaditshortlyafterwards. Inspiredbythebookspretext,Cahillbeganworkingonwaystogeneratecomplex frequenciesfrommultipletones.HefiledhisfirstpatentforThe Art of and Apparatus for Generating and Distributing Music Electrically in1895,andbegan workingtocreatetheworldsfirstadditivesynthesizer,whichhecalledthe Telharmonium.16

15 CharlesDodgeandThomas A.Jerse,Computer Music: Synthesis, Composition, and Performance (New York,NewYork:Schirmer,1997), 4647. 16 ReynoldWeidenaar,Magic Music From the Telharmonium(Metuchen, NewJersey:TheScarecrowPress,Inc., 1995),18.

Fig. 3.ThaddeusCahillsTelharmonium(1910) TheTelharmonium,whicheventuallygrewtothesizeofanentirefactorybuilding, usedelectricitytodriveanumberofdynamosthatcouldproduceanygiven frequency,insideoroutsideofthetwelve-notescaleandcouldthereforecreate complextimbresbycontrollingtheovertoneseriesofeachnoteplayed.Unfortunately, CahillranintotoomanytechnicalandfinancialhurdlesfortheTelharmoniumto survive,buttheinventionwaswidelypublicized,andthecomposerFerruccio BusoniwasintroducedtoitthroughanarticleintheJuly1906issueofMcClures Magazine.Busoniwascurrentlyintheprocessofwritinghistreatise,Sketch of a New Aesthetic of Music.Publishedin1907,thistreatisepresentedtheTelharmoniumas capableoffulfillingtheneedBusonisawformusictoreplacethetwelve-note octavewithinfinitegradations.

7

17

Holmes,35.

18 19

Morgan,265. Ibid,303304.

Whiletheuseofmusicalscalesdividedintomorethantwelveunitshasbeen prevalentinotherculturesforhundredsofyears,itwasnotuntilthetwentieth centurythatsuchtuningsystemsbecameacknowledgedwithinthecanonof Westernartmusic.Newdefinitionsoftonalityandtheuseofexpandedtuning systemsbegantoflourishinthe1920s.AmericancomposerCharlesIves Three Quartertone Piano Pieces (192324)waswrittenfortwopianostuned aquarter-toneapartfromeachother.17CzechcomposerAloisHba(18931973) employedquarter-tones,fifth-tones,andsixth-tonesto[enrich]theprevious semitonesystemwithfinertonaldifferentiations,beginningwithhis1920String Quartet No. 2, Op. 7.18Inthelate1920s,AmericancomposerHarryPartchdevelopeda forty-three-notescaleandbeganbuildingnumerousinstrumentsfortheperformanceofhismusic,beginningwithhis1933Li Po Songs.19

Fig. 4.HarryPartchsMazdaMarimba(1963) Butevenascaleofforty-threenotesdidnotcomeclosetotheinfinitegradations calledforbyBusoni.Fortunately,Sketch of a New Aesthetic of Music wastobe discoveredbyayoungcomposerbythenameofEdgarVarse. 20Asearlyas the1920s,Varsehadbegunreferringtomusicasorganizedsound,andin hisTreatise of Sound(1936),hecalledfortheuseofelectronicsinordertogain: liberationfromthearbitrary,paralyzingtemperedsystem;the possibilityofobtaininganynumberofcyclesor,ifstilldesired, subdivisionsoftheoctave,andconsequentlytheformationofany desiredscale;unsuspectedrangeinlowandhighregisters;new harmonicsplendorsobtainablefromtheuseofsub-harmonic combinationsnowimpossible,thepossibilityofobtainingany differentiationoftimbre,ofsound-combinations;newdynamics beyondthepresenthuman-poweredorchestraandthereplacement oflinearcounterpointwithsound-massesandshiftingplanes.21 Despitehisbesteffortstogatherfundingortechnicalsupporttorealizethenecessary electronicinstrumentation,itwasnotuntilmuchlaterthathewasabletowork withsuchinstruments.Formostofhislife,Varseresolvedhimselftosolving thechallengeslaidoutinhistreatiseprimarilywithtraditionalinstrumentation. Hedevelopedcompositionaltechniquesthatwouldforecastpossibilitiesafforded bytheadventofanalogsynthesissystemsofthe1950sandonward.22 LikeVarse,LuigiRussolowasinterestedinexpandingthemusicalpalette toincorporatemorecomplextimbres,butratherthanworkingwithexistingmusical instrumentsorwaitingforelectronicstoevolve,hesetaboutmakinghisown mechanicalinstruments,whichhecalledintonarumori(noise-intoners). Theintonarumoriwerelargeboxescontainingvariousimplementsthatwould bestruck,scraped,orrubbedagainststrings,drumskins,oroneanother,and featuredmetalconesprotrudingfromthemwhichactedaswhatwenowthink

20 Ibid,253254.

21 DanielWarnerandChristoph Cox,eds.Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music(NewYork,NewYork: ContinuumInternationalPublishing, 2006),1719.

22 PeterManning,Electronic and Computer Music(NewYork,NewYork: OxfordUniversityPress,2003),911.

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ofasloudspeakers.Theinstrumentswerecontrolledthroughtheuseofcranksand leverstoadjustthespeedatwhichthevariousimplementswouldbedeployed.23 23

Holmes,40.

Fig. 5.LuigiRussolo(l.)andUgoPiatti(r.)withtheirintonarumori(1914) AlthoughVarseandRussoloeachsoughttoexpandmusicallanguagetoinclude morecomplextimbralcontent,theyhadverydifferentreasonsforwantingtodo so.Varsewasatrainedcomposerwhoseprimarygoalwastochangetheshape ofhismusicalcompositions.Russolo,ontheotherhand,wasaFuturistpainter withnomusicalbackgroundwhowassoinspiredbyaperformanceoftheFuturist composerBalillaPratellasMusica Futuristathathesetoutimmediatelyupon aquestfornoise.Thisquesttookplacebothinthewrittenword,intheformofhis 1913manifestoThe Art of Noises,andinpracticethroughhisinventionofanentire orchestraofnoiseintonersandstagingofpublicconcerts.24Russoloclaimed thatwiththeinventionofmachines,Noisewasborn,andindeedthedefining characteristicofhistimewastheomnipresenceofmachinenoise.25Sincelisteners hadbecomeaccustomedtotraditionalinstrumentationthatinitsslightnessand monotonynolongerproducesemotion,Russolobelievedthattheonlywayto createemotionalimpactinapieceofmusicwastoembracetheuseofnoiseasa keycompositionalelement.26

24 Holmes,3841. 25 LuigiRussolo,The Art of Noises (NewYork,NewYork:Pendragon Press,1987),23. 26 Ibid,2324.

Noise,accordingtoRussolo,iscomprisednotonlyofloudanddisagreeable sounds,butalsosubtleanddelicatenoisesthatproducepleasingsensations suchasthewind,thebabblingofabrook,therustlingofleaves,etc.27Russoloalso 27 Ibid,25. lookedtoHelmholtzforafurtherdefinitionofnoise.Helmhotzdefinednoise astheoppositeofmusicalsensationsthatcouldbeconsideredperfectlystable, uniform,andinvariable.28Noise,therefore,issimplyaperiodicsound.Anysound 28 Ibid,37. thatisnotapuresinusoidlikethesoundproducedbyatuningforkmusttherefore consistofatleastanelementofnoise.Byextension,Russoloclaimsthatthereal andfundamentaldifferencebetweenmusicalsoundandnoiseisthatnoiseis generallymuchricherinharmonics.29 29 Ibid,3739. Thisexpansionofthedefinitionofmusictoincludeanypossiblesoundwasan importantdevelopmentinmusichistory,andwastakentoitslogicalconclusion byAmericancomposerJohnCageinThe Future of Music: Credo,writtenin1937. Inhiscredo,Cagedeclaredthatwhileinthepast,thepointofdisagreementhas beenbetweendissonanceandconsonance,itwillbe,intheimmediatefuture, betweennoiseandso-calledmusicalsound.30Yearslater,Cageexperiencedthe practicalapplicationofthistheoryinapowerfulwaywhenhevisitedtheanechoic chamberatHarvardUniversity,aspeciallyconstructedspacethatminimizes reflectionsfromthewalls,floor,andceiling,inwhichthereisnoreverberation,

30 JohnCage,Silence: Lectures and Writings (Hanover,NewHampshire: WesleyanUniversityPress,1961),4.

9

31 PerryR.Cook,Music, Cognition, and Computerized Sound: An Introduction to Psychoacoustics (Cambridge,Massachusetts:TheMIT Press,2001),278. 32 DouglasKahn,Noise, Water, Meat: A History of Sound in the Arts (Cambridge,Massachusetts:TheMIT Press,2001),191.

andthusnosenseofspace.31Theanechoicchamberalsomutedthesoundsof thesurroundingspace,cordoningoffallenvironmentalsoundsanddampening soundsinsideitswaffledwalls.32

Fig. 6.RobertIrwin(front)andJamesTurrell(back)inanechoicchamber(1970) Cageanticipatedanexperienceofpuresilenceinthischamber,butinsteadhe heardtwosounds,oneahighandonealow.WhenIdescribedthemtothe engineerincharge,heinformedmethatthehighonewasmynervoussystemand thelowonewasmybloodcirculation.33Thisexperience,alongwithhisexposure toRobertRauschenbergswhitepaintings,ledhimtocomposehismostfamous piece,4'33".34Inthispiece,theperformerwasinstructedtobetacet(silent) forthethreemovementsofundeterminedlengthsoftimetotallingfourminutes andthirty-threeseconds.Thepracticalconclusionofthispieceisatleasttwofold: first,thatthereisnosuchthingassilence,andsecond,thatanysoundcanbe consideredmusical,whetherithasbeennotatedornot. In1937,Cagepredictedthattheuseofnoisetomakemusicwillcontinueand increaseuntilwereachamusicproducedthroughtheaidofelectricalinstruments whichwillmakeavailableformusicalpurposesanyandallsoundsthatcanbeheard.35 Cagelivedtoseethisprophecyfulfilled,boththroughanumberofhisownworks (suchashisVariations VII,inwhichCageandhiscollaboratorsmanipulatedsounds fromtwentyradiostations,tenopentelephonelines,twoGeigercounters,and astaggeringvarietyofhouseholditems)36andinthedevelopmentofnoisemusicasa genreofitsown.

33

Cage,8.

34 Kahn,168.

35

Cage,34.

36 CatherineMorris,ed.,9 Evenings Reconsidered: Art, Theatre, and Engineering, 1966 (Cambridge, Massachusetts:MITListVisualArts Center,2006),10.

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Fig.7.PerformanceofJohnCagesVariations VII(1966) Thedevelopmentoffreejazzimprovisationinthe1950sbyartistssuchasJohn ColtraneandOrnetteColemanpavedthewayforlate1960sAvant/Improvartists suchasguitaristDerekBailey,anearlyandregularuseroffeedbackasanessential componentofhismusic,withitbecomingmaterialinitsownright,butalso workingasanarbitrarinessthatcouldneverfullybeharnassed.37Performances andrecordingsinthemid-to-late1970sbyartistslikeThrobbingGristle,Cabaret Voltaire,andEinstrzendeNeubautenlaunchedanewstyleofmusicforother industrialandpowerelectronicsgroupsinEuropeandtheUnitedStatessuch asWhitehouseandControlledBleeding.Theseartistsutilizedharshnoisematerial inordertotargetthebodyaslisteningdevicesothatthemind-bodydualismthe modernWesternlistenerhasbeendisciplinedintowasundone.38

37 PaulHegarty,Noise/Music: A History (NewYork,NewYork: ContinuumInternationalPublishing Group,2007),51.

38 Ibid,120.

Fig. 8.ThrobbingGristle(1981)

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39 WarnerandCox,59.

40 ChadHensley,TheBeautyof Noise:AnInterviewWithMasami AkitaofMerzbow,EsoTerra 8(1999): http://www.esoterra.org/merzbow.htm accessedApril2008.

AroundthesametimeinJapan,anewmovementofnoisewasbrewingwith artistssuchasMasonna,Hijokaidan,IncapacitantsandMerzbowcreatingintense physicalexperiencesofsound.MasamiAkita,alsoknownasMerzbow,isarguably themostprolificnoiseartistalivetoday,withoverthreehundredreleases tohiscredit.Akitaexplainsthathearrivedatnoisethroughhisintroductionto freejazzandelectroacousticcomposition:IsawtheCecilTaylorUnitin1973and itwasveryinfluentialIbecameveryinterestedinthepulsebeatofthedrums withinfreejazzIalsobecameinterestedinelectronickindsofsoundslike PierreHenry,Stockhausen,FranoisBayle,GordonMummaandXenakis.39 ThenameMerzbowisderivedfromKurtSchwittersarchitecturalassemblage knownastheMerzbauorThe Cathedral of Erotic Misery(19231937).Accordingto Akita,JustasDadaist[sic]KurtSchwittersmadeartfromobjectspickedupoff thestreet,Imadesoundfromthescumthatsurroundsmylife.40

41 KristineStilesandPeter Selz,eds.Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art: A Sourcebook of Artists Writings (Berkeley,California: UniversityofCaliforniaPress,Ltd, 1996),499. 42 JacquesAttali,Noise: The Political Economy of Music,trans.Brian Massumi(Minneapolis,Minnesota: UniversityofMinnesotaPress,1985),26.

Fig. 9.KurtSchwittersMerzbau(ca.1930) BeyondthesimilaritiesinSchwittersandAkitasworkarisingfromtheuse offoundobjectsortrash,itisimportanttonotethatbothareconcernedwith aredefinitionofarchitecturalspace.Schwittersexplosionofspacewith accretionsofeverykindofdiscardedmaterial41ismirroredbyAkitascreation ofaphysicalcathedralofnoiseandscumthroughtheuseofsheerplayback volume.InNoise: The Political Economy of Music,JacquesAttaliclaimsthatnoiseis violence,asimulacrumofmurder.42Thisiscertainlyafittingdescriptionofthe JapanesenoisemusicdevelopedbyartistslikeAkita.

12

Recently,however,anewmovementknownasonkyooronkyoeihasspawned, whichfocusesonphysicalpresenceattheoppositeextremeoflistening. 43 43 Hegarty,146. ThismovementisreferredtoasEAIorelectroacousticimprovisationinregards toartistsoutsideofJapan.Byutilizingextremelyhighpitchesthatquiveratthe thresholdofauralperception,artistssuchasSachikoM,OtomoYoshihide, ToshimaruNakamura,andKeithRowecreateapowerfulphysicalpresenceof soundwiththeutmosteconomyofmeans.Theseartistsusetonesthatmayinitially seempainful,butslowlyrecedeintothebackgroundlikeatelevisionsetonmute inconjunctionwithalmostinaudibleclicksandpops,akintoStockhausens coloredsilence.Intheseregards,thereisamarkedsimilaritytothespace createdbypractitionersofonkyoandthearchitecturalspacecreatedbyBruno Taut.CriticRobertHughesdescribedTauts1914GlashausattheWerkbund ExhibitioninCologneasfollows:Lightshoneintothedouble-glazeddomethrough prisms,andwasreflectedfromitsouterskinbymirroring;thewallsandsteps wereofglassblocks,andkaleidoscopicimageswerethrownintoadeepvioletwell ofwaterfromaprojector.44ThesoundofOnkyoissimilarlyprojectedintospace 44 RobertHughes,The Shock of the likescintillatingfragmentsoflightreverberatingthroughacrystallinestructure. New(NewYork,NewYork:AlfredA. Knopf,1991),178.

Fig. 10.InsidestaircaseofBrunoTautsGlashaus(1914) Inmyownwork,Iamverymuchinterestedinexploringthephysicalsensation ofsound.ThenumerouslayersofsoundIhaveemployedinEffective Dose range fromdense,churningmassesofnoisetopointillisticgrainsofstatic,bubbling transmissionsandneedle-sharpprojections.Eachlayerclearlyfitswithin therealmofnoise,anditsheritageisdirectlylinkedtothehistoryofnoisemusic. However,thesesoundsareemployedinordertobringawarenesstotheviolence perpetratedbytheunavoidablecellulartransmissionsinourenvironmentwithout resortingtothecreationofanoppressiveatmospherethatmightrepelmy audience.Thisdensesoniclandscapethusallowsforcontemplationbythose enteringmyinstallation,ratherthansimplyreenactinganactofaggression.

13

Spectral EcologyIntheintroductiontohisseminaltextonthefieldofacousticecology,Our Sonic Environment and the Soundscape: the Tuning of the World,R.MurraySchaferquotes JohnCage:Musicissounds,soundsarounduswhetherwereinoroutofconcert halls:cf.Thoreau.45ThisisinreferencetoWalden,inwhichThoreauspendsan entirechaptercataloguingsounds:soundsofbirds,trains,wagonsonbridges, soundsthatturnedThoreausmundanelifeintoadramaofmanyscenesand withoutanend.46Schaferreferstothisrichpaletteofsoundsasthesoundscape, whichiscomprisedofthreeprimaryclassificationsofsound:keynotesounds, signals,andsoundmarks.47AccordingtoSchafer,keynotesoundsarethosethat makeupthebackgroundofagivenplace,againstwhichallothersoundsareheard. Signals,ontheotherhand,aretheforegroundsoundsthatweintentionallypay attentionto.Theirmeaningisnecessarilyderivedfromtheirrelationshipto thekeynotesounds.Schafersthirdclassificationofsound,thesoundmark,isa soundthatisuniquetoagivenplace.Likelandmarks,thesesoundsareworthyof preservation.48 Acousticecology,therefore,isthestudyofthesoundscapeinrelationshiptothe lifethatinhabitsit.Schaferclaimsthatweareinthemidstofanevolutionfrom thehi-fisoundscapetothelo-fisoundscape.Inthehi-fisoundscape(one comprisedofafavorablesignal-to-noiseratio),distinctevents,suchasthe soundsofinsects,birds,windinthetrees,maybeheard.Thisabilitytodiscern distincteventsgivesusperspectiveonourrelationshiptooursurroundings, whereasinthelo-fisoundscapeofurbansociety,thisperspectiveislost.49 Theultimatelo-fisoundscapeisonewherethebackgroundsoundsareequally asloudastheforegroundsounds,anditisnolongerpossibletoknowwhat,if anything,istobelistenedto.50

45 R.MurraySchafer,Our Sonic Environment and the Soundscape: The Tuning of the World(Rochester, Vermont:DestinyBooks,1993),5. 46 HenryDavidThoreau,Walden, Or Life in the Woods (WhitePlains,NY: PeterPauperPress,1946),111. 47 Schafer,9. 48 Ibid,910.

49 Ibid,43.

50 Ibid,71.

Theshifttowardsthelo-fisoundscape,heclaims,startedwiththeIndustrial Revolution,whichintroducedamultitudeofnewsoundswithunhappyconsequences formanyofthenaturalandhumansoundswhichtheytendedtoobscure. 51 51 Furthermore,Schaferclaims,theriseinambientnoisewasasignificantforce indrivingtheIndustrialRevolutionforward.Thesoundofmachinesconstantly churningsetpeopleinmotion,andinspiredthemtomakemoremachines: ifquietmachineryhadbeendeveloped,thesuccessofindustrializationmight 52 nothavebeensototal.52Furthermore,Schaferclaims,makingsoundsthatcan beheardfromfarawayisatacticthathasbeenusedtoclaimspacethroughout history.Bellsoundsfromchurcheswoulddeclarethereachesoftheirparishes; theclamoringofthearmorandbangingofdrumswoulddeclarethespaceofa conqueringarmy.Inthefieldofacousticecology,thispracticeisknownassound imperialism,anditcanbefoundeverywherefromtrafficnoiseonthestreet,to airplanesoverhead,toMuzakinourshoppingcentersandofficebuildings. ThedreamofacousticecologyistoreunitewiththeUrsound,fromwhichthe soundworlditselfwasborn.53Inordertoachievethisgoal,andtopreservethe soundmarksbeforetheydisappearintothelo-fisoundscape,R.MurraySchafer foundedtheWorldSoundscapeProjectatSimonFraserUniversityinthelate 1960s.54Themembersofthisorganizationsetouttorecordandcataloguesounds fromallovertheworld.ButasBrandonLabellepointsout,placeisalwaysmore thanitssnapshotandinordertocapturethispureessenceofsound,certain libertiesmustbetakenbypractitionersofacousticecology:microphones,audio tapes,headphones,radiobroadcasts,speakersandamplificationsystemsfunction asmagicaltoolsfortappingintotheburiedunconsciousinsideenvironmental sound,locatingitsmessagesbypartiallyhallucinatinginfrontoftheacoustic mirrorofitsrecording.55 HildegardWesterkamp,aresearchassociateattheWorldSoundscapeProject from19731980,isaprimeexampleofanartistwhoworkswithintheframework

Ibid.

Ibid,78.

53 BrandonLabelle,Background Noise: Perspectives on Sound Art (NewYork,NewYork:Continuum InternationalPublishing,2006),204. 54 NickCollins,andJulio dEscrivn,eds.The Cambridge Companion to Electronic Music (New York,NewYork:CambridgeUniversity Press,2007),190. 55 Ibid,205.

15

56 WarnerandCox,77.

57

Ibid,19.

ofacousticecologybutusesthetechniquesavailablethroughtherecordedmedium torevealtheunderlyingmeaningofthesoundsrepresentativeofthatspace. Thispracticecanbetraceddirectlytothetechniquesoflisteningemployedby practitionersofmusiqueconcrtesuchasPierreSchaeffer.Inhisseminalwork, Trait des Objets Musicaux ,Schaefferintroducesustohisconceptsofsonorous objectsandacousmaticlistening.Asonorousobjectisasoundwhosemeansof productionandpriorsymboliccontenthasbeenstrippedfromitinorderforthe sounditselftobecomethefocusofthelistener,suchthattheactoflistening becomestheoriginofthephenomenontobestudiednottheexternalreferences ofthesoundbuttheperceptionitself.56Thisactoflistening,then,isknownas acousmaticlistening.Itisalsoreferredtobysomepractitionersasreduced listening,asthesoundshavebeenreducedfromsoundsourcestosoundobjects. Inordertoachievetheconditionsappropriateforacousmaticlistening,Schaeffer suggestsnotonlytheuseoftheloudspeakertocreatephysicaldistancefromthe soundssource,butalsotheutilizationofrecordingtechnologiestoremovethe sonorousobjectfromitssourceofproductionentirely.Furthermore,Schaeffers approachcallsfortheapplicationofvariousplaybackandmanipulationstrategies inordertoacquirethemostinformationaboutthesonorousobject.Assuming thatwelimitourselvestoasinglerecording,wecanstillreadthelattermoreor lessquickly,moreorlessloudly,orevencutintopieces,therebypresentingthe listenerwithseveralversionsofwhatwasinitiallyasingleevent.57

Fig. 11.PierreSchaefferatworkinhisstudio(1952) ForcontemporaryartistssuchasFranciscoLpez,theanswerliessomewhere betweenSchaferandSchaeffer.Lpezemploystacticsfrommusiqueconcrte,but doessowithanecologicalintent.Referringtothelisteningstrategiesemployedas profoundlistening,becausethetermreducedlisteningconnotessimplification, Lpezmaintainsthatthispracticedoesntnegatewhatisoutsidethesounds, butexploresandaffirmsallthatisinsidethem.58Furthermore,heclaimsthat thereisnosuchthingasanobjectiveperceptionofsound,whetherpresented asarecordingorheardinrealtimeandspace.Weeditthesoundscapesimply byfocusingourattentiontowardsspecificdetails,andtheactofrecordingand

58 Ibid,8283.

16

re-presentingthesoundscapeisanartisticone,fromwhichanew,hyperreal environmentisborn.Unlikemostacousticecologists,however,Lpezinsiststhat thenaturalworldisnotnecessarilyaquiet,pastoralenvironment,citingthe rainforestofLaSelva,CostaRicaasanexampleofawonderfullyintense powerfulbroadbandsoundenvironmentofthrillingcomplexity.59Thissentiment 59 Ibid,86. isechoedbyBrandonLabelle,whodefinesthesoundscapeasallsoundsthatflow andgetcarriedalonginthefullbodyofthesoundspectrum,fromaboveandbelow audibility,aspureenergy,molecularmovement,infractionsofsonoritythatintegrate throughareciprocalsubjectivity[of]humanexperiencewiththeearthlywhole.60 60 Labelle,202215. Iproposethefieldofspectralecology,then,asanexaminationoftherelationships betweentheinhabitantsofanenvironmentandtheactivitywithinwhatAnthony DunneandFionaRabyhavetermedhertzianspace.Hertzianspaceiscomprised ofthefrequenciesoftheelectromagneticspectrumthatareoutsidetherange ofoursensoryapparatus.DunneandRabydescribehertzianspaceasanew,invisible butphysicalenvironmentcreatedbyelectromagneticradiationfromelectronic devices.61Buttosimplifyhertzianspacetothetransmissionsandbyproductsof electronicdevicesaloneistheequivalentoflisteningtoonlythesoundsignals inthesoundscapeandignoringentirelythekeynotesounds:theelectromagnetic spectrumispopulatedbyavarietyofnaturallyoccurringphenomenaaswell.

61 AnthonyDunneandFionaRaby, Design Noir: The Secret Life of Electronic Objects (Boston,Massachusetts: Birkhuser,2001),8.

Fig. 12.DunneandRabysdiagramofhertzianspace(2001) Forinstance,disturbancesintheionospherecausedbylightningcreatephenomena thatscientistscallwhistlers,tweaksandbonks.62In1967,composerAlvin LucierwasintroducedtorecordingsoftheseatmosphericsoundsmadebyMillett MorganofDartmouthCollege.Overthenexttwentyyears,Lucierdidavarietyof experiments,performances,andinstallationsusingthesesounds,bothinreal timeandintheformofrecordings.HispieceSferics(shortforatmospherics), releasedin1988byLovelyMusic,featuresrecordingsoftheseeventscapturedby thecomposerusingapairofhomemadeantennasandpiecedtogetherinchronologicalorder.In1984,aspartoftheSiteworksSouthwestfestivalinElMoro,New Mexico,heinstalledanumberofantennasatthetopofamesaandprovided headphonelisteningstationswherevisitorscouldlistentothesesoundsinrealtime.63

62 AlvinLucier,Sferics (NewYork, NewYork:LovelyMusic,1988),1.

63 Ibid.

ChristinaKubisch,afirst-generationsoundartisthasbeenworkingwithsounds ofhertzianspacesincethe1970s,usingopencircuitstocapturesoundscarriedby wiresthroughtheprocessofelectromagneticinduction.Inherearlyinstallation work,shewouldtransmitsoundviaelectricalwires,andinstallationvisitorswould beinvitedtolistentothesoundscarriedbyholdingsmallcubescontaininganamplifiercircuitandaspeakernexttothewire.Inthe1980s,sheexpandeduponthis workbybuildingwirelessheadphoneswithlargecoppercoilsthatvisitorswould don.Theactoftheirwalkingthroughtheinstallationspacewouldthenmixthe soundscarriedbythewires.64 64 AntjevonGraevenitz,Christina Kubisch:Klangraumlichtzeit Kubischsettheheadphonesasideforyearstofocusonotherprojects.Butin1999, (Heidelberg:KehrerVerlag,2003),43. whenshewascommissionedtodoalarge-scaleinstallation,shedecidedtowork withtheheadphonesforthispiece.Whenshepickedthemup,shewassurprised tohearsomanystrangesounds:hummingsounds,rhythms,andallkindsof

17

65 ChristophCox,InvisibleCities: thingsthat,ofcourse,disturbedme,becauseIdidntwantthemthere.65What AnInterviewWithChristinaKubisch, shesoondiscoveredwasthatthesoundsshewaspickingupwereinfactthe Cabinet Magazine 21 (2006),93. electromagneticfieldsinthelocalenvironment.Shediscardedthenotionof pickingupprerecordedsoundsusingelectromagneticinduction,andsetout insteadtobuildapairofheadphonesthatwereespeciallysensitivetothese occurrencesintheenvironment.ThisresultedinherElectrical Walksseries, inwhichparticipantsareprovidedtheaforementionedheadsetsandamapof thesurroundingarea.Theyarethensentouttoexperiencetheelectromagnetic 66 Ibid,96. fieldsintheirenvironmentfirsthand.66

Fig. 13.ChristinaKubischsOasis 2000: Music for a Concrete Jungle (2000) AustralianartistJoyceHinterdinghasalsocreatedanumberofrecordingsand installationworksthatexploretheelectromagneticspectrum.HerAeriology installationusesapproximatelytwentymilesofmagneticwirestretchedbetween twocolumnstoactasanantennathatgathersfrequencieshiddenintheareas oftheelectromagneticspectrumthatareinaccessibletooursenses.Thesefrequencies arethenbroadcastthroughseveralloudspeakersusingonlytheenergygathered fromtheatmospheretodrivethem.AccordingtoDouglasKahn,thefrequencies thatAeriology attractsareallovertheplace:high,low,andin-between,pointing tothefactthatthishybridantennaisnotefficientandisnotmeanttobe.67 Theresultisadenseportraitoftheinaudibleportionsofthespectrum,moving, buzzing,andresonatingwitheachother.68

67 FrancesDysonandDouglas Kahn,Wrapture:LiminalProduct GetsAllTangledUpinJoyce HinterdingsArt,Arbyte(October, 2000):83. 68 Ibid.

Fig. 14.JoyceHinterdingsAeriology(1998)

18

WhileLucier,KubischandHinterdinghaveallowedlistenerstoaccesshertzian spaceinrealtime,theyalldoitthroughdirectmeans,thatis,throughtheuseof antennasorelectricalinduction.Inmywork,however,Iaminterestedinexploring hertzianspacethroughtacticsmorerelatedtothoseproposedbypractitioners ofmusiqueconcrte,inordertodissectthesesignalsfromavarietyofanglesand drawoutmoreinformationaboutwhatisinsideofthem.WhileIamprimarily interestedinanalyzingthesoundsgeneratedbycellularnetworks,Iseethese soundsaspartofalargerecologicalsystemoutsideofthelimitsofthehuman hearingrange.Myworkutilizesboththekeynotesounds(thenoiseofthe naturalworldfoundinthefrequencybandsIamanalyzingforcellulartraffic) andthesoundsignals(inthiscase,thecellulartransmissionsthemselves)inthe creationofanewhyperreallisteningenvironment. Thenaturalworldisindeedanoisyplace,anditismyintenttocreateaphysical presenceforbothkeynotesandsoundsignalsinmyenvironments.Myintent isneithertocreateasysteminwhichwefeelthenaturalworldslippingaway astechnologyovertakesit,nortocreateaneo-Futuristworkthatinsistsuponthe dominanceofthemachine.Rather,Iaminterestedinbringinganawareness totheuseofthehertzianspacebycreatinganenvironmentforcontemplationof oursurroundings.Givingmyviewerstime,mentalandphysicalspacetoprocess therelationshipbetweenthenaturalandthemanmadeispivotaltomywork.Ifthe Ursoundistheprimarysound(ortheBigBang,toavoidsoundingtoonewagey)fromwhichallothersoundshaverippled,thenitmaybefoundinallsounds, whetherweperceivethemasnoiseorassoundsofgreatbeauty.

19

Tools and Techniques I: Physiology of Sight and Sound PaulVirilliohasbeenquotedassayingthatmachinesforseeingmodifyperception.69 Thisstatementappliestoallprostheticdevicesthatweusetoaugmentoursensory apparatus.Aswehavediscussed,ThomasCahillsTelharmoniumwasnotonly atechnicaladvancementthatalloweditsuserstocreatecomplextimbresfrom electricalcurrents,butwasalsoanartisticachievementthatinspiredmusicians, artistsandcomposerstorethinktheirviewsonthenatureofsoundandmusical form.Thedevelopmentofsuchtoolsandtechniques(bothscientificandartistic) hasshapedourperceptionoftheworldaroundus,andweshalllookatother importantdevelopmentsshortly.Letusexaminenotonlythesedevelopments, butalsothephysiologicalcharacteristicsandthehistoryofourunderstandingof twoofthemostprizedcomponentsofoursensoryapparatus:sightandsound. Webeginourinvestigationbyrecallingtheapparatusknownasthecamera obscura.Acameraobscuraiscreatedbycuttingasmallholeintoawallina completelydarkenedroom.Aninvertedimageoftheworldoutsidetheroomis projectedontotheoppositewallwhenlightcomesthroughthehole.Thecamera obscurahasbeenusedforcenturiesasamodeltodescribethephysicalconstruction oftheeyedatingbacktothetimeofAristotle,whoaskedwhy,whenlightshines througharectangularpeep-hole,itappearscircularintheformofacone70 69 ChrissieIles,ed.,Into the Light: The Projected Image in American Art, 19641977 (NewYork,NewYork: WhitneyMuseum,2001),73.

70 Aristotle,Problems: Books IXXI (Cambridge,Massachusetts:Harvard UniversityPress,2000),341.

Fig. 15.Comparisonofeyeandcameraobscura(earlyeighteenthcentury) Overthecenturies,thecameraobscurabecameknownnotonlyasamodelfor understandingthephysicalconstructionoftheeye,butalsoasametaphorfor consciousnessinwhichtheindividualispositionedasacoollyisolatedobserver

21

71 JonathanCrary,Techniques of the Observer: On Vision and Modernity in the 19th Century (Cambridge, Massachusetts:TheMITPress,1992),27. 72 Ibid,79.

73

Ibid,78.

lookingontoaworldoutsidethemselves.Bythelatefifteenthcentury,thishad becomethedominantparadigmusedtoexplainboththemechanicsofopticsand thephilosophicalimplicationsthereof,andremainedsothroughmuchofthe eighteenthcentury.71Thenineteenthcentury,however,wasrifewithscientific growthandprogressinourunderstandingofoursensoryapparatus.Inhisaccount andcriticaldiscussionofthesedevelopments,Techniques of the Observer(1992), JonathanCaryrelatesthatthecompartmentalizationofthebodyintoseparate andspecificsystemswasprimarilyresponsibleforthesechanges.72Thisneed forcompartmentalizationgrewoutofphysiologistXavierBichatsanalysisof death,whichhediscoveredtobeafragmentedprocess,consistingoftheextinctionofdifferentorgansandprocesses:thedeathoflocomotion,ofrespiration,of senseperceptions,ofthebrain.73 AccordingtoCrary,oneoftheprimarysystemstobestudiedinthenineteenth centurywasthatofvision.Attheforefrontofreassessingitsroleintermsoftiesto theconstructionofconsciousnesswerephilosophersJohannWolfgangvonGoethe andArthurSchopenhauer.InhisTheory of Colours,Goethesaid:Ifwelookat adazzling,altogethercolourlessobject,itmakesastronglastingimpression,and itsafter-visionisaccompaniedbyanappearanceofcolour.74Theexperienceof theseafter-imagesisthereforenotbasedonacognitiveprocessofanobserver analyzingwhatheorshehasseen,butisinsteadapurelyphysiologicalreaction tostimuli.Schopenhauerwassimilarlyconvincedthatvisionisaphysiologicalprocess. Inthesecondvolumeofhismagnumopus,The World as Will and Representation, Schopenhauerstatedthatrepresentationisaverycomplicatedphysiological occurrenceinananimalsbrain,whoseresultistheconsciousnessofapictureor imageatthatveryspot.75 AccordingtoSchopenhauer,thejobofthecerebrum,therefore,wastoreceive informationfromtheoutsideasmerestimuli,createrepresentationsofthis informationprimarilyasmotivesandpassontheresultofthebrain-function tothemotornerves,whichwouldactonthemuscleasstimulus.76Sincethe cerebrumissusceptibletostimuliperceivedbythesensoryapparatus,then,there arealsoconditionsavailablefor[increasing]theattentionand[enhancing]the susceptibilityofthecerebralnervoussystem.Onecanmanufactureconditions that[calm]downthebloodcirculationand,throughtheaestheticenjoyment ofaworkofart,createanabsolutesilenceofthewill,requiredforthepurely objectiveapprehensionofthetruenatureofthings.77 JohannesMller,whohasbeencalledthefounderofmodernphysiology, publishedhisElements of Physiology between1837and1840.78Inthistext,Mller unraveledthebodyintoamyriadofseparateapparatuses,eachwithitsownfunction. OfspecialnotewasMllersstudyofthephysiologyofthesenses,particularlyhis studyofvision.79Inhisdescriptionofthephysiologicalconditionsofvision, Mllerbrokedownthebarrierbetweeninternalandexternalsensation,stating thatlightandcolouraresensationsoftheopticnerveandtheretina,andthatthe appearanceofdarknessbeforetheeyesisthesensationpropertothestateof repose,orunexcitedconditionoftheretina.80AccordingtoMller,lightand coloraresensationsproducedwhenspecificpartsoftheretinaareexcitedbyany internalstimulussuchastheblood,orbyanexternalstimulussuchasmechanical pressure,electricity,etc.81Thus,Mllerprovedthatperceptionisinfactthe resultofacomplexsetofphysiologicalforces.Furthermore,Mllershowed thedefectsofourphysiologicalapparatusandrevealedthewaysinwhichitcan bemanipulatedinordertoproduceexperienceforthesubject.82Thesepossibilities includedundulationsoremanationsoflight,mechanicalinfluencessuchasa blowtothehead,electricity,chemicalagentssuchasnarcoticsandstimulusof thebloodinastateofcongestion.83 Ofthesepossibilities,onlythefirstoptionisavailabletousintermsofthecontext ofamediainstallation.Therefore,Iturntothenatureoflightitselftocreate

74 JohannWolfgangvonGoethe, Theory of Colours (Cambridge, Massachusetts:MITPress,1970),16.

75 ArthurSchopenhauer,The World as Will and Representation, Volume 2 (Mineola,NewYork:Dover,1958),191.

76 Ibid,255-256.

77

Ibid,367-370.

78 W.T.SedgewickandH.W.Tyler, A Short History of Science(NewYork, NewYork:TheMacmillanCompany, 1917),376. 79 Crary,Techniques of the Observer: On Vision and Modernity in the 19th Century,8889. 80 JohannesMller,Elements of Physiology(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:LeaandBlanchard, 1843),719. 81 Ibid.

82 Crary,Techniques of the Observer: On Vision and Modernity in the 19th Century,92. 83 Mller,1064.

22

physiologicalexperienceinmyinstallations.AsexplainedbyGoethe,theuseof projectedlightinadarkenedroomfollowedbydarknessproducesanafterimagethatappearstofloatbeforetheobserverseyes.Thus,ifavieweristolook intoalightthatflickersonandoffinrapidprocession,heorshewillexperience athirdstateinthecolorgeneratedbytheafter-image.Retinalafter-imageshave beenacentralcomponentintheworkofartistssuchasOlafurEliasson,whose 2004Your Colour Memorywasanoval-shapedroomwithwallsthatemittedlightof constantly-shiftingtone.Theresultingcolorswerespecifictoeachviewer,whose retinalafter-imageswoulddefinethecolorsexperienced.AccordingtoJonathan Crary,Eliassonemploystheiruseinordertoallowaviewertoceasetobeamere consumerofradiantimagesorenergyfromscreens,monitors,pages,andother sourcesthatclutterourlivestorecognizeonesselfasageneratorofluminous phenomena.84Effective Dose,aswewillsee,usessuchdevicestogenerateretinal after-imagesasareminderthatwecannotescapetheseradiantfields. Directmanipulationofthesensoryapparatusthroughsuchphysiologicalresponses tolighthasbecomeacrucialelementinmywork.Iamalsodrawntotheuseof opticaldevicessuchastheprism,whichconfoundstheeyewithitsinternal reflectionoflightanditsabilitytorevealprojectedimagesonlyfromspecific anglesofincidence.Developinganunderstandingofbothphysiologicaland opticalresponsestoprojectedlighthasallowedmetocreateacomplexvisual languagewithaneconomyofmeans.Likewise,anunderstandingofauditory perceptionhasshapedtheapproachesIhavetakeninmywork.Therefore,Ishall turntoadiscussionofthestructureandfunctionoftheearinordertounderstand itspropertiesandhowthesepropertiesmaybemanipulatedinpractice. Thehumaneariscomprisedofthreeprimaryregions:theouterear,themiddle ear,andtheinnerear.Theouterearactsasasoundcollectorandhelpsdetermine thedirectionfromwhichasoundarrivesattheear.Themiddleearisconnected totheouterearbythetympanicmembrane,oreardrum,whichpassesvariations inairpressuretothetinyhammerboneinthemiddleear.Whenthehammer strikestheanvil,thestirrupisvibrated,thustransmittingitsvibrationstothe basilarmembraneoftheinnerear.Thesevibrationscreateoscillationsinthe liquid-filledinnerear.85Theinnerear,alsoknownasthecochlea,iseasily themostcomplexcomponentofourauditoryapparatus.Itsbasicfunctionisto converttheseoscillationsintonerveimpulsesintheauditorynerve,whichisalso knownastheeighthnerveorspiralganglion.Thisconversionisaccomplished asvibrationsarepassedfromthebasilarmembranetotheinnerhaircellsof theorganofCorti.Themovementoftheinnerhaircellscreatesnervepulsesthat arepassedontothebrainviatheauditorynerve.86

84 JonathanCrary,YourColour Memory:Illuminationsofthe Unforeseen,inOlafur Eliasson: Minding the World(Aarhus:ARoS AarhusKunstmuseum,2005),5.

85 HugoFastlandEberhard Zwicker,Psychoacoustics(NewYork, NewYork:Springer,2007),2325.

86 PerryR.Cook,5.

Fig. 16.Schematicdrawingofthehumanear

23

87

Ibid,2.

88 Ibid.

89 Ibid,2-3.

Perceptionofasoundsignalmaybeaffectedbyanumberoffactors.Alisteners shouldersmayreflectsoundwavestowardstheouterear.Hisorherheadcanblock soundbycastinganacousticalshadow.Thephysicalstructureoftheouterear mayalsoguidethesoundtowardsthemiddleearmoreorlesseffectivelybased onthefrequenciesperceived.87Theseeffectsareonlyapparentwhenthesounds wavelengthiscomparablewiththedimensionsofthestructures.88Waveforms thatareshorter(i.e.highinpitch)affectourperceptionofsmallerforms,suchas theeffectsofguidancecreatedbythephysicalconstructionofourhearing apparatus.Thissensationismostpronouncedat7kHz,whiletheshadowing effectcreatedbythehumanheadismostpronouncedataround2kHz,andthe reflectiveeffectsoftheshouldersmaybefeltmostataround1.5kHz.89 Anotherimportantfactorinauditoryperceptionisthewayinwhichpitchesare perceived.Whenthebasilarmembraneisvibrated,differenthaircellsare stimulateddependingonthespeedatwhichthemembraneissetintomotion. Thesehaircellsthensendnervepulsesuptheeighthnervetothebrain.Iftwo waveformsthatareveryclosetogetherinpitchareperceivedsimultaneously, someofthehaircellsthatarestimulatedaresharedbyeachofthetones. 90 Ifthesepitchesareonlyafewcyclesapart,wehearasingletonewhoseamplitude isrisingandfalling.Thefurtherapartthetonesarefromeachother,thefaster thisamplitudechangebecomes,andthemorelikebeatstheresultsounds. Whenthepitchesareseparatedfurther,acomplexsoundwithamoremetallic timbredevelops.Eventually,aswemovethepitchesfurtherandfurtherapart,we crossathresholdbeyondwhichthetonesbecomedistinct.However,ifthehigher toneisquieterthanthelowertone,itmaybemaskedbythelowertone.91 Thestrategyofmaskingsoundshasbeenusedthroughouthistoryfromthe creationofwaterfountainsinoutdoorplazastomaskoutthesoundsoftraffic totheuseofloudventilationsystemsinofficebuildingstomaskoutvoicesinthe roomnextdoor.92Theimplementationofsuchafrequencywithinthecontextof aninstallationallowsanartisttomaskthesoundoutsidethespace,creatinga virtualbubbleinwhichtheirworkmaybeexperienced.Adeep,constantrumble maybeusefulnotonlyintermsofcreatingaphysicallyengagingsensationfor onesaudience,butisalsoeffectiveinmaskingunwantednoises.Inordertocut throughthisthickcloudofsound,Ihavelookedtotheutilizationofcontemporary directionalsoundprojectiontechnologies.

90 Ibid,7.

91

Ibid,8.

92 Schafer,223224.

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Tools and Techniques II: ProjectionIn1936,EdgarVarsestated:Wehaveactuallythreedimensionsinmusic: horizontal,vertical,anddynamicswellingorincreasing.Ishalladdafourth, soundprojectionthatfeelingthatsoundisleavinguswithnohopeofbeing reflectedback,afeelingakintothatarousedbybeamsoflightsentforthbya powerfulsearchlightfortheearasfortheeye,thatsenseofprojection,ajourney intospace.93Varesecalledfortheuseofbeamsofsoundwhichwouldallow 93 WarnerandCox,18. forthecreationofzonesofintensitiesthatwouldbefeltasisolated.Inthe earlyyearsoftheloudspeaker,soundwouldsimplyemanateomnidirectionally fromavibratingdiaphragm.Throughoutthetwentiethcentury,variousadvances inspeakertechnologywouldallowsoundtobecomemoredirectional.Acommon methodofsoundprojectionusesseparatespeakersforspecificfrequencyranges, thuscreatingamoredirectionallisteningexperience.Frequencieslowerthan about60Hzarethoughtofasbeingomnidirectional(atleastindoors)whilethe 94 SimonEmmerson,Living sourceofafrequencyabove3kHzismoreeasilydistinguishable.94 Electronic Music(Berlington,Vermont: Ashgate,20007),146.

Fig. 17.PhilipsPavilion(1958) Anumberofsystemshavebeendevelopedforthistypeofsoundprojection. OneofthemostfamousexamplesistheelaboratesysteminstalledatthePhilips PavilionattheBrusselsWorldsFairin1958forthepresentationofVarses Pome Electronique.95Thissystemwascomprisedoffourhundredandtwenty-five loudspeakerswithtwentyamplifiercombinations.Aperhapslesser-known butequallyfascinatingsystemwastheGroupedeMusiqueExprimentales Gmebaphone,developedin1970.TheGmebaphonewascomprisedoffifty loudspeakersseparatedbyfrequency,suchthatitbecamenotonlyanorchestra ofspeakers,butaninstrumentinitself.96In1974,theGroupedeRecherches Musicales(GRM)premiereditsAcousmonium,whichprojectedsoundthrough eightyspeakers.Itssoundsweremixedviaaforty-eightchannelmixer,thus achievingacomplexityofsoundimagerivalingthatofanorchestra.97

95 Chadabe,61.

96 Emmerson,151152.

97 CurtisRoads,The Computer Music Tutorial(Cambridge,Massachusetts: TheMITPress,1996),454.

Fig. 18.TheGroupedeRecherchesMusicalesAcousmonium(1980)

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Morerecently,immersivesoundexperienceshavebeenincorporatedas anessentialpartofthecinematicviewingapparatus,andthedevelopmentof5.1 and7.1surroundsoundsystemshaveallowedforubiquitousimmersivesound experiencesinhometheatersandlisteningroomsaswellascinemasandconcerthalls. However,evenwithsuchsophisticatedsystems,soundisdiffusedthroughoutthe roomratherthanbeingisolatedinasinglearea.Usingthesetechnologies,theonly waytocreateanillusionofsoundmovingthroughspaceisbyincreasingvolume ononespeakeranddecreasingthevolumeonanother.Whilethistypeofaural panningcreatesafeelingofmotion,thesoundcanstillbeheardthroughouta room.Sincehighfrequenciesaremoredirectional,theuseofultrasound(sound outsideofthehumanhearingrange)inthecreationofadirectionalsoundprojection apparatushasbeenatopicofinterestinthescientificcommunitysincethe1960s.98In the1990s,twocompanies(AmericanTechnologyCorporationandHolosonic ResearchLabs)emergedwithcommercialsolutionsthatuseacousticalheterodyning tocreatehighlydirectionalsound.CurtisRoadsexplainsthephenomenonof acousticalheterodyningasfollows:Whentwosoundsourcesarepositioned relativelycloselytogetherandareofasufficientlyhighamplitude,twotones appear:onelowerandonehigherthaneitheroftheoriginaltones.Forexample, ifoneweretoemit90kHzand91kHzintotheair,withsufficientenergy,one wouldproducethesum(181kHz)andthedifference(1kHz),thelatterbeingin therangeofhumanhearing.99 Theresultofthistechnologyisahighlyfocusedbeamofsoundthatactslike aflashlight:thesoundisprojectedoffofwhatevercomesinitspath.Thus,ifthe resultingsoundbeamistobepointedataspotonthewall,allwhoentertheroom wouldagreethatthesoundwasemittingfromthatspot.Ifonepersonweretowalk infrontofthespeaker,however,thatpersonwouldhearthesoundmuchmore clearly,whiletherestofthepeopleintheroomwouldagreethatthesoundwas emittingfromthepersonwhowalkedinfrontofthespeaker. Whiletherearefewartistsworkingwithsuchtechnologiesatthemoment,one artistwhohasuseddirectionalsoundisthesoundartistBillFontana.In2007, FontanapositionedfourofMeyerSoundsSB-1parabolicspeakers,which arecapableofproducing110dBoutputat100meters,onthetopoffourskyscrapers overlookingNewYorksMadisonSquarePark.Fromthesespeakers,heprojected soundsofbellsthathadbeensilencedforovereightyyearsthroughaspatialized fieldofsoundtocreateacomplexreal-timecomposition.100Fontanahasbeenusing soundprojectionofvarioussortsthroughouthiscareer,andtostrikingeffect. ArecurrentthemeinFontanasworkistheuseofprojectionasameansofrelocation ofsoundthroughtimeandspace.Inhis1990pieceLandscape Soundings,Fontana transformedaplazainViennatoitsoriginalandnaturalstatebeforeitwasan inhabitedareabyinstallingsixteenmicrophonesacrossacresofthewetland forestsintheeasternpartofAustriaandbroadcastingthesoundstheyreceived intotheplazaasaspatializedmulti-channelsoundinstallation.101 Inthispiece,Fontanaminimizedthepresenceoftheloudspeakerssoasnot todisturbthenormalvisualaspectsoftheMaria-Theresien-Platz.102Surely, however,hisintentwasnotonlytomaintainthenormalpresenceoftheplaza becauseofzoningrestrictionsorpersonalfancy,butrathertotransformthesite intoitsprimordialstatethroughanacousmaticlisteningexperiencediffused throughphysicalspace.Totravelthroughsuchaspaceistonavigateitsinterface, andthisisthetypeofkinaestheticexperiencethatcriticMargaretMorseclaims canbeakindoflearningnotwiththemindalone,butwiththebodyitself.103 MicolAssals2007installationentitledChizhevsky Lessons isanexcellentexample ofapiecethatusesthebodytonavigatesuchaninterface.InChizhevsky Lessons, Assalusedlargecopperpanelsinconjunctionwithacustompowergeneratorto transformthegalleryintoagiantelectricalcondenser,givingeachvisitoraweak

98 Emmerson,167.

99 CurtisRoads,Microsound (Cambridge,Massachusetts:TheMIT Press,2001),33.

100 BillFontana,Panoramic Echoes(http://www.resoundings. org/Pages/Panoramic.htmlaccessed March2008),1.

101 BillFontana,Landscape Soundings(http://www.resoundings. org/PDF/Bill_Fontana_Landscape_ Soundings.pdfaccessedMarch2008),7. 102 Ibid,8.

103 DougHallandSallyJoFifer, eds.,Illuminating Video: An Essential Guide to Video Art(NewYork,New York:Aperture/BAVC,2005),158.

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electriccharge.104Thus,whenonewastotouchanotherpersonorobjectinthe gallery,asmallelectricaldischargewouldoccur.

104 PollyStaple,RiskAssessment, inFrieze Magazine 110(2007),229.

Fig. 19.InstallationviewofMicolAssalsChizhevsky Lessons(2007) Whilemyworkalsoaimstocreatesuchphysicalexperiences,theydoso notthroughthesenseoftouch,butratherthroughtheprojectionofsightand sound.Thisdirectstimulationofthesensoryapparatusactsasaninterfacethrough whichanawarenessofhiddenaspectsofonesenvironmentmayberevealed. AstheworkIamundertakingsimultaneouslyengagesboththeopticalandthe auditorysystems,itisusefultocompareittothehistoryofvisualmusicandframe theworkinrelationshiptothepsychologicalconditionknownassynaesthesia.

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Tools and Techniques III: SynaesthesiaIn1886,EmilDuBois-Reymondproposedthatitshouldbepossibletoheal togetheropticandauditorynerves,whichwouldresultintheabilitytohear lightningwiththeeyeasabangandseethunderwiththeearasaseriesofvisual impressions.105Thisgedankenexperimentorthoughtexperimentreflectsan interestthathascompelledartistsandscientistsdatingasfarbackasancient Greeceproducinganartoflightandsound.Aristotleregardedcolours[viz.all thosebasedonnumericalratios]asanalogoustothesoundsthatenterintomusic,106 anddevelopedasystemfortranslatingcolortopitchbasedonshadesfromdark tolightwhichcorrespondedtopitchesfromhightolow.107Intheseventeenth century,SirIsaacNewtonclassifiedwhatwethinkofasthecolorsoftherainbow basedonhisinterestsinaligningcolorswithpitch.Thesevencolorsheidentified (red,orange,yellow,green,blue,indigo,violet)werematchedtoanoteinthekey ofCmajor(C,D,E,F,G,A,B).108 In1734,theJesuitpriest/mathematicianLouisBertrandCastelinventedthe clavecinoculaire,whichusedcandlelighttoilluminatetwelvecoloredstripsof paper,eachofwhichwasallocatedtoanoteinthemusicalscale.Castelhadhigh ambitionsforhisinvention,envisioningmassproductionof800,000units,but ultimatelyhisplansforlarge-scaledistributionfailed.109Itwasnotuntilthelate nineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturiesthattheresurgenceofinterestincolor musictookplace.Oneoftheartistsattheforefrontofthismovementwasthe painterAlexanderWallaceRimington,whoseten-foottallColour-Organwas builtuponthesupposedrelationshipbetweenthemusicalscaleandcolorsinthe spectrum.Thissilentlightinstrumentallowedaperformernotonlytoproject variouscolorsoflightontoascreen,buttocontrolthehue,saturationand luminosityofthesecolors.110Rimingtonusedthisinstrumenttoaccompany musiciansinconcertsettings,andclaimedthattheinventionheraldedthe introductionofthetimeelementinvisualartandtheliberationofcolorfromform.111 Bytheturnofthecentury,colormusicperformanceshadincreasedinpopularity, oftenappearinginconjunctionwithmusicalperformances.ThescoreforAlexander ScriabinsPromthefeaturedapartforcolororgan.Scriabinisoftendescribed ashavingtheneurologicalconditionknownassynaesthesia,inwhichregionsof thebrainwhichdonotusuallycommunicate,suchasthevisualandauditorycortexes, showsignsofwhatisknownascrosstalk.112InScriabinscase,keychangesin apieceofmusictriggeredperceivedchangesincolor.ToScriabin,thekeyof Cwasred,Dyellow,andF-sharpblue.Thus,thecolorprojectionswouldchange atpivotalmomentsduringthepiece,ratherthanwitheverynoteplayed,asinthe performancesofRimington,whoseperformancesfeltbombasticandoverwhelming forhisaudiences.113

105 PaulF.Cranefield,ed.,Two Great Scientists of the Nineteenth Century: Correspondence of Emil Du BoisReymond and Carl Ludwig (Baltimore, Maryland:TheJohnsHopkins UniversityPress,1982),162. 106 Aristotle,On Sense and the Sensible(Adelaide:TheUniversityof AdelaideLibrary,2007),10. 107 CretienvanCampen,The Hidden Sense: Synaesthesia in Art and Science (Cambridge,Massachusetts:TheMIT Press,2008),45. 108 Ibid,46. 109 AriWisemanandJudithZilczer, Visual Music: Synaesthesia in Art and Music Since 1900,KerryBrougherand JeremyStrick,eds.(London:Thames &Hudson,2005),70. 110 Ibid,71. 111 Ibid,71.

112 vanCampen,1.

113 Ibid,5153.

Fig. 20.AlexanderWallaceRimingtonscolororgan(1912)

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114 WisemanandZilczer,76.

115 GolanLevin,Painterly InterfacesforAudiovisual Performance(Cambridge, Massachusetts:Massachusetts InstituteofTechnology,2000),24. 116 WisemanandZilczer,82.

In1922,ThomasWilfredpremieredhisclaviluxattheNeighborhood PlayhouseinNewYork.Wilfredsperformancesweresilent,asheclaimedthatthe artoflightintimeandspaceshouldnotbeplayedinthemannerofmusic becausethetwoartsaresodifferentinnature.114Perhapstodistancehiswork fromitsmusicalleanings,ortoensurethathisworkwouldliveonbeyondhim, Wilfredabandonedtheseperformancesinfavorofbuildingself-contained lumiadevicesthatcouldberunformonthswithoutrepetition.115Thesedevices utilizedincandescentlightpassingthroughamovingstained-glasscolorwheel andamovingreflectingconeaimedatrotatingshaped-aluminumreflectorsto formconstantlychangingimagesonatranslucentscreen.116

Fig. 21.ThomasWilfredsUntitled, Opus 161(1965) Asfilmbecameavailableasamediumforusebyartists,thetranslationofvisual orcolormusictofilmwasinevitable.Bythe1920s,artistssuchasOskarFischinger hadbeganexperimentingwiththepossibilitiesthisnewmediumafforded.Fischinger ismostfamousforhisabstractfilmcompositionsthatemployedvariousstrategies

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drawingconnectionsbetweensoundandimagery.Someofhisfilmsweremeant tobeviewedsilently,whileothersweremadeexplicitlyasvisualinterpretations ofpre-existingmusicalscores.Oftenoverlooked,however,aresoundscroll experimentsundertakenbyFischinger.Fischingerhand-paintedwaveformsthat werethenexposedontotheopticalsoundtrackofthefilm.117

117 Ibid,31.

Fig. 22.OskarFischingerssoundscrollexperiments(1932) Bytheearly1950s,JohnandJamesWhitney,whoaremostknownfortheir pioneeringworkwithcomputer-generatedgraphics,haddevelopedanother systemforgeneratingopticalsoundtracksusingpendulumstointerruptalight usedtoexposefilmstock.118 118 Ibid,32.

Fig. 23.JohnandJamesWhitneywiththeirpendulumsystem(ca.1945) Withtheadventofvideotechnologiesinthelate1960sandearly1970s,avariety ofnewtoolsbecameavailablewhichallowedforthesimultaneousgeneration/ manipulationofsoundandimage.AsNamJunePaikputit:Soundgoesupto

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119 JudithRichards,ed.What Sound does a Color Make?(NewYork, NewYork:IndependentCurators International,2005),13. 120 YvonneSpielmann,Video: The Reflexive Medium(Cambridge, Massachusetts:TheMITPress,2008),99.

20,000Hertz.Videogoesupto60,000,000Hertz.Thatistheonlydifference.119 OneoftheimportantinnovationswasknownastheRutt-EtraScanProcessor, whichallowedthescanlinesfoundinvideosignalstobemodulatedbyanalog synthesizers.120Thissystemwaswidelyusedbycutting-edgevideoartistssuchas Paik,SteinaandWoodyVasulkaandGaryHill.

Fig. 24.WoodyVasulka'suseoftheRutt-EtraScanProcessorinDidactic Video(1975) Inthe1970s,composerLaurieSpiegel,whohadbeenworkingwithMaxMatthews GROOVE(GeneratingRealtimeOperationsOnVoltage-controlledEquipment) systematBellLaboratoriessincethe1960s,beganincorporatingcomputergraphics intoherwork.TheGROOVEsystemwasahybriddigital-analogcomputer,which alloweduserstoconnectavarietyofinputdevicestoavarietyofoutputdevicesvia aroom-sizedcomputerrunningcustomsoftwarewrittenbyitsusersinFORTRAN.121

121 LaurieSpiegel,Graphical GROOVE:MemorialfortheVAMPIRE, aVisualMusicSystem,Organised Sound 3:3,(1998),187.

Fig 25.LaurieSpiegelwiththeGROOVEsystem(early1970s) AfterSpiegelmetcomputergraphicspioneerDr.KennethKnowltonintheearly1970s, thetwobegancollaboratingonwhatbecameknownasVAMPIRE(VideoandMusic ProgramforInteractiveRealtimeExploration/Experimentation),whichallowed SpiegeltocontroltheGROOVEsystemaswellasvisualprocesseswithagraphics tabletinrealtime.Animportantpartofthissystemwastheuseofalgorithms andpowerfulevolutionaryparametersinsoniccomposing,andtheideaoforganic orothervisualgrowthprocesses[algorithmically]describedandcontrolledwith realtimeinteractiveinput.122

122 Ibid,190.

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Tools and Techniques IV: Algorithmic CompositionAnalgorithmisasetofrulesforsolvingaprobleminafinitenumberofsteps.123 Algorithmsareemployedinmostcomputerprograms,andrangefromsimple proceduresforcalculatingtheweekspayrolltosophisticatedproceduresthatuse probabilisticmodelstoanalyzebiomolecularsequences.Intermsofcompositional process,theuseofalgorithmicproceduresfreesacomposerorimproviserfrom therestrictionsoflegislatingeverydetailofacompositionorperformance, leavingsomeofthisworktoapredefinedprocessorsetofrulesestablishedby thecomposer.Additionally,takinganalgorithmicapproachtocompositionmay openupanumberofpossibilitiesintherealizationofthepiecethatpreviously wouldhavebeenunimaginable. 123 Random House Websters Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition (NewYork,NewYork:RandomHouse, 2001),52.

Theuseofrulesandmathematicalequationsforderivingmusicalcompositions is,ofcourse,nothingnew.AriddlecanonwrittenbyBach,theundisputedchampion ofsuchrulesandregulations,wasdiscoveredin1974.Thissuiteoffourteen shortcanons(BWV1087)comprisedariddlelefttobesolvedthrough variouscontrapuntaldevices.In1996,ReinhardBpublishedthecomplete answertothisriddle,whichamountedtotwohundredandsixty-ninemovements 124 CollinsanddEscrivn,109. totalingseventyminutesofmusic.124

Fig. 26.TableofmeasurenumbersfromMozart'smusicaldicegame(pub.1792) The Introduction to the Composition of Waltzes by Means of Dice,aworkattributedto WolfgangAmadeusMozart,alsoemploysrule-basedcompositionalmethods. Thismusicaldicegameconsistsofathirty-twobarstructurecomprisedof foureight-measuresections.Foreachofthebars,elevenvariationsareprovided, andtwodicearerolledtodeterminewhichvariationsaretobeplayed.125This pieceprovidednotonlyinspirationbutalsotheharpsichordpartsforJohnCage andLejarenHillersHPSCHD.Hiller,aresearcherattheUniversityofIllinoisat Urbana,hadbegunusingcomputerstocreatecompositionsthroughrestricted randomwalksin1955,theresultofwhichwas1957sIlliac Suite for String Quartet, co-composedbyHillerandLeonardIsaacson.126 In1967,HillerinvitedCagetovisithimattheUniversityofIllinoisatUrbanato collaborateonapiece.Bythispoint,bothCageandHillerhadbeenworkingwith chanceoperationsforovertenyears:CagethroughhisuseoftheIChing,and Hillerthroughhisrandomwalks.Theresultwasapieceforthreeharpsichord players,fifty-onetapes,eightyslideprojectorsandsevenfilmprojectors.The piecewaspremieredinfullwithallofthesetechnicalrequirementsattheUniversity

125 JohnCage,LejarenHiller,and BenJohnston,HPSCHD / String Quartet No. 2(NewYork,NewYork:Nonesuch, 1969),1. 126 Chadabe,273.

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127 Ibid,277.

128 Ibid,276.

ofIllinoisatUrbanain1969toanaudienceofninethousandpeople.127While atwenty-minuterecordedversionofthepieceexists,anditsperformances typicallylastaboutfourhours,thepieceitselfhasnostructuredbeginning,and nostructuredend,asCagesaid,liketheweather.128

Fig. 27.KNOBS:instructionsforperformanceofCageandHiller'sHPSCHD(1969) Thedesiretocreateworksapproachingthecomplexityofnaturalsystemsisacommonreasonthatcomposershavechosentoworkwithalgorithmicmethods.Iannis Xenakisbecameinterestedinusingwhathetermedstochastic(probability-based) methodsinordertocreatesoundmasseswiththecomplexityofthecollision ofhailandrainwithhardsurfaces,orthesongofcicadasinasummerfield.129 Hisfirstpiecetofeaturetheuseofprobabilitymodels,the1956Pithoprakta, employedoperationsbasedonthetheoryofBrownianmotiontodeterminethe distributionofpizzicati.130Throughouthiscareer,Xenakisemployedsuchchance operationswithinlimitedconstraintspartlyinreactiontothetendencywhichhe notedinThe Crisis of Serial Musicforserialistcompositionstogenerate unreasonableandgratuitousdispersionofsoundsoverthewholesoundspectrum.131 ThistendencywasalsonotedbyserialistcomposerssuchasGottfriedMichael Koenig,whosePR1computerprogramutilizedtheparametricdescriptionofsound asidentifiedinserialismbutreplacedtheseriesitselfwithrandomnumbers.This strategyledtoKoenigsdevelopmentofmethodsforshiftingtherangeofrandom numbersassociatedwithagivenparameterthroughoutacomposition,opening itupmoreandmoretogivethecomposermoreinfluenceintheinputdata,and togiveroomforthewayparametervaluesareselectedbeforetheyreputintothat score.132Bythelate1970s,Koenighadexpandedhissystemtocontrolexternal synthesisparameters,thusoutputtingmusicinrealtimeratherthanasascore.133 Withthislogicalstep,thealgorithmtrulybecameaprocessthatcouldevolvein timeratherthansimplyatoolforgeneratingscoresthatweresetinstone orascomposerLarryAustinputit,musicwithoutabeginningoranend,music ofthemoment.134

129 Ibid,279.

130 CollinsanddEscrivn,116.

131 Ibid,115.

132 Chadabe,282 133 Ibid.

134 Ibid,285.

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WorkWhenIfirstarrivedherenearlytwoyearsago,Iwasprimarilyconcernedwiththe gesturalcontrolofaudiovisualsystemsinrealtimeperformanceenvironments. Ibeganworkingwithcomputergraphicstabletsandanalyzingpressureofthepen onthetablet,angleofincidenceofthepenontheXandYaxes,andmotionofthe penacrossatwo-dimensionalsurface.Thesefivecontrolsaffordedahighdegree ofcontrolofanumberofparameterssimultaneously,andallowedmetocreatean instrumentthatIusedinmyObliscence Field performancepiece.Obliscence Field wasbasedonGeoffreySonnabend'stheoriesofforgettingpresentedbythe MuseumofJurassicTechnology,andthevisualtraceleftbythepencreatedan abstractlandscapethatrippledslowlythroughoutthepiece.

Fig. 28.GeoffreySonnabend'smodelofobliscence(1946) Myconceptionoftheobliscencefieldcamefromthinkingofmemoryasafluid surface,whichcanbeimpactedbyoutsideforces.Aboutmidwaythroughthepiece, adramaticshifttakesplaceinwhichboththesoundandthevisualcontentare modulatedbyahighfrequencyoutsideofthefield,andthecontentistransformed intocomplexaudiovisualnoise.Theoutsidemodulationsourceeventuallyslows downanddiesoff,butasthepiecedrawstoanend,thesoundandimageemergeas asubtlychangedversionoftheoriginal.

Fig. 29.MarkCetiliasObliscence Field(2006) Examiningthispiecetaughtmeagreatdealaboutmyinterestsincreating audiovisualperformancesystems,andIbeganamorein-depthexploration ofspecificgestures.Theactofwritingordrawing,Idecided,wasnotsimplythe

35

resultofmovinganimplementacrossapage,butinsteadtheresultofacomplex setofforcesataspecificmomentintime.Thatistosay,thepressureoftheindex finger,middlefingerandthumbupontheimplementandthemotionofthewrist providemoreinformationaboutagesturethanthepressureofthepenonthepage oritspositioninatwo-dimensionalplane.Thus,Ibeganbuildingasystemto analyzethesesourcesofinformationandtranslatethemintoaudiovisualphenomena inrealtime.TheresultwasaglovecontrollersystemmadeofPVC,sensorsand wiresthatIcalledtheHand of Doom.TheoutputoftheHand of Doomwas,naturally, abombasticaudiovisualassaultonthesensesthatutilizedtechniquesderived fromtheRutt-EtraScanProcessortoerasemyownimagefromthescreen.

Fig. 30.MarkCetiliasHand of Doom(2007) Ideterminedthatthemostinterestingpartofthispiecewasinfactthetranslation ofimperceptiblegesturesslightmotionsofmyfingertipsandwristinto large-scaleevents,andbeganlookingintorealmswhereinformationmightbe hiddenfromourperception.Thisquestionledmetoexaminethefieldofstudy associatedwithwhatisknownasEVP,orElectricVoicePhenomena.EVPbelievers claimthatmachinesofvarioussorts(computers,taperecorders,camcorders,etc.) cancapturesoundsoutsideofoursensoryperception,andbythatlisteningback totheserecordingscarefullyenough,onecandiscernvoicesofthespirits.Some believersclaimtomaintaincommunicationwithlovedoneswhoarenowdeceased byaskingquestionsandrecordingthesilence,thenlisteningbacktotheresults. Havingdoneanumberofexperimentswithspectralanalysisthatallowedmeto increaseportionsofthespectrumbelowagiventhreshold(akindofinversenoise gate,ifyouwill),Irealizedthattherewasaneedforsoftwarethatcoulddothisin realtimeandoutputanaudiorecordingforitsuser.ThuswasbornmyEVP Recorder program,afreewareapplicationthatImadeavailablefortheMacOSXandWindows platformsandpostedtothemajorEVPforumsaroundtheworld. Thedevelopmentofthisprogramstartedanewlineofenquiryforme.Common amongalloftheworksthatsprungupafterwardsistheconflationofexperiences thataremysticalwithtechnologythatattemptstoallowtheirconcreterealization. Inthisway,Iseemyworkasverycloselylinkedtothatofcontemporaryartist PeterCoffin.Since2002,Coffinhasbeencreatingauraportraitsthatstripaway 135 PeterEely,PeterCoffin: hissubjectsandleaveonlyacolouredhazeonawhitebackground,andmodels DisparateModels:Abstractionand oftheuniverseinthreedimensions(Log with Model of the Universe,2005)where Mysticism,CuriosityandSkepticism, thefourthdimensionissimplyrepresentedbyasourceoflight.135AscriticPeter inFrieze Magazine 106 (2007),135. Eelyexplains,Coffinsworkisneitheroverlycomplicatednorsnide,butrather,is

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bornbothofintensecuriosityandskepticism.136ThisispreciselytheapproachI havetakeninmywork,andIhopethattheresultsarecapableofcreatingexperiences thatarechallengingbothtomyaudienceandtomyself.

136 Ibid.

Fig. 31.WilliamBurroughswithGysinandSommervillesDreammachine(1972) Myinterestsinusingtechnologytorevealtheinvisiblefusedwithmyinterests inthedirectstimulationofthesensoryapparatusinmyprojectDreammachine v2 anditssuccessor,Dreammachine v2.1.Thesepieceswerebasedontheinfamous DreammachineapparatuscreatedbyBrionGysinandIanSommerville.Gysinand Sommervillesdeviceusedflickeringlighttostimulatethetawavesforitsviewers, andliketheirnamesake,myDreammachinesaimedtostimulatebrainwaveactivity. However,myversionsrecreatednotonlythethetawaves,butallactivityassociated withanentirenightssleepwithinacondensedtimespan.Thiswasaccomplished throughtheuseofprojectedimageand,inDreammachine v2.1,synchronized sound,thuscreatingafull-bodyexperience.Inthispiece,viewerswereinvitedto entertheroomandclosetheireyes,lookingontotheprojectedimageinorderto experiencephysicalphenomenaassociatedwithsleepinawakingstate. Anotherexperiencethatseemedfrustratinglyimpossibletoperceivewithout technologicalmediationwasthatoflookingsquarelyatonesowneyes.Ifyou haveevertriedtolookyourselfintheeyesinamirror,Iamsurethatyouhave noticedthatyoucanonlylookatoneeyeatatime;theotherbouncesaround crazily.ThisexperienceledmetocreatemyEye Is to Window software,whichuses featurerecognitiontofindoneseyesinagivenscene.Thesoftwarethenlocks ontotheeyes,blowingthemupfull-screen,andappliescellwisetemporal envelopefollowingtoensurethattheeyesdonotjittertoorapidly.Again,this softwarewasmadeavailableasafreedownloadforuserstoexperienceintimately intheprivacyoftheirhomes.

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Fig. 32.MarkCetiliasEye is to Window(2008) Theprimarysourceofhiddeninformationthatbecameinterestingtome, however,wasthecellularnetwork.Cellularnetworkshavebecomeincreasingly ubiquitous,andasthetechnologicaladvancesmadeintransformingcellular phonesintomobilecomputersbecomemoreandmoreprevalent,Icanonly imaginethattheirusewillbecomeevenmorewidespread,resultinginamajor shiftinourspectralecology.Thus,Ihavecreatedamechanismthatallowsitsusers todirectlyengagewiththetrafficofcellularnetworksthatconstantlysurroundsus butliesbeyondtherealmofhumanperception. Theinstallationenvironmentisa10'x15'roomcontaininga5'x10'antechamber anda10'x10'observationarea/installationspace.Participantsenterthe installationviatheantechamber,whichisasmall,dimlylitroomcontaininga singlesubwooferthatemitssubaudibletones.Insidetheobservationarea, participantsfindaviewingapparatusandanumberofloudspeakersusedtoreveal localcellphonetraffichiddeninfrequenciesoutsideofthelimitsofhumanperception.

Fig. 33.FloorplanforMarkCetiliasEffective Dose(2008)

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Thesoundfortheinstallationisprojectedviaaneight-channelsystemspecifically designedtotakeadvantageofphysiologicalcharacteristicsofthehumanauditory apparatus.ThesystemiscomprisedoffourMackieHR-824mid-fieldstudio monitors,oneMackieHRS-120subwooferandthreehyperdirectionalspeakers: oneHSST-120,andtwoHSSH-450s.The500-wattsubwooferiscapableof generatingfrequenciesthatarebelowtherangeofhumanhearing,andwill thereforebeusedtoproducesubaudiblefrequencies,creatingapowerfulphysical presenceofsoundthatcanbefeltbutnotheard.Thequadraphonicsoundfieldis usedtomaskthesoundsoutsidetheroomandprovideanimmersiveexperience ofthenaturally-occurringsoundscontainedinthefrequencybandsusedbyGSMbasedcellulardevices.Thethreedirectionalspeakersarepositionedatthetop oftheroomsuchthattheytargettheparticipantsheadfromtheleft,rightand center,andareusedtoprojectsoundsgeneratedbythepresenceoflocalcellular activityinrealtime. Thevisualcomponentoftheworkiscomprisedofthreeprismaticlensesmounted onanobservationtable.UnderneaththeprismliesanLCDscreenwhosebacklight hasbeenremoved.Thebacklighthasbeenreplacedwithfluorescenttubesmounted inawoodenboxthatisattachedtotheundersidethetable.Theimageprojected throughtheprismsisasolidfieldofflickeringcolorthatvariesbetweenslightly differentshadesofblack.Theresultingeffectisthecreationofacombinedoptical/ physiologicalexperience,withdistortioncreatedbytheprismaticlenses,traces ofmotionasthescreentriestoapproximatethesesubtledifferencesinshadesof black,andshiftingcolorsresultingfromtheretinalafter-imagesinducedby flickeringlight.Theintensityandspeedoftheflickerareimpactedbythe datacarriedbythecellularnetworksinthelocalarea,thuscreatingphysiological responsestothesenetworkswithoutdidacticallyvisualizingthedata.Like Sponge,thecollaborativeartresearchcollectiveestablishedin1997byLaura Farabough,ChristopherSalterandShaXinWei,Iaminterestedinsettingup compellingconditionsthatenablepeopletomaketheirownmeaningsoutofbuilt spacesandenvironments137ratherthancreatingworksrevolvingaroundthe 137 Sponge,TheSurfaceThatHolds distributionofcontentthatisovertlypoliticizedoreasilydigestible. theImageisUnstable,inEc/arts 2 (2002),99.

Fig. 34.ViewingapparatusfromMarkCetiliasEffective Dose(2008) Effective Dose leveragesanumberofkeytechnologiesforitsimplementation. DataacquisitionandfrequencymodulationisdoneusingEttusResearchLLCs UniversalSoftwareRadioPeripheral(USRPforshort)incombinationwithGNURadio software.GNURadioisanopensourceinitiativethatseekstotransformthepersonal

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computerintoadevicecapableofsendingorreceivingdataonanyspecified frequencyband.Ithasbeenusedinradioastronomy(asinLuciersSferics),the acquisitionoftelevisionsignals,trackingofradartransmissionsfromairplanes, andnumerousothercontexts.

Fig. 35.BlockdiagramofMarkCetiliasEffective Dose(2008) GNURadiorunsonMacOSX,Windows,andvariousflavorsofUnix,butgiven thatmostofitsusersarerunningtheLinuxoperatingsystem,itseemedmost beneficialformetostaywithinthisrealm.IdecidedtogowithFedoraCore7138 usingthePlanetCCRMAkernel139,whichresolvesanumberofdependencies necessaryforGNURadio.Thisisareal-timekernel,andthusallowsoperations totakeplaceataudiorateorhigher.ThecodeblocksutilizedbyGNURadioare writteninPython,sothemajorityoftheworkIhavedoneontheLinuxboxisin Python.140Atthispointinitsdevelopment,GNURadiosoftwarehasbeenused primarilyinconjunctionwiththeUSRP,ablackboxcontainingamotherboard withhigh-speeddigital-to-analogandanalog-to-digitalsignalconvertersanda fieldprogrammablegatearrayforhigh-speeddataprocessing.Theunithostsup tofourdaughterboards:twoforsendingdata,andtwoforreceivingdata.My currentsetupincludestwodaughterboardsthatarecapableofreceivingdataon the850and1900MhzbandsutilizedbyNorthAmericanGSMtransmissions. TransmissionsaredemodulatedusingGNURadiosoftwareandpassedonas audiodatatoacomputerthatgeneratesauditoryandvisualinterpretations ofthisdata.ThiscomputerisrunningcustomsoftwarebuiltinMax/MSP/Jitter thatutilizesapitch-trackingalgorithmtolookforspecifiedfrequenciesamongst thetransmissionsfromtheGNURadiosoftware.Oncethesefrequenciesare discovered,reactionsaretriggeredinagenerativesystemthatcreatesaunique andconstantlychangingenvironmentforthosewhoentertheroomthroughthe durationofitsinstallation. Workingonthisprojectopenedupanumberofinterestingavenuesforme artistically.Firstandforemost,Inowhaveatmydisposalatoolthatwillallow metocreatesoundportraitsofcellularactivityinrealtime.Thisopensup excitingpossibilities,suchasfoldingthesesoundsintomyperformancepractice. Thiscouldallowparticipationandexchangebetweenmyaudienceandmyself asaperformerinanumberofways.Ifanentireaudienceistoshutofftheircell phonesduringaperformance,theonlysonicmaterialIwouldhavetoworkwith wouldbethenaturalsoundsfloatingthroughtheether,resultinginasubtleebb andflowofthesefrequencies.Thepotentialforsubtleinterplaybetweenthesetwo extremesbymyselfandaudiencemembersopensupafascinatingnewrealmof performanceformeasasoundartist,onethatisakintotheopenworkproposed byUmbertoEco.TheworksEcodescribesarenotonlyopentoacontinuous generationofinternalrelationswhichtheaddresseemustuncoverandselect, butalsoinvitetheiraudiencetomaketheworktogetherwiththeauthor.141 Likewise,Effective Dosehascausedmetothinkdeeplyabouttimescalesavailableto asoundartistworkinginaninstallationenvironment.Iamcurrentlyworkingona

138 cf.http://fedoraproject.org 139 cf.http://ccrma.stanford.edu/ planetccrma/software 140 cf.http://www.python.org

141 UmbertoEco,The Open Work (Cambridge,Massachusetts:Harvard UniversityPress,1989),21.

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site-specificsoundinstallationthatistobeinstalledinaformertraindepot acrossthestreetfrommychildhoodhomeinruralsouthwestVirginia.Thispiece isbasedonthetrainschedulesandusesthesoundsoftrainspassingbythedepot todriveagenerativesystemthatmanipulatesthesesounds.Themanipulated soundsareplayedbackthroughalineofspeakerssituatedacrossthewallparallel tothetraintracksandasubwooferpowerfulenoughtocausetheroomtoshake. Attimes,thesoundofthetrainpassingbywillreverberatethroughtheroom withoutinterferencefrommywork.Atothertimes,thememoriesofthepassing trainswilllingerintheroom,likeremnantsofthepastorpremonitionsofthings tocome.Themostcuriousthingaboutthisprojectisbeinggiventheabilityto workwithalongerspanoftime,somethingIbeganexperimentingwithinEffective Dose,butaminterestedintakingmuchfurther.Thepotentialforcreatingsystems capableofevolvingovertheperiodofdays,months,andyearsisfertileground forexploration,andsuchexplorationisnotpossibleinothercontextssuchas improvisationalperformanceortraditionalmusicalcomposition. Ilookforwardtoworkingmorecloselywiththehighlyfocusedprojectionofsound andvideo,thuscreatingaveryphysicalsensationofmotionevenforastaticviewer. MygroupReduxspieceFrom Pillar to Post,presentedatSoundWalk2007inLong Beach,CA,utilizedamotorizedturrettorotateahyperdirectionalspeaker,thus allowingahighlyfocusedbeamofsoundtotearapartandbuildbacktheroom itwaspresentedin.Inthispiece,thespeakertrackedarounditsaxisaccordingto thepresenceofsoundplayedthroughit.Toexpandthefocusofsoundprojections intothethirddimensionwouldopenafloodgateofnewpossibilities,especially inregardstothecombinationofsoundandimage,asbothcouldbepresentedas derivingfromthesamelocationinphysicalspace. Iamalsofascinatedbythepossibilityofcreatingphysicalviewingexperiences throughtheuseoftransparency/translucencytorevealcontentviaausers motionthrougharchitecturalspace.RobertIrwincomestomindasanexampleof anartistwhohasengagedhisaudiencethroughwhatcriticColinRowehascalled theliteralandphenomenaluseoftransparency.142Accordingtopainter/theorist GyorgiKepes:Transparencymeansasimultaneousperceptionofdifferentspatial locations.Spacenotonlyrecedesbutfluctuatesinacontinuousactivity.143

142 ColinRowe,The Mathematics of the Ideal Villa and Other Essays (Cambridge,Massachusetts:TheMIT Press,1987),160. 143 GyorgiKepes,Language of Vision (Chicago,Illinois:PaulTheobald, 1944),77.

Fig. 36.RobertIrwinsFractured Light Partial Scrim Ceiling Eye Level Wire(1970) RobertIrwinsworkwithscrimexemplifiesthistypeoffluctuation.Scrimisa translucentmaterialcommonlyusedinstageproductionsforitsuniqueproperties inregardstolighting.Whenlitfromthefront,itappearstobesolid.Whenlitfrom

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144 LawrenceWeschler,Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees: A Life of Contemporary Artist Robert Iaminterestedincombiningthistypeofphysicalengagementinarchitectural Irwin(Berkeley,California:University spacewiththeuseofprojectedvideo.AnuntitledvideoperformancepieceI ofCaliforniaPress,1982),183. createdinconjunctionwithmycolleagueYuniKwonisaninterestingstarting pointforsuchwork.Thispieceinvolvedtheuseoftranslucentfabricstrung betweenusasaprojectionsurfacethatwasprojectedontofrombothsides. Webothheldawebcameraandalightsourceusedtorevealoureyes,mouthsand handsinvariouscombinationsoverthespanoftheperformance.Eachwebcamera wasconnectedtoalaptop,whichanalyzedtheincomingvideosignalforsections containinglight.Theseweretheonlyportionsoftheimagethroughwhichthe imagefromtheotheruserscamerawasallowedtoshine.Thus,imageswouldonly berevealedwhenbothusersworkedtogether,andeachusercouldonlyseethe otherbyilluminatingthemselves.Theunexpectedresultwasthewayinwhichthe imagebledthroughthefabric,creatingadoublingoftheimage,butwithagreat dealofcomplexity.Thiscomplexityarosefromthefactthattheshapethrough whichoneusersimagewouldberevealedwasinfacttheimagerevealedwithinthe shapeoftheimagefromtheothersideofthescreen.Combiningsuchprojection strategieswiththeuseofmaterialssuchasscrimcouldopenuppossibilitiesfor physicalengagementofviewersthatwouldbeotherwiseimpossible.

behind,itdisappearsalmostcompletely.Irwinusesscrimonanarchitecturalscale, creatingwallsthatappeartobesolidonfirstglance.Uponfurtherexamination, however,portionsofthesewalls,whicharelitfrombehind,recedefromvision andallowviewersaccesstoadditionalspacesthatwouldotherwisebehidden. LawrenceWeschler,authorofSeeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees: A Life of Contemporary Artist Robert Irwin,describeshisexperiencewithIrwins 1977Whitneyretrospectiveasfollows:Thepristinescrimwasbyturnsutterly transparentandthenutterlyopaque,bothatthesametime,butthenneitherat once.Asyouwalkedaroundthespace,underthescrim,intothecorners,alongthe walls,theroomitselfseemedtostandupandhum.144

Fig. 37.UntitledvideoperformancebyMarkCetiliaandYuniKwon(2008) Technologyisnotonlychangingtheworldaroundus,butthewaysinwhich werelatetooursurroundings.Mygoalistocreatephysicalenvironmentsthatuse technologytogiveviewerstheabilitytodirectlyengagewithaspectsoftheir sur