In week 19, during our class with Matthias Kispert, we explored the topic of the anthropology of sound and covered terms such as acosutemology, sensory ethnography, autoethnography, baile funk, and funkification. Start with a discussion on anthropology, its meaning, and problematic behavior in this field, which is studying human culture in remote corners of the world as an attraction for developed, especially white, civilizations and losing the feeling that investigated is a human being and not object. There are differences in the way dynamics in social fields and sound are divided. Both of them can be interpreted in 4 different directions, which are: OBJECTIVE, SUBJECTIVE, ABSTRACT, and CONCRETE. However, differences occur between them, which I presented in the sketch below.
“Sensory ethnography involves ‘a focus on questions of perception, place, knowing, memory, and imagination. […] We aim to come closer to understanding how other people experience, remember and imagine. […] This approach recognises the emplaced ethnographer as her- or himself part of a social, sensory and material environment and acknowledges the political and ideological agendas and power relations integral to the contexts and circumstances of ethnographic processes.” Sarah Pink explains sensory ethnography
“An anthropology of sound […] can take many shapes: it can attach […] to one specific situation of listening and sounding as its experiential, situated, and corporeal core […] and follow it through thick descriptions in the tradition of autoethnography. […] It can also take one established or rare concept of sound culture” Holger Schulze explains anthropology of sound
“Acoustemology conjoins ‘acoustics’ and ‘epistemology’ to theorize sound as a way of knowing. In doing so it inquires into what is knowable, and how it becomes known, through sounding and listening.” Steven Feld explains acoustemology
“Autoethnography emerged in response to concerns about colonialism, the need to recognize social difference and identity politics, an insistence on respecting research participants, and an acknowledgment of different ways of learning about culture.” Adams, Holman Jones and Ellis on autoethnography
BAILE FUNK was born in Brazil as expanded the sonic space of the favela into the formal city.
Funk’s vibrational force as it resonates throughout the juxtaposed built environment of Rio has an affective quality, in other words it influences both the mood of faveladosenjoying the baile—experiencing the joy and pleasure of the bass- driven live experience—and that of the formal city that complains about the noise.
In week 5, we had work in progress critique. Every group has over 15 min to present the progress of collaboration, both visual and aural experience. As part of our presentation, we have shown our group’s PowerPoint presentation, which illustrates our concept, what is going to happen in sequences, sketches made by Doris and Miranda, and a timetable with some of the deadlines we imposed on ourselves to keep track of our progress and get work done. We also listed sound effects, soundscapes we will need, samples of sounds we had made so far, and lastly pictures of how our set looks like so far. Lastly, people had the opportunity to experience our set in VR. We got in overall really good feedback. We were praised for our organized work, clearly marked sounds we need for a specific scene, and for our pattern of collecting sounds for future use in our collaboration work. We were advised to explore foleys that have been made for sci-fi movies like the soundtrack for a movie called “Gravity” and an interesting showcase of building up the action with silence. Other example of work, which can be helpful for our concept and our development, was Hideo Kojima’s sound production for games.
link to my group’s google drive with notes, sound pieces and everything regarding our project: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1QRM76sfQt5Rt6udV-hqpxlG5K9cplSoh
sketch of first scene from 3rd person perspectivesketch of first scene from player’s perspective
Topic of our collaboration project is: ”Space Quest”. The set will be placed in the space and our main theme is going to be SPACESHIP CRASH. Everything that player will experience it is going to be in first person
PLOT’S SUMMARY: player wakes up inside the cockpit in the space. Because of one designed route, which won’t be visible to the player, participant will crash into an unknown planet in front of. On the planet, because of problems with restarting the spaceship, player will be forced to leave the spaceship and look out for any help. It will be followed by the discovery of the cave and entrance to tunnel inside it.
The first scenewill start with the player “waking up” inside the cockpit already in outer space. An unknown planet will be visible in front of the spaceship. Because of the possibility that the player will get lost in the space and not get to the second scene, Doris and Miranda have designed invisible walls which will give only one option/path available to follow. It’s ending and the only option will be crashing on the unknown planet in front of it. It will be followed by the player’s blackout and multiple sounds of explosions. The end of the first scene.
The second scene will start with the player “waking up” on an unknown planet. It will be impossible to start the spaceship and the player will be forced to leave the cockpit and look out for help outside. Biometric hand scanning will be needed to open the door. As well as solving musical puzzles, which will be simple melodies in separate parts that have to be arranged in the correct order. After leaving the cockpit, the player again will be walking on an invisible designated route, which will be followed by the discovery of the cave and entrance. The end of the second scene.
The third scene is very vague for the moment as it’s only in planning and everything can change. However, right now the concept is that the cave’s entrance will be leading to a tunnel, which will split into 3 possible paths.
a) safe path
b) dangerous path
c) dead end
What is gonna be in a specific path is not decided yet and the rest will be continued.
“Sound Art and the Sonic Unconscious” article by Christoph Cox
Christoph Cox in his article argues that sound art plays a crucial role in revealing its nature and conception of sound as a continuous, and anonymous process to which human emotions contributes. He also expands on Wilhelm Leibniz’s conception of the perceptual unconscious. Starting with the explanation of the term “sound arts” and bringing the opinions of artists, curators, and critics such as Max Neuhaus who question the nature and viability of the practice. Cox shares some light on Leibniz’s theory by proposing that this sonic flux is composed of two dimensions: a virtual dimension that he terms ‘noise’ and an actual dimension that consists of contractions of this virtual continuum: for example, music and speech. In his opinion noise might be the background of human beings, as it never ceases; it is limitless, continuous, unending, and unchanging. On the other hand, contradicts the common opinion as if noise is something derivative, which disturbs, or interrupts an initial state of calm. “If we accept Leibniz’s argument, we hear each of these sound waves – past and present – but we hear them confusedly. Indeed, like the man who lives near a watermill, this sound remains background to us and constitutes what we call ‘silence’. Only the singularity of a signal – speech or music, for example – stands out against this background, contracts it, and renders sound clear and noticeable.” To sum up, the 20th century was a period in the history of sonic experimentation and the liberation of sound as part of everything that surrounds us like silence, ambiance, and not only in terms of so-called music. Before any theoretical and practical information on sound, I would like to start with research on the existential level. I divide my work into disruptive and undisruptive sounds but what really is “noise” and “silence”? Christoph Cox brings sound as a term beyond the dimension we know and understand. I enjoy that he quotes other researchers on this topic and explores the idea in a precise manner. In addition, Cox develops the study carefully and in sequence, which allows the reader to keep track of what they are reading. My only concern is that this article is not created for people without scientific background or interest in the terms Christoph is bringing, which makes his work quite distant. I would change the way the topic is evolved so it’s more understandable for people outside of the scientific circle.
2. “Psychophysiology and psychoacoustics of music: Perception of complex sound in normal subjects and psychiatric patients” article created by Annals of General Hospital Psychiatry
In everyday life situations, humans receive complex sounds which contribute to the way one perceives reality. Studies show an interconnection between the physics and psychology of hearing. Psychics of simple sounds are divided into frequency, amplitude, and phase. On the other hand, psychoacoustics has its own distinct elements of pitch, intensity, and timbre. In order to understand music perception and the way it influences human beings, different studies have been carried out involving the types of music, the emotional experience, psychosomatic and physiological changes, and psychoacoustical characteristics of music. Studies show increased heart rates as a result of stimulating music and decreased heart rates associated with sedative music. Especially Techno-music seems to produce a significant increase in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and stress-related hormones. 50 normal-hearing people with no special interest in music were studied in order to examine emotional experience due to music exposure. Results show differences in emotional experience between women and men, with women experiencing more tension in music, and between different age groups, with older people being more attracted to music than younger ones. What’s more, studies proved that psychiatric patients experience music in a different way according to their sickness. Schizophrenic and obsessive-compulsive patients are more attracted to music, whereas depressive and anxiety neurotics are less sensitive to sound. For my research, I want to include examples of the physical and mental effects sound has on the human body. The study designed by Annals of General Hospital examines perfectly the way sound influence people on the physical level and provide quite thorough results on blood pressure, heart rate, and stress-related hormones. What’s more, also shows the difference in perception of sound among people with various mental illnesses. In my opinion, this research could be carried out on a bigger number of subjects so the results can be even more accurate and diverse. What’s more, studies included only normal-hearing people and I think it would be an interesting point of view to see how sound affects those who have hearing problems. Would it still affect them in the same way as healthy receivers and if not what would be different?
3. “How does the brain interpret sound?” article on hear-it.org
The tiny hair cells in the inner ear send electrical signals to the auditory nerve which is connected to the auditory center of the brain, which translates impulses from the ear into sounds that we know and understand. However, the brain loses the ability to process sound. Another study carried out by the University of Colorado Boulder found that the brain adjusts to hearing loss, even if the issue is only mild. Researchers used scanners to study the brain of people with hearing issuesand discovered that shortly after they began to lose their hearing, their other senses began to play a more prominent role. What’s more, the brain eliminates unnecessary sounds in the background, as well as turns up the volume of our own speech, and plays a significant role in hearing sounds that come from inside your body, rather than from an outside source described as ringing in the ears. A research team has been able to eliminate tinnitus in a group of rats by stimulating a nerve in the neck and playing a variety of sound tones over a period of time. In summary, it is the brain that receives impulses and translates them into sounds we know. Therefore plays a crucial role in the way everyday sounds affect us and our body. I want to gather diverse literature to wider my research and try to expand on my chosen theme in the most thorough way possible. I liked how this article expand on how sound is processed in our brains and how the information is received in case of hearing problems or hearing loss. This is the only work that resolves around sound in such a theoretical way and I think that it’s very important to include in my essay various ways of looking at sound in a medical way. Not only results after hearing sound but also the process of transforming it into information our body reads. The biggest problem I find in this essay is the lack of information and insufficient medical information. This was the reason I had to support statistics, included in this article, with details gathered from different works to have a bigger picture and better understanding.
4. Book called “Ocean of Sound: Ambient sound and radical listening in the age of communication” written by David Toop
I have decided to not use this work as a literature example in my essay. The reason is a fact that after a thorough examination, I don’t find this particular book very relevant to the topic of my work as it resolves more around music scene and its progress in the 20th century instead of how sound affects our body and mind.
5. “A synthesis of health benefits of natural sounds and their distribution in national parks” article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Spending time in nature is already well established as beneficial to your health, particularly good for mental health issues and general well-being. Recently a new study published in an article by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has shown that the sounds of nature can be just as good for alleviating stress, improving mood, decreasing pain, and nurturing positive emotions. The researchers listened to sound recordings taken from 221 locations in 68 United States (US) national parks, including water noises, bird calls, and wind, with some of the recordings even containing human noise. The research showed different sounds had different benefits – water sounds improved positive emotions and health outcomes, while bird sounds alleviated stress and annoyance. It was explained that the reason for this result is the fact that a natural acoustic environment indicates a sense of safety, or an ordered world without danger, which allows control over mental states. What’s more, it was confirmed by Lead author Rachel Buxton from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, who said “getting the full sensory experience of being in nature, which includes listening to the natural sounds, allows us to mentally recuperate knowing that we’re in a safe environment.” This research was a key inspiration for including in my work the importance of natural sounds as a positive impact of living in a world full of sounds. The significance of the sounds of water, wind, and singing birds in our health on a daily basis. The only criticism I developed for this specific article was related to an unspecified number of people who took part in the research. Therefore it is hard to decide whether a study is accurate enough, as a small number of subjects cannot gather diverse and precise results.
6. “What are the effects of noise pollution?” article published by Medical News Today
Medical News Today’s website published an article about the health effects of noise pollution. Expands on causes and health side effects, often the long term of noise. First of all the reader is explained what “noise pollution” is and it is the spread of unwanted sounds into the environment. Noise is an inseparable part of daily life whether coming from nature or the effect of human activity such as vehicle traffic. Overlooking noise pollution is a common problem. In 2018, the review called “Noise Pollution and Human Health” proved that compared to air, water, and light contamination, noise pollution is an underreported factor. PubMed Central states: “The brain is always monitoring sounds for signs of danger, even during sleep. As a result, frequent or loud noise can trigger anxiety or stress. With continued exposure to noise pollution, a person’s sensitivity to stress increases.” What’s more environmental noise can be the cause of sleep disturbance such as difficulty falling asleep, inability to stay asleep, or waking up too early. Sounds can also reduce the depth and quality of sleep, altering the amount of rapid eye movement sleep. This can impact a person’s mood and ability to concentrate. I chose this article as my main literature background supporting the topic of the negative impact of sound on the human body and mind. I was convinced by the medical approach and the direct state of physical and mental side effects. On top of that, the article was divided meticulously into two separate sections each devoted to different matters such as how to reduce noise, the impact of noise pollution on adults and children, and helpline references. As critically as I am trying to look at this work, I cannot find anything I would change. The whole text is very neat and clean, divided into smaller sections, clearly named, and dedicated to a specific range of information regarding noise pollution. It is providing scientifically well-built text with medical references that is easy to understand for everyone.
Initially, my sound piece consisted of two parts: noise pollution and healing sounds. My work, overall, was 15 minutes long and occupied more than 250 MB of space. I realized just now that the maximum file size, that is allowed for the sound piece, in assessment is 200 MB. Therefore I had to make a hard decision about what should I cut out from my piece. Both parts were created in perfect unison and in my opinion, erasing any part of the inside, would destroy the effect and will feel incomplete. The last thing I want is to take away from the listener the opportunity to immerse in sound and feel what I felt while designing my sound piece. Therefore I have decided that the best will be to delete one of the two parts, instead of erasing just parts and destroying the overall effect. I am really sad that the listener won’t be able to experience my idea of the “negative” and “positive” sides of the sound but it’s better to focus solely on one part and refine it till perfection, instead of keeping both parts with remains of sounds from the initial piece. I chose to focus on the”positive” sounds that have a healing and calming nature. Particularly because I want to see things in a positive light and imitate them in my work. But mostly because I am very proud of the recording, which I captured during a therapy session using Himalayan singing bowls in Indonesia. It is one of the most nurturing sounds I have ever heard and whenever I need to focus or relax I play this recording in the background. What’s more, I think it is the perfect material to show the healing power of sounds in particular frequencies.
On Monday afternoon during our weekly meeting with Miranda and Doris from BA Immersive Arts, we had the opportunity to see how our spaceship set is looking through VR and develop ideas regarding sounds we would need so far. Right now, we are at the stage of the player being inside the cockpit and playing with various buttons/ options inside the spaceship. What’s more, in addition, to make our VR experience more interesting we want to include a couple of extraordinary aspects such as a sound game in order to open the door, hand’s scanning signal or disrupted signal reception from earth regarding the spaceship changing its trajectory and getting to close to an unknown planet in front of. This is the first scene. Together we have decided that right now we need to record the sounds of different buttons, and footsteps inside the spaceship, recording of disrupted signal reception, and work on “sound puzzles”. Sound Puzzle to open the door. Jingle plays, indicating the solution to the audio puzzle. Player then learns which order to press the buttons in, to solve the puzzle, and open the door. During our session in foley studio and recording studio, we managed to record a lot of sounds of “old school” buttons using the keyboard, door locks, and all sorts of buttons in the recording studio, and footsteps using a wooden wall, which came from the unfolded piano. As the room with synths was already booked we couldn’t record electrical button sounds and “sound puzzles” and biometric hand’s scanning sound. We also didn’t manage to record disrupted signal reception as we thought it would be better, to first of all, right the script and come up with the name of our project/mission to be mentioned in.
I had a hard time deciding which route I want to choose for my dissertation paper. Both options, written essay or audio paper, have their advantages and would be useful for me to polish my skills and feel more confident in them. Any written work is my Achilles heel. No matter how much planning or effort I put into my work I always end up losing the topic of my essay or the overall structure. Choosing route A, which is a written work, could be a beneficial choice for two reasons. First of all, leaving my comfort zone and faced a medium that I know I am not good at. Secondly spending time polishing my writing skills and potentially getting better at it. On the other hand, choosing route B, which is audio paper, will give me the opportunity to work with a medium, which I might not be able to work with again in the future. And secondly, a chance to gain more practice in working and expressing myself in the audio paper, as I have worked with it only once before this academic year for Sound Studies and Aural Cultures unit. After thorough thinking, I have decided to choose Route B since written work was an integral part of my entire school education and I have been working with this communication tool for over a decade. As well for the reason that audio paper is a very new medium, I had a chance to work with it only once in my life, and I am utterly excited about what my final year piece outcome might be. What’s more, I find audio paper one of the best mediums to express my thoughts as instead of explaining someone’s words I can simply use recordings in my work. An audio paper is definitely easier and more approachable, than written work, as I always struggled in expressing my thoughts in words and keeping track of its structure. Lastly and most importantly, I am still at the stage of choosing my accurate final work’s title but I know for sure that it will evolve around sound healing and its affect on our body, and mind. Therefore I think, it wold be waste to not choose medium that allows me to explain, in most accurate way possible, to the listener what sound healing is by including direct examples of healing sounds such as Tibetan bowls and natural sounds.
