Anthropology of Sound

Good Sounds

1. time-delayed jubilations of the crowd in the pub round the corner

2. bicycle-parade in my street after the match germany:portugal

3. the collective screaming (very high pitched) of my female co-viewers right after all critical situations in the german games (followed by a loud laugh of the clique)

Bad Sounds

1. UEFA-jingle

2. firecrackers

3. the silence of some german tv-commentators during the game

Tschlahntverloren. Das Singen und Stöhnen der Fans, die Stille nach dem 0:1, wie klingt vibrierendes Aluminium in der Zeitlupe? Leere Straßen. Kommentierende Stimmen. Häufig einzeln aus einem Zimmer, dann beantwortet vom vielstimmigen Chor der gemeinsamen Schauer.  EM in Sound.

Here is an unabridged version of the interview I recently had with Barry Blesser, author of “Spaces Speak, are you listening? Experiencing Aural Architecture”. More information on Barry Blesser can be found here: http://blesser.net/

This interview will appear in abridged form in the next edition of the Sound Studies Newsletter, slated for July 1, 2008.

Yukio King: Spaces Speak Are You Listening? Experiencing Aural Architecture, written by yourself and Dr. Linda Ruth-Salter, has been cause for a lot of discussion in academic circles and design communities alike. Right off the bat, what is Aural Architecture?

Barry Blesser: Aural architecture arises from those objects and geometries of the environment that change the experience of Sound sources. In natural environments, sound is always change by spatial acoustics as the sound wave moves from the source to the listener. There is no pure sound because both the source and the listen exist in a real space. Conversely, we cannot hear aural architecture without sonic “illumination” because passive objects and geometries do not produce sound.

From another perspective, aural architecture is the other half of a soundscape, which traditionally focuses mostly on sound sources. One can hear objects and geometries that themselves are not a source of sound. We can hear an open doorway, the depth of a cave, the volume of a cathedral, the small size of a bathroom, the echo from a wall, the cavernous avenues
in a metropolitan city, and the unique acoustics of a forest. The forest soundscape includes the sound of birds that have been changed by the forest acoustics. A listener can focus on the sources, the illuminated aural architecture, or both.

YK: Many would say that interesting sound phenomena are happenstance occurrences that can’t really be controlled. Does Aural Architecture result from intentional or unintentional design and planning decisions?

BB: In all the research that I did on the subject of aural architecture, I never found a case where aural architecture was the result of an intentional design. Similarly, I never found someone who considered himself an aural architect. While there are thousand of cases of acoustic engineers creating designs, these people are not deciding what is desirable. They are design a space based on specifications. In contrast, an aural architect determines what properties match the needs of the inhabitants and sponsors, while an acoustic engineer creates a physical design that matches those needs. For example, the degree to which a space enhances public or private attributes is the responsibility of the aural architect, who balances the needs of the users.

On the other hand, there is much evidence that aural architecture, which arose from unrelated cultural activities, was then evaluated, modified, replicated, and used as a reference for other designs. Hence, historically, aural architecture was reactive rather than proactive.

Creating an aural architecture from a blank paper is almost impossible because human beings do not have the ability to hear an imaginary sonic concept in the same way that a visual architecture can create a visual picture in his head. The cognitive and neurophysiologic basis for hearing and vision are not symmetric.

However, by establishing the language of aural architecture, the design process can become more active, rather than reactive. It remains to be seen if such conferences as the Tuned City contribute to this change.

In a sense, the language of aural architecture strongly suggests the use of a list of questions that can be answered by people without specialized skills. Consider such questions as the following. How large should the acoustic arena be? Should a space emphasize public or private? How much aural texture is aesthetically pleasing? Should a particular location amplify aural mass?

YK: Coming from Boston yourself, you know that cities can be loud places. Berlin is by no means an exception. Is sound pollution a valid concern that designers and planners need to take into account? How many decibels are too many for normal city dwellers?

BB: As you present the two questions, there are no possible answers because the critically important assumptions are missing. Let me illustrate how the question needs to be transformed.

How much exposure to a given sound level over extended periods of time will produce hearing damage in certain percentage of the population? There are studies that argue that exposure to 85 dB spl for 40 hours per week, year in and year out, will damage the inner ear. This is a medical question.

(more…)

aktueller radiohinweis für heute, den 24.06. (ich pause und poste fontblog und berlindesignblog einfach mal durch):

“Unter dem Motto “Die Welle kommt” geht das Experimentelle Radio der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar am Dienstag, den 24.6.’08 in Berlin auf Sendung. In einer sechsstündigen Radioshow, begleitet von Klanginstallationen, präsentiert die Masterklasse von Prof. Nathalie Singer im Kreuzberger Badeschiff ihre im Projekt “Welle))ness – einschalten wo man abschaltet” entstandenen audiovisuellen Werke zum Thema Wasser.” (berlindesignblog.de)

“Inhalt des Projekts, das in Kooperation mit Deutschlandradio Kultur, der Toskana Therme in Bad Sulza, Müllerschen Volksbad in München und dem Kreuzberger Badeschiff entstand, ist das Entwickeln künstlerischer Konzepte für die akustische Gestaltung verschiedener Bade-, Sauna- und Ruhebereiche, die sich den historischen und örtlichen Begebenheiten der jeweiligen Bäder anpasst.” (fontblog.de)

Monday:

Working again on part III, Klang/Sound, of my book on Klang Erzählungen: eine Anthropologie des Klangs (»Sonic Fictions: an Anthropology of Sound«).

And thus listening again to Pour en Finir avec le Jugement de dieu (1947) by Antonin Artaud; especially to its passages on the corps sans organes, the »body without organs«. (cf. the english translation of this great classic)

Finally I found also time to work on my lecture in July on Resonanzkünste (»Arts of Resonance«).

Tuesday:

Jeff Warren, author of The Head Trip: Adventures on Wheel of Consciousness (2007) says something pretty elucidating about the new mythology of neurobiology:

The scientist James Austin has a quote I like: »We will all be neurobiologists to some degree in the new millennium.« We’re all learning a new language, and I guess you could say these books are part of a new mythology.

They’re teaching stories that dramatize our expanded understanding of the brain and self. That said, a lot of the neuro-imaging stuff is overrated, and the media’s obsession – and I am also guilty of this – our obsession with pairing aspects of human life with bits of the brain (»the God module« etc) can get ridiculous.

That’s why I still like Freud. At least he could write, and he had a lot more to say abouthe richness and complexity of inner experience than, say, mirror neurons.

Wednesday:

Listening again to old Palais Schaumburg-records. Still: great stuff!

And then: NNNAAAMMM.

Thursday:

Screamin’ at the top of my voice and singin’ wholeheartedly with hundreds of others during the great match between Portugal and Germany at the EURO2008. Fun.

Friday:

In the mornin’, thoroughly inspired by a new blog-post by Rainald Goetz, currently still the most important and influential contemporary german author:

Idealort für den Text: am Rand, wo er die Literatur, egal in welche Richtung hin, zu verlassen anfängt, ohne damit schon ganz fertig zu sein. Er ist wohl noch Literatur, aber eine fragliche: das wäre der richtige Wortort für mich, namens: schön.

(my translation: »Ideal place for the text: on the edge, where it begins to leave literature behind — no matter in which direction — without being thoroughly finished with it. It still seems to be literature, but of a questionable kind: this would be the right wordplace for me, called: beautiful«)

Saturday:

Wow! Four specimens of old, redundant machines play Radiohead’s Nude. Made by James Houston, graduating from the Glasgow School of Art’s visual communication course. Enjoy this ensemble consisting of a Sinclair ZX Spectrum, an Epson LX-81 Dot Matrix Printer, an HP Scanjet 3c and an unspecified Hard Drive array:

Sunday:

The cooling stillness in this very hot day; and the surprising relative silence in town after the victory of the spanish football team over the one under the italian flag. Here come the semifinals!

Monday:

Listening & dancing to Kaputt in Hollywood, the new single of our former Sound Studies-student Sacha Robotti together with Cord Henning Labuhn as ROBOSONIC.

(Disclaimer: Their album Sturm und Drang (Diskomafia 2007) was produced in the Sound Studies Berlin Studios)

Tuesday:

Simply Nôze.

Smile: The world is yours.

Wednesday:

Listening to Susanne Feld’s new and first (really?) album Musterstücke (2008): recorded in a temporary shop of Berlin fashion designer Ansoho and sewn out of the sounds of tailoring.

Madame Feld is also the authorette of the great and unforgettable saying:

Kunst ist kein Wettbewerb. (»Art is no competition.«)

Let this thought dive into you.

Thursday:

Maybe only slightly off-topic: Thinkin’ about the concept of Neurodiversity.

Friday:

Found time to work on my overview and analysis of Education in Sound: Hearing perspectives in Acoustic Communication for an international publication on Audio Branding, edited by Kai Bronner.

Saturday:

Inspired by the first screening for years of La Societé du spectacle (1973) on celluloid (in Germany) by Guy Debord, with a great introduction by Thomas Levin.

Sunday:

Post-Wittgensteinian Philosopher Ulrich Pothast, an expert in non-rational sensibility, wrote: Das Wichtigste tendiert zur Flüchtigkeit. (read: »The most important self-perceptions show a tendency to be transient.«)

Ein interessantes Interview mit Karen Van Lengen (Edward E. Elson Professor of Architecture and Dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia) über Designing the Aural Enviroment drüben bei Networked_Music_Review .

(…) “Designing with aurality is a challenge due to the process of measuring it in the design process. With visual studies we have developed many tools to study and delineate ideas including virtual and real models that include details such as shade and shadow or material and color studies in three dimensions. We don’t yet have easy tools to understand how sound will work in spaces. The idea of the model as a miniature replica of a room or a building does not work with sound. There are some very sophisticated software programs that acousticians use with virtual models to design concert halls, etc. however these tools are complex, expensive and not yet readily available in schools of architecture. I have found that teaching the awareness of sound, though not highly scientific, does promote awareness of the aural environment and helps students to begin to notice and record how other spaces and places work with sound. As technologies in this area continue to develop and become more accessible, I believe the interest in sound will become more important to architectural designers. ” (…)

Monday:

Bo Diddley died!

And I wrote and re-wrote all day long the final parts of my lecture on tuesday.

Tuesday:

Hm: I got inspired by the first issue of Field Notes: Writings on Sound by the german label Gruenrekorder, specializing in Phonography (respectively Field Recordings) and Sound Art. (thanks again to my colleague Hanna Buhl for that).

In the evening, my lecture Politik des Klangs (»Policy of Sound«) raised questions about the historicity and corporeity of sensing and acting in a given instance, space and time. Some of the audience members did experience the change in self-perception through the relatively silent parts in the lecture; whereas others seemingly weren’t inclined to react on that. Astonishing!

Wednesday:

Enjoyed hearing again some bits of I Am Sitting In A Room (1969; original recording) by Alvin Lucier, in the first lecture held by John Heymans in our Composed City series.

A dramatic classic that grows and grows by the years. (And not to forget: Benhard Gal’s glorious re-interpretation under the name of : I am sHitting in a room (2002).)

Thursday:

Enjoyed an hour of sounding out my voice after the Lichtenberger Institute of Applied Vocal Physiology with our ex-student and future colleague Ulrike Sowodniok.

Friday:

Found time to think and draft a bit more precise my next big lecture on Resonanzkünste (»Arts of Resonance«).

Saturday:

Once again, I enjoyed the perfect soundsystem and the great aural architecture of Berlin’s very own Berghain-club — just around the corner where I live.

Sunday:

Chilled with Ricardo Villalobos playing on Weekend-club’s Rooftop. Great location! And funny silent screens these days that show the current EURO2008-match — without any sound.

Monday:

In the evening I was talking with Augsburg-based sociologist Stefan Böschen about the cultural production of ignorance and non-knowledge. An issue which is of special interest for the history of speaking about sound: Who is allowed to speak about sound? Who is named as an expert? And who is named as a non-expert? Which ways of expressing, worldmaking and knowledge are prohibited by this (often elitist) discrimination?

Tuesday:

As I was having lunch a pair of sparrows began squeaking and screaming, sandbathing two steps away from me in a hollow where cobblestones were torn apart.

Wednesday:

Singing along to the new Weezer-video with loads of web memes and celebs:

Dancing tango in the evening and loving the ochos of my wife…

Thursday:

Walking home after a late-afternoon meeting with ice-cream, out in the warm early summer breeze. On famous Oberbaumbrücke between Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain I encountered an activist spree on bikes from the Mediaspree versenken!-action against urban planning and city marketing by investors on the east-harbour of the river Spree here in Berlin. The micro-soundsystem on the back of the bikes made hell of a noise in the red hot sunset.

Friday:

Delighted about the pre-release of Erdbeerfeld-Magazin: #1 Sprache: been virtual interviewed together with two artists I highly appreciate:AGF and Susanne Feld from Erdbeerfeld.

In the evening at a meeting of the Interdisciplinary Center for Historical Anthropology in Berlin we discussed the concept of a sensus communis after Immanuel Kant: What is the fundament of our aesthetic judgments?

How can we combine historical and particular views with the strife for the general and fundamental? What is it that creates a community? How can we understand our sense for collective interaction?

To read: William H. McNeill, Keeping Together in Time: Dance and Drill in Human History (1995) and Ulrich Pothast, Philosophisches Buch: Schrift unter der aus der Entfernung leitenden Frage, was es heisst, auf menschliche Weise lebendig zu sein (1988)

Saturday:

On the morning, we had breakfast on the beach of Müggelsee, outside of Berlin; and in the evening we were visiting the so-called art-invasion in the former flower market in Kreuzberg in the night.

Sunday:

Love the current work of artist Brad Downey on the shopping windows of the big west-berlin department store KaDeWe for Lacoste.