I read through both links on the weekly moodle page and found these as the most important points for the audio paper.
Initial substantial revision on the script when writing it.
The audio paper could be a conventional style or informal? Break free from the academic style that paper essays have.
Concrete details, for immersion. sound, smell, taste, or touch, as well as dialogue and observations about people’s behaviour and personalities.
Use a simple method of organising for the script.
After you make further revisions do a trial recording.
After recording the trial. Get feedback from peers, I need to remember this is an audio paper. This is not an essay. How can we convey the message with sound to help the narration?
Then add sound effects and music, anything that will help the immersion.
Then after doing the full draft and receiving feedback it’s time to make the final version. Clear voice and recording.
So as it stands.
Write script and revise multiple times.
Record draft and receive feedback
Then revise script and recording and do the full draft. Full draft incoporates sound effects and music. Field recordings etc.
Revise and recieve feedback from the full draft and create final version
final version should be re recorded and thought about in terms of the vocal performance and the editing.
I felt I needed to understand examples of an audio paper more than I had previously researched. As my research isn’t terrible, in fact, a lot of information is present. I spent some time listening to three different audio papers that were incredibly different.
I started with Cathy Lanes audio paper. Listening to not listening to voices. I found the paper really interesting. The points she makes did spark thought. I was paying more attention though to the presentation and performative qualities of her audio paper. A few things I enjoyed and that I might use. The use of field recordings and effects in contrast to her voice. Using panning. Using her points in the script and having the audio reflect that to enhance the meaning. Sometimes she lets the audio speak what an essay might have needed to have written. It is also written very formal. Which I might or might not necessarily wish to copy.
The second was Dean Powell’s audio document titled, Nonduality and the potential of listening. I found his similar to Cathy Lanes but slightly different. His use of panning again to reflect his points really helped emphasise his points. I like this idea that I might see if I can use it in mine for a different context.
The third was Raul Azevedo Ramos piece, his was very much different to both. More documentary based explaining the life and impact of a sound artist. Using lots of extracts to really get the listener into the time period and feel immersed. Again something I will consider. The plan now is to research how to write an audio paper which I’ve seen a few links to on moodle. I’m not giving up entirely on my previous script perhaps it just needs refinement.
Over Christmas and just before the holiday period I had established a rough first draft. Initially, I was approaching the script as an ethnographic type of performance. wanting it to be very specific and formal. I worked with tutors for my dyslexia on writing the script but after reading it back from taking a break I very much feel it’s presented in the wrong format. It’s not a script it’s an essay. Now I’m sure some audio papers can be presented in a very strict academic sense but I don’t feel like this script maximises the abilities and features that an audio paper can allow.
I’m going to upload below my rough script and my log of notes and information that I’ve made. Today I’m going to plan towards the next steps and begin continuing my work on this audio paper. I do feel like perhaps changing topics. Noise pollution and the role a sound artist could play in it is perhaps a bit vague and allows for too much scientific information which I don’t want to dabble in too much.
Since re-reading the brief there are a few things that really stood out for me. Number one is that it should be a “Documentary style audio paper” I’m not sure if my script currently is. It is a little and does go on about noise pollution in a documentary style but I’m reading this more as a historical documentary. Maybe that’s just what I find easier?
Second, that is should reflect social and political issues relating to your subject. There are many social and political elements of noise pollution and who can listen. So I have definitely touched the right part here.
The main point I think I have perhaps missed is that it should be in the sound art field. From the list mentioned mine isn’t. This is not a problem but I feel I might have perhaps missed the reason behind this audio paper. I was initially interested in how sound artists bring awareness or use noise pollution as a tool in sound arts. From the visiting practitioners series where a few artists use permanent sound installations to recycle noise pollution into resonating sounds. And this really fascinated me. The planets health and global warming are huge topics right now and many say we have almost run out of time to act before things get worse. Population increase as well. I did and do feel like sound arts can be related to this field but I’m unsure to what extent. Am i just making this harder for myself? I don’t necessarily feel like doing an audio paper that requires little work, for example, the history of something, Insert sound arts topic here. But rather my opinion on a specific subject related to sound arts and its future understanding. I’m going to revisit the lecture slides and have a think. I have plenty of time left to do this audio paper and have as much time to dedicate myself to this so it shouldn’t be an issue. More the will currently.
Here is the rough draft of the original document.
What role can a sound artist play in combatting inner-city noise pollution?
Noise pollution is an ever-growing problem in our inner cities. Since the development of cities, noise pollution has been an issue noticed by scientists and urban cityscape designers but never taken seriously on its detrimental effects on our wellbeing. We are going into an uncertain future where sea levels are said to rise and close off landmasses forcing us to live in closer proximity to one another than previously ever been. Noise pollution is set to become one of the biggest issues to combat. This audio paper will discuss initially what noise pollution is, followed by how it has a detrimental effect on our wellbeing, mental health and life experience in cities. Then, on how noise pollution is currently handled and fought against in cities such as London.
Paragraph 1 what is noise pollution
The definition of noise pollution is harmful and or annoying levels of noise. The noise itself can be seen in its most literal sense to be considered an auditory phenomenon. Or as by some scientists, as an acoustic vibration that is random, complex and has no order. Now the Noise we are talking about today is in regards to the word pollution. Noise and pollution together have a whole different meaning. So, noise pollution in this audio document will be defined as dangerous unwanted sounds. For example, As Greg Hainge says in his book Noise Matters. “Many others, especially those belonging to the anti-noise lobby, qualify it as ‘any auditory sensation which is disagreeable or uncomfortable” Although some scholars speak on how noise and modern noise pollution is a part of our new sonic landscapes. As a species, modern children are already born with resistance to loud noises from being brought up with noise pollution. Noise Pollution is one of the worse things that humans can experience auditory effects have always been unnoticed as extreme as visuals.
Conclude: how does noise pollution affect our health
Paragraph 2. Noise pollutions in cities and cities relationship to noise pollution.
WHAT IS A CITY?
Cities are large populations of humans in a short amount of space. Cities usually harbour large corporations, opportunities and better living conditions. For some moving and living in a city is the only option and this is what makes it even more important to combat noise pollution.
HOW BAD IS IT?
Noise pollution is often overlooked in modern society. There is plenty of evidence showcasing the negative effects of noise pollution. The world health organisation have stated that there is a general agreement that exposure for more than 8 hours to sound levels in excess of 85 dB is potentially hazardous; to place this in context, 85 dB is roughly equivalent to the noise of heavy truck traffic on a busy road.
Noise pollution is the most major disturbance of sleep as well as Cardiovascular disease. The strongest evidence for the cardiovascular effect of noise has been the study of blood pressure and occupational noise exposure.
WHY ARE CITIES THE WORST FOR NOISE POLLUTION
The worst cities for noise pollution are currently.
1. Karachi, Pakistan. The capital of Pakistan is known to have a huge population of 15 million. No wonder it’s the largest noise polluter.
2. Mumbai, India, it’s said the noise levels in the streets of Mumbai have been recorded to go over 100dB. Way above levels of harming human hearing.
3. Cairo, Egypt, Actual deaths have been linked to noise pollution in this city. Not a rare case but for it to be actually acknowledged is something in itself.
EG. CASE STUDY IN LONDON LCC INTERVIEWS
WHERE ARE THE WORST AREAS OF NOISE POLLUTION IN LONDON
London Heathrow is the largest airport in England. Due to urbanism and population increasing. Cities growing larger and larger stretching beyond their boundaries. An airport like London Heathrow is able to exist to the detriment of its neighbours inhabiting the area. Only due to society benefiting financially more from travel being faster to a city like London.
There are current discussions on creating a third terminal at London Heathrow airport which is said to absolutely break the guidelines set by the WHO. It is estimated that 725,500 people are exposed to noise from Heathrow. Which in comparison to an airport such as Frankfurt which is seen to be the loudest airport in Europe is said to only affect one-third of this amount.
Paragraphs 3&4. HOW IS THIS NOISE POLLUTION BEING COMBATTED? WHAT IS BEING DONE TO BETTER THIS ISSUE
GOVERNMENT DONT CARE
As it currently stands. Governments prioritise an economy flourishing over the importance of the human body. We find instances of privilege in our society around noise pollution and who is able to experience it. If the government was truly invested in protecting its people from noise pollution we wouldn’t even have the idea of a third terminal at London Heathrow as a possibility.
POPULATION AMOUNT DOESN’T HELP
The increased level of population we are having is also not helping noise pollution. In cities like London where on average 14,550 residents per square mile noise pollution becomes impossibly to avoid. The lack of awareness amongst our politicians means that global warming is happening at an alarming rate. They say we have less than 5 years to act before a global rise of 2 degrees becomes inevitable. Due to ocean levels rising and droughts. We as a species will be forced to live in areas of the planet that are inhabitable which will slowly decrease if we continue. Meaning we will end up squashed together.
MATERIALS FOR BUILDINGS?
Another aspect councils and governments, even architects don’t take enough time to think about when designing their buildings and superstructures is the material.
GLASS ON SKYSCRAPERS?
SOUND ARTS AND THE CANNON
WHO ARE CURRENT SOUND ARTISTS DOING IN REACTION TO NOISE POLLUTION
POLITICAL SOUND ARTISTS
In what ways are they combatting the issue
RAISING AWARENESS
DESIGNING PERMANENT SOUND INSTALLATIONS
Paragraph 5. FUTURE URBAN DESIGNING, WHAT WILL CITIES WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE
WHAT WILL LONDON OR CITIES BE LIKE IN 10-20 YEARS TIME
WHAT WILL THIS BE LIKE FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE IN
SPECULATION – could sound artists be designing in a better way?
CONCLUSION
WHAT ROLE CAN A SOUND ARTIST HAVE IN SOUND DESIGNING CITIES
What are the best solutions? What is the worst? The most realistic solution?
Are sound artists effectively tackling these issues?
BASED ON THE RESEARCH INTO URBAN DESIGNING OF CITIES FOR THE FUTURE WHAT WILL THIS SPACE BE LIKE FOR A SOUND ARTIST
My friend Alex Messer approached me with an opportunity to be a sound supervisor on his module for his Ba Photography degree. Moving image.
I was given the film treatment about the idea. The idea was based on Alex and his colleague’s ideas about wales. One of their colleagues grew up in wales and has experienced the deprivation of the country.
I read into the brief and really liked the idea, it gave me thoughts of using the atmospheres to really bring the place to life and showcase its vacancy.
Alex told me they had booked an Airbnb for 5 days in wales and for me to prepare my equipment to take to record sound on set. I decided to take the sound devices mix pre 8. MS set up with the 418 Sennheiser. I also took with me a set of DPA 4060 Omnidirectional microphones. I chose the 418 for directing the mics at specific sounds. The area we were going to was going to be very rural, even farmland at times and I felt the super-cardioid polar pattern allowed me to capture things more directly, and with the side figure of eight polar pattern for a wider range. The DPA mics were for a great field capture. They capture an area amazingly and are very hot on the gain. I’m going to be using the coat hanger method from Chris Watson.
The three days recording went well. Numerous locations in extreme / casual weather. This trip taught me even more so about gain structure than the previous work. Recording in extreme wind and figuring out how to avoid it. Recording animals and landscapes. Handling equipment and organising my bag. What to bring on a hike to record audio and how to look after my equipment on a solo mission. Making sure the files were backed up and safe. Supervising all audio on set.
I’ll update once we’ve started working on the post production. I’m waiting on the first draft to come through before I begin editing the audio.
An artist based in London, Rebecca Lennon works across media to produce large-scale multi-channel sound and video installations, musical releases, performances, texts and visual scores. Using rhythm and musicality within video and sound editing to disturb narrative flow, Rebecca evokes a psychological and neurodivergent relationship to language, words, loops and noise – meditating on memory and its voices, while spatialising layers of sound, vibrations and visceral texts that fragment and repeat. Recent video and texts focus on entanglements of ownership, forms of housing (and their collapse), embodiment, porosity and questions of what constitutes a voice. Rebecca graduated from the Slade School of Art London MFA in 2010, and is a visiting lecturer at universities such as Arts University Bournemouth and Royal College of Art, London. Upcoming/recent exhibitions include: Cafe Oto, London, 2022, Galeria Duarte Sequiera, Braga, Portugal, 2021, Kaunas Film Festival, Lithuania, 2020 and Whitstable Biennial, 2018 with solo shows at Southwark Park Galleries, London 2021, Primary, Nottingham, 2020, Almanac, Turin, Italy, 2019 and Matts Gallery, London, 2018. Rebecca recently featured in ‘On Care, an anthology of artists writing’, published by MA Bibliotheque, 2020, BBC Late Junction 2019/2020 and on a collection of artist interpretations of scores by writer Salomé Voegelin, released on vinyl in 2022. She is currently pursuing her PhD at Goldsmiths across departments of Fine Art and Music.
DUMB 2019
I find this work not that engaging. I think art is subjective so I’m not saying I don’t completely enjoy it. I get her piece to an extent, it speaks about the lesser needs of the working-class and minorities. But I find this sort of performance to be clichè. She repeats the statement and shouts dumb after. That the statement she makes is DUMB. I also find that from reading her bio she is more of a live performer and her installations and multi-channel work might have enhanced this piece more. I’m listening in stereo currently so I’m not as immersed as she might have wanted to with her ideas of this piece.
Liquid i
This piece has the use of the voice, and most definitely would have also been multi-channel. You see mosquitos flying and the buzz of the wings emulated by I assume Rebecca. The majority of her work isn’t described on her website simply shown and perhaps this is also intentional. As stated previously her work is mostly live and has multi-channel speakers in the room to enhance what’s being shown. And as much as I like abstract work I don’t enjoy this sort of work without a context. I think the visuals and the audio by themselves are interesting and not terrible but overall it’s not something I would go out of my way to watch.
I’m interested to ask her about her live installation work. The thought process behind it. Is it site-specific like the other visiting practitioners or simply how to adapt your ideas to the space?
Post Lecture Reflection
Rebbeca begins by speaking about her work Mouths. She performed behind a red screen and this is because she likes to obscure herself in performances to produce distance. For Rebbeca rehearsal is form. She likes to think of her work as rehearsals, sketches or taking different forms. She wanted to create a relationship between her writing and her performance and she used contact mics on her throat to portray her anger at being silenced.
There are many themes in her work, boundaries, landlords and the tenant appears in this work of different kinds of ownership and containment. Her mouth is covered and instead, you hear another mouth.
She was working with layering voices in stereo. She tested her idea of six speaker poly performance and found it incredible to work with. Speakers were arranged in a circle while viewers stayed in the middle, the vocal dissociation given by the speaker set up created in an immersive experience.
Rebbeca work is very interesting and multi-layered. I find her ideas quite fascinating as they truly are beyond my own understanding. The fine art aspect is something I’ve always been pushed away from due to exterior factors affecting me. Such as social and political settings involved with the higher fine art society. But after re-listening I do think there is always something to take from someone’s work. I think her motivation and choice of doing what she lives is inspiring in itself.
Cedrik Fermont is a composer, musician, mastering engineer, author, independent researcher, concert organiser and curator who operates in the field of electroacoustic, noise, electronic, experimental and improvised music since 1989, born in Zaire (DR Congo), he mostly grew up in Belgium and currently lives in Germany. Through his label and platform (Syrphe), Cedrik publishes and promotes electronic, experimental and noise music from Asia and Africa and to a lower extent Latin America. His writings focus on music from Asia and/or Africa: Sound Art in East and Southeast Asia. Historical and Political Considerations (with Dimitri della Faille) (2020), Power through networking: Reshaping the underground electronic and experimental music scenes in East and Southeast Asia (2015-2016), An introduction to electroacoustic, noise and experimental music in Asia and Africa (2014-2015), Not Your World Music: Noise In South East Asia, book written and edited together with Dimitri della Faille (2016), winner of the 2017 Golden Nica – Prix Ars Electronica in the Digital Musics & Sound Art category.
Cedrik has performed and collaborated with artists across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. He also performs in several projects such as Axiome, Tasjiil Moujahed, Marie Takahashi & Cedrik Fermont, etc.
A singularity of noise music in Asia and Africa.
I read a small four-page essay on the ideas of western society and the alienation of noise music from Asia and Africa. Some of the points made me consider even my own listening habits as I tend to mainly listen to western and south American music. But also why I don’t consider African or Asian countries versions of the music I enjoy.
I also read online while finding this essay about how Cedrik really fights for the awareness of Asia and Africa to be included in conversations. The western world can really isolate developing countries in their work and attempt to make them not relevant has succeeded in the past.
Now the question I have is. Are our western societies self-aware of this? Or just choose to ignore it?
This is not intentionally music’. A Cedrik Fermont Interview
Cedrik speaks on his daily life, working on the label and touring. He is a noise nomad he says, touring the world and engaging in cities he finds himself in. He usually likes to engage with the audience, the organisers and the politics of the area he finds himself in. He finds when touring he is so much more aware of the scenes around the world and in his head he can contextualise this when he researches about the cannon. He finds that a lot of non-western artists are left out of the narrative when speaking about the foundations of scenes.
Cedrik speaks on his love for field recordings. He says they are more detailed than a photo or a film. For him when hearing a recording it can bring him back to the place where he recorded it or even imagine how a place would be like when listening to someone else’s recordings. They are more vivid than a fixed image or film.
I agree with this so much. Field recordings really immerse you within the environment recorded, especially if done with specialisation in mind. I find that it reminds me of having my eyes closed and just embracing the atmosphere. I find field recordings to have benefits of wellbeing if playing back sounds of non-urbanised landscapes.
He also speaks on his music and experimental sounds. He starts by stating that music and performance have always been part of him. Since a young age, he’s sung and played instruments and his projects as an adult has reflected his broad love of sound. He is currently working on numerous projects under different aliases with different genres. He likes to experiment. He doesn’t want to copy what other people do and to him, breakcore was total freedom. He could do anything to an extent add jazz or punk. Make it political or a parody. Or just have fun.
I respect his views on creating, after all when one is making art. I feel it’s a separation between the logical thought driven process and the free creative left part of the brain. I can understand his views completely and I am really interested in his music. I’m going to find some to listen to.
Cedrik describes this album as a different approach than his current workings. Since 1989 he has used acoustic sounds in his work although mostly electronic, this album is the first solo album where it has been mainly acoustic sounds and a few electronic.
Passage, the first track made me feel like I was in a dark cave system. The rolling sound which panned around the headphones gave me a sense of space and rhythm alongside the sub frequencies coming in. I liked the continuous sounds playing the rolling feedback tones. I could sense his curiosity about sound through this song as it was all acoustic.
Détails, the second track. I found the horror type noises to bring my awareness back to myself. In noise tracks, I find to drift away and embrace the environment that’s being created. Mainly a lot of noise music tends to abuse the idea of noise and go all into the loudness and extremes. Cedrick’s piece in this really does touch on that but has considerable self-awareness shown in his production. The sounds although still noise, ease your ears and thoughts into this environment that slowly feels like it consumes you.
Post Lecture Reflection
He begins his lecture by stating it’s important for him that in his bio it states hes from Congo. It’s something that he is proud of and wants people to know. Cedrik Grew up in Belgium and in his area/scene, he was the only brown kid in electronic music. He would ask himself why no one else was interested in this music that looked like him and he couldn’t understand. He then starts listening to alternative electronic music in 1986, he was 14. In 1989 he started his first band still in while still in Belgium. 1991 he started a tape label with no money, no internet. It was different, There was a Mail art network to trade and buy and sell cassettes or vinyl. And this is how he would discover alternative music.
He then started getting more music that was electro-acoustic from his mail network. mostly from northwest Europe and north America, hardly anywhere else. Nothing from Africa, Latina America, Asia. Even from eastern Europe. It was very difficult, especially without the internet. For these places to not have a scene it can’t be true he says. There must be people in these places
He then started making flyers in envelopes of tapes he shipped. On the flyer, he would state that he wanted people in whatever country, Africa Asia etc to submit for compilation. It would take months later to get an answer this was due to no internet. Reaching people outside of popular locations was difficult. and he then went on to release a few popular compilations.
Cassette human archives vol 1. Global alternative electronic, improvised music, noise compilation was the first one. And looking back, it was not really global in regards to what happens now. But back then it was difficult. In the first compilation, there were twenty-five artists, mostly from Europe in this compilation. Not enough from other places and although he was happy he couldn’t find more Asian & Africa.
In the early 2000s, affordable, accessible internet arrived which allowed him the opportunity to dive way more into his research and although it still took him a while because there was not enough information available on an academic or independent level.
Cedrik studied electroacoustic music in Belgium in the late 1990s, one module was the history of electroacoustic music with artists such as Pierre Schaeffer and it continued on. But to him, It felt odd. There must have been people before that for example John cage. Or from other countries. He had heard about Egyptian composers and none were mentioned. So because this history module existed, it gave him questions which he pursued.
So thanks to the internet, he managed to discover much more than what was written in most books. He went on and on with ongoing research and the internet made getting Access to music from non-western countries much easier. Soul seek was dedicated to electronic music and alternative music in general, it was a file sharing software. Some people sharing files were not westerners, but from places like Thailand, China. And these people had a huge collection of music, music from their surroundings and also western music.
He had a chat with someone from china, who had a huge collection of experimental and industrial music from western society. So this made him realise that in china they know what the western world is doing in regards to music, but we in the western world don’t know about what they are up to.
So on this platform, there were people sharing punk music from Iran and Thailand. You could buy and swap music and he started buying from there but this was not always well distributed. People didn’t know this music existed and the best way for him to start publishing these compilations he had been working on ways to go there as much as he can.
In 2003 he goes to Istanbul, he thought there must be people doing alternative music electro etc in turkey, so he somehow found noise / experimental noise concerts in turkey. So that’s the first step for himself. He stayed about a week in Istanbul and performed there. It was difficult as he got kicked out by a venue owner who said it’s not music what he’s performing and it was scaring customers away.
In Turkey, He performed for 20-25 people. It was all breakcore/noise music, a lot of those attendees were musicians and they would stay after the show and talk and share their music through CDR & cassettes. They would say that no one comes here, you are one of the first ones, but to Cedrik it was very odd, its connected to Europe and it’s not that far away to be this isolated.
So in 2004, he goes Thailand. On Soulseek, he got in touch with someone from Thailand. So he wrote, hey is anyone interested in booking me for a show in Thailand, I’m going to Bangkok. So he managed to get booked in an art gallery with other people. Most people who attended the concert never heard this music, and out of curiosity came and listened.
Bang the name of the organiser said if he wanted to go to Vietnam he could put him in touch with people. So Cedric flew for 6 months in south-east / east Asia, to perform and meet as many people/artists as possible and to see if he could find sound arts and experimental music and so on. He brought 70 records, tapes and CDs back home.
Once he returned he published the compilation two years later, that included artists from Asia and the middle east and Africa where he went a bit later. He wanted it to be an archive as he had never found any collection of so-called electronic and experimental music from Asia and Africa. No one had published something like this before, and there were previous compilations in the 70-the 80s of electroacoustic music. But they always had big named composers and to him with his compilation, he felt it was a very important archive. It was important to him because people said it was a waste of time to go visit these places. Saying he would find nothing but he did.
So for him, this was an important document, this compilation was called, Beyond ignorance and borders. It was ignorance to pretend no one outside the west was making this music. So all this pushed him to document and travel as much as he could, unfortunately not filming as he couldn’t afford it. But he would take notes, and interview where possible.
So now Cedrik runs a radio show and his label releases compilations and albums of artists from Asia and Africa. So he’s been accumulating an insane amount of documents and above all thanks to the internet.
His huge document and archives have led him into deeper questions and to find out why it’s so own known and isn’t a part of history. Why isn’t it taught in universities art centres etc? To him it’s the same old story, the west has colonised and written off a huge part of the history of people that aren’t western. And we need to update this history of sound arts & electro-acoustic etc.
In the twenty-first century, we can’t pretend that we can’t access this information. So he’s made his own database, not the easiest. But he started many years ago and when he put it online it only contained only a few hundred references. So he got a lot of responses from people telling him, hey this person is missing. So it pushed him to go further.
I found Cedriks lecture engaging and very much authentic to himself. Sometimes there can be a feeling I assume for these practitioners to be aware of what they are communicating. Perhaps to reframe themselves to an academic setting and dilute their topic for the sake of academia. I really enjoyed Cedriks lecture and found it at times making me question what I do in my own practice and my listening habits.
