disruptors - vocal improv
This morning I was in the bath thinking about Poetry Emergency (23-24 November), and specifically about what sounds and approaches I might use for it.
This has been on my mind for two reasons in particular: first the whole question of whether and how an art that's predominantly sound, predominantly aesthetic, can articulate political/ethical values; and second whether I'm reaching the limits of what I can do with my improvisations, since they seem to be getting a little stale.
I've tackled the first question in my two part essay Where's the Politics here and here (audio version here). And although I haven't got round to any further research yet, YouTuber Angie Speaks also provided some potential answers in her video Dadaism: Art as a Political Weapon.
As far as the second question goes, I'd say that the start of yesterday's regular scheduled improvisation demonstrates that possible stagnation pretty well, up to the point where I find a way to take it in a new direction.
And the solution there takes us back to me sitting in the bath thinking about sounds and approaches. I started idly making sounds, looking for things I hadn't used much, or maybe hadn't done before. And at the same time started thinking about hypothetical narratives - sequences of events tied to locations that I could associate those sounds with.
After a while I had three sounds to begin with and decided to start recording. Now since I was in the bath I had the sound of the fan there, the room tone highly influenced by the resonance of the space, and the water, the bath, the tiles on three sides create a lot of resonance. Which means that the recording is super rough and sounds aren't always clearly separated from each other. But I like that.
Give it a try. Just below. Go on. You know you want to. Just click that little arrow. Go on.
This has been on my mind for two reasons in particular: first the whole question of whether and how an art that's predominantly sound, predominantly aesthetic, can articulate political/ethical values; and second whether I'm reaching the limits of what I can do with my improvisations, since they seem to be getting a little stale.
I've tackled the first question in my two part essay Where's the Politics here and here (audio version here). And although I haven't got round to any further research yet, YouTuber Angie Speaks also provided some potential answers in her video Dadaism: Art as a Political Weapon.
As far as the second question goes, I'd say that the start of yesterday's regular scheduled improvisation demonstrates that possible stagnation pretty well, up to the point where I find a way to take it in a new direction.
And the solution there takes us back to me sitting in the bath thinking about sounds and approaches. I started idly making sounds, looking for things I hadn't used much, or maybe hadn't done before. And at the same time started thinking about hypothetical narratives - sequences of events tied to locations that I could associate those sounds with.
After a while I had three sounds to begin with and decided to start recording. Now since I was in the bath I had the sound of the fan there, the room tone highly influenced by the resonance of the space, and the water, the bath, the tiles on three sides create a lot of resonance. Which means that the recording is super rough and sounds aren't always clearly separated from each other. But I like that.
Give it a try. Just below. Go on. You know you want to. Just click that little arrow. Go on.
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