CREATING AN ANTI-SCULPTURING CULTURE

The concept of fragmenturgy goes against normative sound structures and mixing techniques through the continuous refusal to create hierarchical order based on stereotypical knowing and predetermined narratives.

Fragmenturgy opens up a space for narratives to ”create themselves", as they emerge compromised and altered by the other layers of sound.

When creating a mix the pre-mediated narrative concept or idea creates an hierachical order and provides a framework in the mix.

For example, the atmospheres in  mix (wind, rain and so on) are generally classed as "background noise" and are subsequently subordered the narrative, mostly the human speaker voice (the storyteller) when it comes to loudness, frequency arrangement and dynamics. 

This dominant, normative order is organised according to psychoacoustic theories such as Signal to Noise Ratio(SNR)which determines that ”meaningful information” should be at least 10 decibel (ten times) louder than the background noise. Otherwise, the noise is expected to bastardise the important message.

By allowing the mix to create itself, without choosing sound according to a set narrative concept, fragmenturgy provides a practical method to ”anti-sculpture” sound. 

By repeatedily and patiently practicing fragmenturgy when listening to a mix the perception of the previously hierachial sound orders and suborders will become increasingly blurred and other fuzzy narratives will appear. 

on "Sound as a Resistant Matter"

Sound is often simplified, reduced and squeezed into compartments such as speech, music, noise and technology when discussed in terms of materiality. 

What might sound become, if acknowledged as a true, emancipated materiality, such as paper, paint and clay? 

In this talk I approach sound in terms of an underdeveloped sense and unexplored materiality according the theories of Pierre Schaeffer’s and Michel Chion’s “Guide des objets sonores” and Chion’s “Audio-vision” but also in relation to another, more pressing threat as described in Donna Haraway’s “Situated knowledges” from 1988; the gaze of the heteronormative super power; our Vision”.

A kind of Manifesto

What does the concept of sound as a materiality entail? 

My point of departure is that we urgently need to explore alternative ways to approach and listen to sound.

This line of enquiry would require challenging the patriarchal, technological and white, colonial power structures that have shaped listening in western culture.

I believe, we must all over again stop to re-examine the compositional and tonal structures of sound in order to dispute them as absolute, quality measures. We need to deal with our unconditional faith in technology and the accused traumas of so called noise.

Continuing the exploratory path of sound pioneers such as Maryanne Amacher, we ought to go back to the core place of the problem; the sound studio with its excluding and commodified design as an undisputed utopian centre for “perfect listening”.

Above all, we ought to defy stereotypical knowing while expanding our ability to listen. This must take priority in order to qualify broader perspectives of what sound is, or might be. This includes looking closer at the image-producing capacities of sound itself as well as its meditative, emotional and physical impact on our bodies – beyond limited concepts of “urban sound design” and “psycho acoustics”. 

We also need to closely examine sound and its place and in the intermodal chain in relation to other artistic matters, such as the visual, to find alternative modes for more fruitful interdisciplinary interaction and collaboration in the future.

Where we are at, today:

1.Sound as music.

2.Sound as noise.

3.Sound as a narrative, communication.

4.Sound as technology (technical innovations, technical concepts)

Where we are heading:

• Sound as an emancipated, artistic materiality. 
• Sound as a critical, artistic practice.

In what context does it sound?

What can it do?

A critical sonic practice is built on the notion that sound is a resistant, artistic materiality. 

Such sonic practice explores “the sonic” in relation to other materialities and socio-cultural, historic, geographic and environmental implications of place and space and is not judged according to technological or compositional frameworks.

Extract from "Can art save the world? On “Materiality and Resistance”" seminar held at Stockholm University of the Arts on May the 8th, 2017.

The Lost and Found project in panel with Mia Engberg, Mara Lee och Paul Platou, hosted by professor Ellen Roed.