Sound Art – Assignment

What is sound?

Google defines sound as vibrations that travel trough a medium that can be heard. Sound can be found in almost all sort of activities and can exist in many different forms. In the real world, sound can be treated as just unpleasant noise or the by-product of an activity, while in the artistic world, sound artistes make use of all these noise to create music or an art piece.

How has it been use in culture and society?

Over the years, the number of art pieces that have focused mainly on sound increased tremendously. Some examples of sound art includes – music, kinetic sculpture, conceptual art, sound effects, film, technological demonstrations, interactive computer programmes etc. A large component of sound art in society is music, which has evolved tremendously over the years from Mozart’s classical pieces to the popular music today.

What makes it an art?

Art is the expression of human creativity and imagination. Personally, I feel that sound art is a form of artistic expression, using sound as a medium. However, in the article, Neuhaus mentioned that sound art can include anything which has or makes sound and in some cases, things which don’t. Hence, sound art can be literally anything that engages the audience.

How does advancement in audio technology affect our sense?

Advancement in audio technology helps to cultivate the vast potential of sound art which keeps us engaged. In the article “Sonic Spaces”, Paul DeMarinis mentioned that the invention of the phonograph helped to record and reproduced sound. This allowed Theodor Arorno to play with surface noise which helps to evoke suspended disbelief and grabs the audiences’ attention in a film.

Sound Art – Research

Whispering in the Leaves by Chris Watson is a sound installation that allows viewers to listen to mysterious sounds commonly found in Central and South American rainforests. Chris is a sound recordist who had spent years recording and compelling sounds in different rainforests around the world. This installation consists of two parts – Dawn and Dusk. In the morning, audiences is immersed in the choruses of animals and chirping of birds which are replaced by insects sounds at night. When I heard the recording, I felt like I was transported to the Amazon rainforest. Chris mixes and paces his recordings extremely well, there are no moments where the noises feel cluttered and inauthentic.

Game of Skill 2.0 is an interactive sound installation by Christine Sun Kim. Christine is a deaf artiste who experiments with the medium of sound. In this installation, audiences are presented with a portable device that has an antenna stick. As they drag the device under a velcro strip, a sound is emitted based on the participant’s speed and direction. For example, physically moving forward and backward is equivalent to forwarding and rewinding a recording. This installation requires the audience to explore different ways of keeping balance in order to listen to the complete recorded story by Christine. I am very amazed by how she is able to play and interact with sounds even though she was born deaf.

Rhetoric of the Image by Roland Barthes

What are some of the key questions Barthes aims to investigate in the article?

In “Rhetoric of the Image”, he investigates how images are able to contain messages and bring across an idea efficiently. Using the “Panzani” advertisement, he explores the intentional and the hidden meaning of the visuals and texts used and how they influence our perception.

What are some of the key terms/ concepts introduced and discussed?

3 key concepts were introduced –

1. The linguistic message refers to the captions and labels of the image which can be denotational or connotational. The denoted message is the dictionary meaning while connoted message is the meaning and associate it bears to the denoted message. For example, the name “Panzani” tells viewer the name of the pasta brand and allow us to associate it with Italy subconsciously.

2. The symbolic message refers to the connoted image which is comprehended using our pre-existing knowledge. It requires the viewer to link together different elements of the connotative signs in order to have a deeper understanding.

3. The literal message refers to denoted image which does not imply any code or hidden meaning. Hence, what is visually presented is what we perceive. For example, the packet of pasta simply represents pasta.

Do you agree or disagree with his argument and point of view?

I agree with how Barthes’ analyse and breakdown the different elements of an advertisement. An image of an object may have a meaning but it can differ greatly because of word play or how we portray and frame it.”The one lexis mobilises different lexicons” – The creator can try to relay an idea using an image with both symbolic and literal message but we all comprehend it differently based on our cultural knowledge and opinions.

Provide a brief analysis (200 words) on an advertisement of your choice by using the terms/ concepts proposed by Barthes and discuss the role of text and its relationship with the image in the advertisement. Please include an image the advertisement in your post.

This is an advertisement of tomato sauce by Heinz.

The linguistic message of this poster is “No one grows ketchup like Heinz”. Through this statement, Heinz wants to subtly imply that they are the best ketchup producer in the market as “no one” does it like them. They also used the word “grow” which implies that Heinz cultivate and grow their own tomatoes and this creates an impression of freshness in their products.

When you first look at this ad, the denoted image you get is a ketchup bottle being sliced up into many slices which simply represents the product Heinz is trying to promote. However, when you take a closer look, you will realise that the bottle is actually made up of many tomato slices and the bottle cap is replaced with a tomato stem. The tomato slices all appears to be ripe and juicy which creates a refreshing image in your head. In my opinion, Heinz is trying to bring across the message that they use fresh real tomatoes as ingredients to appeal to consumers that they are a healthier and better option.

4D Project 1 – Strange Encounter

The following strange world collage is created by Christian Schloe. He is a digital artist who specialises in areas like painting, illustration and photography. He substituted the head of the object with birds and made use of movement to portray a feeling of escapism. Looking from bottom to top, the birds progress from being still to spreading their wings to soaring in all direction. I like how he created a world which allows his object and the viewer to be at liberty and serenity.

This is one of the collage from “Wotsit all about?” series by James Ostrer to create awareness of society’s poor eating habits. He substituted all the facial features with fast-food products. The way he positioned the products brought across the message of desperation. The dripping of ketchup shows that the object is crying for help while the burgers on his shoulder gives off the impression that the poor eating habit is taking a toll on it’s body. I really like how he is able to convey a strong message using the placements of the different objects involved.