BA Hons Sound Arts- Y2 Contemporary issues in sound arts
I wanted to write a separate post for this one assignment because I believe it to be a very important one. The contemporary issues in sound arts assignment was a particularly formative experience because I believe it was the first time I had articulated my ideas in an effective way. For the first element of the assignment I wrote an essay on why film scores so often are non-diegetic, and the wasted opportunities within this. I feel I touched on some important literature during this research, multiple sources along the sound arts cannon led me further and further towards my initial inclinations. I became convinced that a diegetically anchored score was the key to truly immersive scoring, these academic sources directly informed the second part of the assignment, the practical element. In my opinion this assignment was the perfect process of practice based research (My current interests and processes led me to research this topic), that developed into research based practice (I took inspiration from the scholars I was reading). This whole process resulted in me developing my practice into something more refined. In contrast to my previous somewhat semi-improvisational work, I would describe this one as well thought out and academically based.
My practical implementation of this research was a music concrete inspired composition, which would then later be utilised as a score. I placed a binaural microphone in the middle of a large room at average ear height, I then had approx 10 people walk around the room creative footsteps. On my cue, the people would gradually synchronise their footsteps, from the outside to the inside. This gradual synchronisation created a rhythm that slowly increased in intensity, but that also slowly transitions from what would be considered diegetic, into non-diegetic. I am going to hold onto these recordings diligently, because I am hopeful that at some point in the future I will have an opportunity where it will fit, in which case I am confident that the work that comes out of that will be an excellent score.
This assignment made me realise that this kind of practice based research was the key to good work, and this is a process I will definitely continue through my career.