ABSTRACT SOUND CRITIQUE ON YOUR BLOG (for Thursday and Friday sections only)

Please write a critique of your colleague's Abstract Sound Piece. You will critique the sound piece they did not have critiqued in class.
1) Get their CD from them in class and make sure you know which sound piece was not critiqued in class.
2) Exchange email addresses as well.
3) Open up your blog, sign in, and create a new post
4) Answer the questions below on your blog. It will be helpful to me if you copy, cut and paste the questions into the blog and then answer them.
5) Once you have answered the questions, please email your colleague your critique so they have your feedback.

Write about the degree to which the artist addressed the objectives below. You will want to be very specific and back up any claim you make with an example and description from the sound work.
1) Clear achievement of your intended emphasis: rhythm or pitch.

2) Clear achievement and integration of simultaneous sounds into each work without creating music or using ordered language (i.e. avoid emphasis on a pyramidal sound structure). Listen for a sense of flow or movement forward in time without interruption.

3) Success in transporting the listener into such a state of focus that he or she experiences a state of flow as defined in your reading last week.


DEMETER SCENT ARTIST AND THE CREATIVE PROCESS

Listen to this artist follow his intuition throughout his creative process.

Extra credit opportunity for later in class after you are done critiquing:

If time allows listen to the interview at: http://www.wnyc.org/studio360/show041004.html

Listen to the short interview on SMELL.

Blog about the research methods of Demeter.

How does he pay attention?

What role does focus play in his creative process?

What kinds of questions do you think he asks himself once he has begun making a scent?

Can you make any parallels between how he balances aspects of a scent and how you balanced aspects of your abstract sound work? (There is no wrong answer here, just give this some thought and see whether or not it evokes any answers for you. It is a question that works for some and not for others and that is OK)

RESEARCH SOUND PROJECT EXAMPLES
Due before next class period - however I suggest listening early in your process to gain a broad vocabulary of how sound works can be organized and edited.

Listen to the sound examples that are on the computers during open studio hours. You can find them on the computer by:
1) Click on the desktop
2) Press the F key and the apple key simultaneously
3) The finder/search box will appear: type in Rsch.
4) You will see how to navigate to the folder with examples. There is a subfolder of student examples.
5) If you cannot find the folder, ask for help
6) There are two backup CD's at the equipment check out counter just in case...

Listen to at least 3 student examples (located in a subfolder titled Student Examples). Also listen to at least 3 professional examples. Write a compare/contrast analysis of two students' examples using the sound vocabulary you have gained in your exercises so far this term. Write a second compare/contrast analysis of two professionals' examples as well.

You will write a total of 2 compare/contrast analysis pieces: 1 comparing two student examples and another complaring two professional examples.

RESEARCH SOUND PROJECT

Goals
Make a sound piece about your research topic/theme.
Make it matter. Invest yourself. Take risks. Experiment.
Define and lead your own creative practice from brainstorming to evaluation.

Rationale
One of the big questions driving this course is “How do you make work that matters to you using digital media?” As you develop as an artist/designer, you become increasingly free to, and responsible for, forming your work. This assignment throws the ball back into your court and challenges you to lead your own creative practice within the supportive environment of our class. You are invited to take recording equipment out into the world, and to return to the studio to edit what you have gathered as you see fit, in accordance with your self defined goals and objectives. This is your opportunity to apply the realizations and information you have gathered up to this point. Integrate them into a work that realizes your vision of your listeners’ experiences, whomever they might be.

Objectives
1. Consider what you hope the audience will gain from your work and develop the most appropriate genre for your work (or vice versa). This includes achievement of an appropriate level of craft.
2. Formulate questions that will help you develop your work through stages of brainstorming, conceptualization, experimentation, refinement and evaluation.
3. Take risks with lots of different kinds, and degrees, of contrasts.

Vocabulary
Intentions
Genres
Formulating questions

Obstructions
Do not use or make music. Music is defined as the presence of all three: beat, harmony and melody.

Part 1: Clips Due: ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬_________________
A CD containing the number of individual sound clips you find necessary
Part 2: Research Sound Work Due: _________________
A single, layered sound work

Procedures & Helpful Advice
One of the most common errors with this assignment is that students make assumptions about what their project should sound like (i.e. you assume it should be documentary interviews, representational sound, abstract sound, image associative, or of a certain length or mood). This assignment has very few parameters. It challenges you to determine the appropriate structure for your sound and the best length. Don’t put boundaries around yourself that aren’t really there.

• This work should be carefully crafted but it doesn’t have to be polished. This means that if distortion makes sense in your project and you use it intentionally then it is not a problem.

• Break your work into two parts over two weeks: 1) recording sounds & 2) editing

Part 1: Clips
Procedures
• Due in one week at the beginning of class. Burn your disc before the day of class.

• When creating your sound pieces, use the Sound Studio program unless we discuss other options first, and work in the lab as is expected with all assignments.

• Test your sound on the sound system we will use for critique.

Part 2: Final Research Sound
Procedures
• Due in two weeks at the beginning of class. Burn your disc before the day of class.

• When creating your sound pieces, use the Sound Studio program unless we discuss other options first, and work in the lab as is expected with all assignments.

• Test your sound on the sound system we will use for critique.

Labeling Your Work
Please see the file labeling sheet for directions on how to label your disk, disk icon, files.

Evaluation
Evidence of in depth research, exploration, risk taking, and experimentation as presented in blog and sound clips
Appropriate level of craft
Links between your intentions and form/genre
Timely completion of both parts of this assignment

Abstract Sound: 3 examples of emphasis on pitch tone timbre

on the blip TV site click the play button below the black video screen

Abstract Sound: 3 examples of emphasis on rhythm

on the blip TV site click the play button below the black video screen

Spark Contemporary Art Space

Jessica Rylan (Noise Artists)

Rylan in Syracuse (part of Matrilineage Symposium)

Rylan is a rad sound artist & electronic musician. She redefines what music can be/is. Totally relevant to the current assignments. Check her out. It's at Spark at the intersection of Crouse (street leading to CVS on M-street) and East Fayette. Make sure you have a safe way to get to the gallery and back and enjoy!

Student work examples for Abstract Sound are available at the lab. Simple hit the apple key and "F" keys simultaneously and search for Beffel. You will find a folder with lots of examples of student works. I will work on putting some of these online this weekend and post them if possible. In the meantime, feel free to listen at the lab.

Information from class:
Weds. Feb. 7, Th. Feb. 8, Fri. Feb. 9

No class next week

Before you leave: turn in CD
If no CD see me after class


*You can revise Rep Sound for extra credit if you like (rev at end of title)

I will put examples of more Abstract Sound on timeartsinfo.blogspot.com


Homework:
Abstract Sound due beginning of next class period 2 weeks
Read “Zone” & blog questions – see the blog

Extra Credit:
Independent Research:
Go to ubu.com, artist index
http://www.ubu.com/sound/artist_tellus.html
find two pieces that interest you and compare and contrast them using the vocab today
OR
Find examples on YouTube using abstract sound that really makes the video, blog about that

Into The Zone

Please asnwer these questions on your blog after reading "Into The Zone"

What does it mean to be in the “zone”?
When have you been in the “zone”?
What exactly enabled you to get into the “zone”? Please be specific.
How could learning about methods or tactics for getting into the “zone” help you with your Research Sound project?