This post is part of the Sounds of Lysistrata project. For further posts on this project, please visit the dedicated blog site:
https://soundsoflysistrata.wordpress.com
Being surrounded by a sonic cloud is a captivating experience. My sound recording of the open score improvised play at Rehearsal Two of Lysistrata was successful, but something was missing. I sought clarity and separation but found very little. If I stopped searching and simply listened, I could hear the sounds I wanted; but they were buried. I wondered how I could isolate the sounds, having such little expertise in sound-craft. I pushed away any thought of recapturing the sounds because I wanted to work with what I had. That was my challenge.
A shift in my thinking came after reading about Phillip Samartzis’ process in recording sounds for his project, Soft and Loud, 2001, which documents five Japanese locations through sound (Samartzis, 2007, p. 48). Samartzis describes how he recorded a “general overview that reflects the size and surface of the location”, but then recorded many individual sounds “to comprehensively reconstruct the environment with as much detail and clarity as possible” (p. 50). His story reflected mine: the size and surface of my space had been captured, and all that remained was to add the details.
The act of improvised play brought into the rehearsal space sounds that may not have otherwise existed. My recording allowed me to appreciate the sounds through re-listening. Douglas Kahn states: “Sound inhibits its own time and dissipates quickly. It is too brief and ephemeral to attract much attention . . .” (cited in Edwards, 2007, p. 70). Being able to capture and re-listen to the sonic cloud allowed me to place value on many of the individual sounds that make up the location. The next part of my process would focus on recording certain details as clearly and separately as possible.
Rachelle Rechichi
References
Edwards, P. (2007). Audio CD production in a contemporary art practice. In L. Duxbury, E. M. Grierson & D. Waite (Eds.), Thinking through practice. Art as research in the Academy. (pp. 68-78). Melbourne, VIC: RMIT Publishing.
Samartzis, P. (2007). The space of sound. In L. Duxbury, E. M. Grierson & D. Waite (Eds.), Thinking through practice. Art as research in the Academy. (pp. 68-78). Melbourne, VIC: RMIT Publishing.
Zoom
underscorealchemy 