Studies into and practices of sound art and design.
Slava Ukraini
On the 24th February 2022: I saw a video from our waste of a prime minister saying that a war has begin in Europe and that Russia had invaded Ukraine at 4AM that morning. I panicked, I remember shouting at my phone and then I felt I needed to understand what other people knew was going on (you cannot trust what this man says). So I went out to downing street to see if anything was happening as I surely assumed it would be. I had recorded protests previously and I’ve felt the weight their audio can carry both at the time and also listening back afterwards so I took with me a Zoom H8 recorder and a pair of headphones.
I got there and as I’d hoped there were people there, supporting Ukraine and telling people further information. I recorded the sounds as I honestly don’t know what else I can do. If I can project these voices and it does something positive then that’s a good thing?
I’ve since looked through the audio and it paints a very clear picture of what is going on, this unprovoked attack on a country which is so undeserving of such treatment. People are dying for no reason other than for someone to claim ownership over land. People genuinely fear for the lives of their family and friends.
Now that this has been done I find myself equally as helpless as I’ve felt at the time. If I create this sound collage, what am I doing it for and what will it affect?
Will it just add noise?
Will it rally the small pool of people who view my online content? To stand against something they too feel helpless to change?
Will it reach the ears of politicians, who already work with regards to their personal agenda and nothing more? They know more than anyone what is going on and they’re already acting as they always would.
I went to a workshop by Ultra Red which was arranged by Dr. Annie Goh and I met a course mate Rysia who is from Poland and was very honest about what was going on in Poland and it’s neighbour Ukraine. I am going to ask her if she would like the sound files I recorded as I presume she might have a clearer idea of what they can be used for.
Brothers; songs for a wanderer.
Track list:
1. Breath and weep
2.
3. Sister
4. Upon the sea, make sure everyone has one another
5.
6. Day Sleeper
7. Vampire
8. Joyful
9. Longing (jump)
0.
I had a dream on the night of handing in my audio paper for Sound Studies and Aural Cultures. I was living in a space where magic and power were very real and had sever consequences. I was with a group of people, each with their own styles and personalities, various creatures of various forms. Though it was like a family, these people were so close and dear to me it was tearing my heart thinking that anything I or someone else could do, could potentially harm their feelings, they were that important to me. It came a time, like most heroic fantasy stories, when certain people would have to go on a quest and I was one of those people. I was the most powerful of the group [great ego boost I assure you] and so I had to be the one to go. If I didn’t go, everyone would die kind-of-deal. But I would have to leave this group of people behind and travel only with two others whom were strong enough and struggled to insist they come with me [again, very classic RPG]. I had agreed to go and was saying goodbye to these people and it was as though pure, pure emotion was ripping from my head, I woke up bawling my eyes out and drew some pages of things from the dream, I had to document the raw feeling. This then turned into an album, I would take the various parts and individuals that I can recall from this dream and imbue them into the songs. If I would never see them again then this is a sure way to take them with me.
I’ve since asked my brother and my sister in the least morbid way possible to send me ten songs 1-9 and then an extra 0th track as if I were to never see them again. They still haven’t sent me anything, maybe they forgot, maybe they think I will “leave”, though that is really not my intention. I’m trying to get a sense of great emotion from the people closest to me. Though I can’t find myself asking anymore times than once for such a thing. I know how taxing what I’m asking might be.
Another Dream;
I heard the sound of track 2. It’s a very rare occurrence when an audio is heard in a dream and truly given it’s deserved attention. You feel the audio whilst expressing the song further, you are creating the music in your head, but this dream was so involving that the music became everything and it was beautiful.
I recall old dark stone floors, outside at night, a wooden building and more around but the space was open, like a junction of an old road used by horse and carriage. There was at least one street light shining yellow onto the building(s), and dark grass within a short metal fence. I was just walking around this space holding onto the music in my head and feeding my emotions into it as it played. There was such a sense of pressure which grew and ebbed in each direction.
I tried to hold on to the melodies and percussions, and just as must as I could of the music. I referenced them as closely as I could to these songs:
Troy – Sinéad O’Connor
Make U Stay – Sega Bodega, Låpsley
Karmacoma – Massive Attack
It is truly an ache that memories of dreams drift away so swiftly.
LCF MA22
Thanks to Robert
Music Composition
12th March 2022:
I have been practicing my guitar whenever I feel emotional and I’ve recorded some of the melodies I’ve slowly come up with. I booked out the foley studio for today and went there with the intention of creating music. I set up my equipment, unable to record all 3 mics at once due to my interface only having the two XLR inputs, so I only used the two backing mics.
[I’ve had the stylistic decision to use one main mic and two either side, further away when recording vocals. With this I want to achieve a depth to the sound that I can alter and position around the listener during production. I’m really looking forward to learning about the FB360 audio plugin in our collaborating classes for this reason.]
I found it difficult to put words to the melodies I was coming up with, on the spot. At this point I was starting from scratch. It was really sounding like bad nursery rhymes in a minor key. But then I brought up a video on my phone I’d recorded of a melody I’d thought up on guitar after writing short poems. This was inspired after I’d asked someone on a date; they ended up declining, for their own reasons, but I’m really grateful for the emotions it gave me leading up to it. I decided to record this and it actually went really well. So much so that I lost track of time. I think this is a good sign.
13th March 2022:
I’ve just discovered Hans Zimmer
I was listening to Classical FM and they played a song I hadn’t heard in many years, Earth from the motion picture Gladiator [reference]. I don’t personally remember ever watching the film myself though I know when I was very young my mum had watched it in our old living room. So I recorded a voice note of the last part and sent it to her over Whatsapp.
Since this I found the album Gladiator (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) [reference] and experienced what I can wholly describe as love on a religious level.
Experiencing this album (I’ve only listened to the first 4 tracks) has more than restored my love and fascination for audio but has also truly inspired me to also be able to move people in such a way. Even writing up this page now I am enjoying typing and writing again, as I haven’t done so this entire year.