Since beginning the Sound Art & Design BA, I feel that I have been given space to develop independently as an artist whilst taking advantage of the wide range of learning opportunities we have been given as a class.
The assignment which allowed me the most creative freedom, and which was most relevant to my work outside of university, was ‘Sense of Place’. The composition of my soundscape involved a lot of independent learning and research through visiting exhibitions (such as The Infinite Mix and Requests and Antisongs), reading (such as Sinister Resonance by David Toop, as was recommended to me by Matthias Kispert, and experimentation with the recording equipment which we have access to.
I learned about recording techniques, simple mixing techniques in Pro Tools,
Upon receiving a C- for my submission and reading the reasons for the grade, I felt as if certain aspects of the piece had been misinterpreted. However, on re-reading the programme note, I realised that I had not explained my artistic intentions well enough. I looked over my notes for the presentation and, while it contained references to the dynamic range being deliberately high (the quality which, according to the feedback sheet, appeared to be the main problem), I realised that I had possibly skipped this part of the presentation due to time constraints. Had I spoken about this I imagine that, rather than being due to a lack of knowledge about DRC, it would have been addressed as (whether good or bad) an artistic decision. This has made me aware of the importance of clear communication in both programme notes and presentations, and this is something I fully intend to work on in the future.
While I was initially disappointed in myself for receiving a lower grade than expected in the piece, it forced me to apply myself when writing the following assignment. In my Sound Culture essay, I wrote about a topic which I am very interested in and which feeds into my music work on a daily basis: the use of real-world sound in music and soundscape compositions. Compared to the prior essay (ISAD EL1) I carried out more independent research, made sure to incorporate my own knowledge of the topic and improved on the weaknesses discussed in the feedback for my essay on Khalil Joseph’s m.A.A.d. Due to my greater effort and investment in the essay, I managed to receive an A- grade, which I was certainly happy with.
I hope to continue tracking my progress throughout the year on this blog, as rereading it has provided me with a satisfying log of my artistic development over the past few months. I intend to make an effort to make writing here a more regular activity, as I feel as if a lot has been missed out, and that I will regret not having a more consistent journal.
tangentwithtanner
titsay
jbbartram-illu
yousharknotpass
baratheonpilled
