Cai Gwilym Pritchard

I’ve had a few ideas already about possible research topics for this year, I really want to incorporate audio fiction into this as I feel there’s not nearly enough academic writing on the topic.

One thing I’ve been thinking about recently is how noise music can incorporate into narrative, and more specifically audio drama. In my own podcast I have used noise music as score and put it in the space as a way to generate a sense of mystery about a setting, these seemingly random, non-musical sounds sit in a space between diegetic and nondiegetic sound, it is purposefully made unclear if these sounds are actually in this space to create a sense of unease and to tell the listener that this setting is unusual. 

Another idea I’ve only had today is to talk about oral history/storytelling and how it has lead to/relates to modern audio fiction podcasting, comparing the two and thinking about the effects that they both have on narrative and culture. Talking about how passing stories by word of mouth allows them to change and develop over time, the difference in allowing for expression through body language vs sound design. Both are similar in the sense that they are stories being told mainly through speech and no other medium yet both have different effects and associations and i would personally find that very interesting to explore.

I think that western ocularcentrism has so ingrained itself into the way we as people live our lives it would have to take an enormous cultural and technological change (one perhaps leading to the other) We have been focusing on visual art as early as 45,500 years, and aural art has been recorded as early as 40,000 years ago. With visual art in many cases it is recorded intrinsically and can be seen as long as it is preserved. When it comes to recording and replaying sound it has been a journey from musical notation to music boxes to the phonograph. This process is (compared to the history of visual art) a modern development. In sound alone there is a lot of catching up to do it feels. In relation to the rest of the senses there has not really been much development in technologies to record/recreate smell/taste/touch besides just producing the actual sources, there have been some inroads but it is nowhere near the level of sound and sight. 

We as sound artists are in a decent position: audio drama as a way to present a narrative is becoming more mainstream with many shows not angling to be turned into tv shows or films, music and sound art aren’t particularly considered “incomplete” without visuals. I think creating pieces that focus on sound and don’t encourage a listener to use their ‘inner eye’ to conjure up images, instead creating sound art with an accousomatic approach, caring about sounds themselves instead of their sources.

My main takeaway from Yan Juns guest lecture was the idea of a push toward a less serious form of sound art, the idea that much of sound art is taken very seriously and that there is not really room for small and unserious pieces. 

I find this idea very interesting, I think that it is an essential part of expanding diversity in sound art. More than just one mood should be aimed for. It’s not that things are restrictive as is necessarily, but there should be the freedom to explore beyond the standard. It feels like this should already be the way of things, from the discussions that were had in the lecture it seemed like people react poorly to unserious or humorous sound art which I think is ridiculous, there should be a total freedom in what is produced. 

I definitely fall into the trap of doing very grand and serious pieces but I do try and be ‘smaller’ and on occasion do something I find funny. The most recent example i can think of that I’ve made was a no-input remix of ‘toxic’ by Britney Spears: https://dinas.bandcamp.com/track/toxic-input. This is nothing but joyful and silly, there is no deeper meaning behind it than the foolishness of taking something very ‘artsy’ and putting it to what is usually considered ‘trashy’ or not ‘high art’. I feel combining the two is a really good way to bridge the gap between serious/grand sound art and the more humorous side to things.

WORK TYPE: vinyl + no-input noise music performance with video synth visuals

TECH SPECS (needing to be provided):

• x2 active loudspeakers (+power cables)
• x2 1/4″ to XLR 4m long cables
• x1 projector (+power and 1m HDMI)
• x1 limiter pedal
• x1 >2x1m table
• x3 4 plug extension leads

(artists own)

• dj mixer
• connection wires
• x2 Behringer mixers
• record player
• laptop
• x3 pedals
• webcam
• DSLR

WORK DESCRIPTION: 2ch noise music performance using no-input and a turntable, inspired by Otomo Yoshihide. With a visual element using Cathodemer video synth

DIMENSIONS: using whole room, table is at least 2x1m and one wall needed to project onto

LOCATION IN GALLERY: gallery 5

I’ve been enamoured with the works of Ryoji Ikeda since I saw a series of his pieces at 180 studios. I could talk about all of them but the one that was the most breath taking was data-verse 1, the very grand screens displaying these images seemed to scratch an itch in my mind, the accompanying composition seemingly representing and emulating the data on screen, it reminded me of experiments of when i would import raw data into my DAW to hear how the algorithm would interpret it.

Another piece that took my interest was SONIC VISTA, a sound installation by O+A, Bruce Odland and Sam Auinger. The idea of taking normally un-heard/un-listened to sound and placing a fresh perspective on them has always been fascinating to me, to resonating the sounds of a city turns what is normally called ‘noise pollution’ in low drones. It feels like an extension of generative music but using sources that aren’t even traditionally considered instruments. There’s something about extending ones senses or changing the perspective of ones senses in an installation I find deeply fascinating.

There is also an installation by xxx in which visitors walk around and listen to various pre-recorded electromagnetic field recordings of various rooms, each made to play when the visitor goes near a certain point. These recordings are amazing and varied, having done some of my own experiments with an electro magnetic microphone I’ve been thinking a lot about way to incorporate it into my own practice and many of the ideas I’ve had for an installation have involved EM.

I’ve also been recently enamoured with feedback and more specifically the process of no input mixing. seeing  Adam Basanta uses feedback to create a rather hypnotic and peaceful living composition with The sound of empty space where a mic rotates around 7 different speakers and tuning the feedback to create a slow “skeletal version of the main theme from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake ballet”, taking what is usually an unwanted and unappreciated sound and turning it into something beautiful is strangely touching. I’m still on my quest to try and make my use of No-input mixing and feedback into something more versatile and taking it beyond noise music (something, though, I still deeply love)