A sonic theory unsuitable for human consumption

The past decade has seen the proliferation of scholarly work on audio culture by philosophers, sociologists, ethnographers, musicologists, anthropologists, and others. There is now a range of histories and ethnographies on listening and on the soundscape, and a proliferation of epistemological, methodological, and cultural investigations of the sonic. At the same time, as John Kieffer notes, sound art is fast becoming “the new kid on the cultural block” (2010). Different writers have engineered different conceptual approaches for studying the sonic. These voices are symptomatic of a body of work that has developed as a way of reacting against the primacy of Cartesian reason, looking for ways of escaping the Western tendency to measure, calculate and represent everything. They offer strategies for defending and resurrecting the nullified senses, like hearing, which must no longer surrender to the tyranny of ocularcentrism. However, the belated recognition of sound as a valid academic object of study and art discipline, often risks fetishizing the sonic and repeating the same ideological separations between sound and image, body and mind. Moreover, refreshing as they may be, they are too often confined within a human-centred position and interested in predominantly addressing the phenomenal experience of sound. This article wishes to discuss alternative schemas daring to go beyond the audiophile anthropocentric angle. It mainly draws on Kodwo Eshun’s unconventional method of ‘sonic fiction’ (1998), in order to argue for the value of developing a sound theory that brings together speculative philosophy, science fiction, and experimental audio art. Ultimately, it attempts to explore how such ‘a sonic intervention into thought’ (Goodman, 2010) can drag us away from the sociopolitical and historical organisation of sound and toward the vicinity of a more ‘unreal state’, where the boundaries between fiction and theory are provisional and utterly permeable

Rutherford Chang. The Record Collector as Artist-Curator

Record collectors judge their acquisitions by condition and rarity. Artist Rutherford Chang undermines such norms by seeking as many copies as possible, in whatever state, of one of the best-selling albums of all time: The Beatles (1968), or “the White Album.” After 50+ years, many of the 3 million numbered albums have become worn due to handling but also because of writing and drawing. Since 2013, the artist has accumulated over 3,200 copies—most that are chafed, scribbled upon, stained, or moldy. This article examines Chang’s project and its interrogation of fan appreciation and practices of consumption; the affects of aging and patina; the notion of collaborative creativity; and the role of the artist-curator. In amassing such a diverse array, We Buy White Albums highlights the variability of a mass-produced commodity while demonstrating the effectiveness of an artist-curatorial methodology to raise issues about the life and care of record albums.Les collectionneurs de disques jugent leurs acquisitions en fonction de leur état et de leur rareté. L’artiste Rutherford Chang ébranle ces normes en recherchant le plus grand nombre possible d’exemplaires, quel que soit leur état, de l’un des albums les plus vendus de tous les temps : The Beatles (1968), ou l’« Album blanc » (White album). Après plus de 50 ans, bon nombre des 3 millions d’albums numérotés se sont usés par la manipulation, mais aussi par l’écriture et le dessin. Depuis 2013, l’artiste a accumulé plus de 3200 exemplaires, dont la plupart sont abîmés, gribouillés, tachés ou moisis. Cet article examine le projet de Chang et son interrogation à propos de l’appréciation des fans et les pratiques de consommation, les affects du vieillissement et de la patine, la notion de créativité collaborative et le rôle de l’artiste- commissaire. En rassemblant une telle diversité, We Buy White Albums met en évidence la variabilité d’un produit de masse tout en démontrant l’efficacité d’une méthodologie d’artiste-commissaire pour soulever des questions sur la vie et l’entretien des albums

Rudolf Baranik's Dictionary from the 24th Century

The authors discuss Baranik's "Dictionary from the 24th Century", analysing the function of language and dictionaries in relation to power. Includes excerpts from the Dictionary. 11 bibl. ref