SONIFICATION

and art’s relationship to the world

Why Photography?
Why Photography?
“
[A] straight print may be beautiful…
but it cannot be a work of art.

-Robert Demachy
from ‘On the Straight Print’ (1907)
“
…a more basic [question], is the
question whether photography is
capable of representing anything. I
shall argue that it is not…

-Roger Scruton
from ‘Photography and Representation’ (1981)
 PHOTOGRAPHY

Representation ————————————————The World

 PHOTOGRAPHY

Representation ————————————————The World

Snapshot
 PHOTOGRAPHY

Representation ————————————————The World

Snapshot

Alfred Stieglitz - ‘A Snapshot, Paris’ (1911)

 PHOTOGRAPHY

Cinematography

Representation ————————————————The World

Snapshot
 PHOTOGRAPHY

Jeff Wall - ‘In Front of a Nightclub’ (2006)

Cinematography

Representation ————————————————The World

Snapshot
 PHOTOGRAPHY

Cinematography

Representation ————————————————The World

Photographed Sculpture Snapshot

Thomas Demand - ‘Copyshop’ (1999)
 PHOTOGRAPHY

Cinematography

Representation ————————————————The World

Photographed Sculpture Snapshot

 PAINTING?

Representation ————————————————The World

 PAINTING

Representation ————————————————The World

 PAINTING

Abstraction—————————Representation—————————The World
 MUSIC?

Abstraction—————————Representation—————————The World
Abstraction——————————————————————————The World

Mind——————————————————————————World

Reasons——————————————————————————Causes

Culture——————————————————————————Physics

Conversation——————————————————————————Violence
 MUSIC

Program Music

Abstraction—————————Representation—————————The World

Serialism Sonification
 MUSIC

Absolute Music Program Music Affectivsm

Abstraction—————————Representation—————————The World

Serialism Sonification
REPRESENTATION

AND

MUSIC
 SERIAL MUSIC

PROGRAM MUSIC

SONIFICATION
CAGE/AFFECTIVE
 INTRINSIC/EXTRINSIC
EXTRA-/INTRA-MUSICAL
QUANT-/QUALITATIVE
 INTRINSIC/EXTRINSIC
Intention. From?

EXTRA-/INTRA-MUSICAL
Subject Matter. About?

QUANT-/QUALITATIVE
Process. How?
 Serialism Program Music Sonification Cage/Affective

Intrinsic Intrinsic Extrinsic Extrinsic

Intra-Musical Extra-Musical Extra-Musical Intra-Sonic

Quantitative Qualitative Quantitative Qualitative

 Serialism Program Music Sonification Cage/Affective

Extrinsic Extrinsic

Extra-Musical Extra-Musical

Quantitative Quantitative
 Sonification

Gives up control ———————> Extrinsic

Gap to close ———————> Extra-Musical

Rigorous/ Specific————> Quantitative

 MUSIC AND PHOTOGRAPH

Abstraction—————————Representation—————————The World

Sonification

Representation ————————————————The World

Snapshot
 MUSIC AND PHOTOGRAPH

Abstraction—————————Representation—————————The World

Sonification

[A] straight print may be beautiful…

but it cannot be a work of art.
Representation ————————————————The World

Snapshot
 MUSIC AND PHOTOGRAPH

Abstraction—————————Representation—————————The World

Sonification

[A] graph may be beautiful… but it

cannot be a work of art.
Representation ————————————————The World

Snapshot
 “Cloud Chamber Tracks Make Beautiful Music”

“In the duet, a camera above the cloud chamber follows the particle tracks
and converts them into synthesized music, which accompanies the violin…
An amplified version of the violin part was also sent to an electromagnetic
field system positioned near the particles. Thus Matthias’ playing creates a
variable force field in the chamber, influencing the way the particles
behave.”

Alexis Kirke, Composer

http://www.wired.com/2011/01/duet-violin-radioactive-particles
 THE THREE STANCES
➤ Physical Stance
➤ Physical sciences, materials,
particles, etc.

➤ Design Stance
➤ Architectures

➤ Intentional Stance
➤ Beliefs, desires, etc…
 STANCES AND SONIFICATION
Cloud Chamber Duet
How might we describe stances in this work?
a) Physical - Data
b) Design - Patterns, visual output
c) Intentional - The beauty of revelation?
 STANCES AND SONIFICATION
Cloud Chamber Duet
How might we describe stances in this work?
a) Physical - Data
b) Design - Patterns, visual output
c) Intentional - The beauty of revelation?

➤ Data stays data - no stance-switching.

➤ Shape is mapped to shape - no stance-switching.
➤ Intentional stuff is self-referential - no stance-switching.
THE END