! Iris!Garrelfs!! ! ! ! From!inputs!to!outputs:!an! investigation!of!process!in!sound!art! practice! ! ! University!of!the!Arts!London! ! ! This!thesis!and!the!accompanying!portfolio!of!practical!works! are!submitted!in!partial!fulfilment!of!the!requirements!for!the! degree!of!Doctor!of!Philosophy! ! May!2015! ! ! ! Abstract( ! This!practiceHbased!thesis!aims!to!expand!sound!art!discourse!by!considering!process!in! sound!art!practice!through!an!exploration!of!artists’!experiences.! ! There!is!still!relatively!little!debate!about!or!critical!reflection!on!the!location!or!nature!of! process!in!contemporary!sound!art’s!discourse.!This!thesis!addresses!this!lack!of!debate! and!reflection!by!developing!a!framework!through!which!artists!can!explore!and!then! communicate!their!perspectives!in!order!to!extend!sound!art!discourse.!Three!key!areas! emerge!from!this!approach:!process,!practice!and!discourse.!This!thesis!investigates!how! they!relate!to!and!interact!with!each!other.! ! In!order!to!explore!process,!I!have!borrowed!from!and!extended!concepts!from!the!model! of!conceptual*blending,!a!theory!of!cognition!developed!by!Gilles(Fauconnier!and!Mark! Turner!in!The*way*we*think:*conceptual*blending*and*the*mind’s*hidden*complexities! (2002).1!Through!the!notion!of!inputs,!which!are!blended!through!process!into!outputs,! the!model!of*procedural*blending,!adapted!from!conceptual!blending,!illustrates!how!new! meaning!is!created,!providing!a!basis!for!the!investigation!of!process!in!sound!art!practice! for!inclusion!in!its!discourse.!! ! This!exploration!is!carried!out!through!a!modular!approach!to!methodology,!which!I!have! termed!Modular*Field*Methodology.!I!first!examine!my!own!past!and!current!work,!which! offers!me!the!opportunity!directly!to!observe!process!within!my!practice!and!to!observe! how!new!themes!and!views!emerge!from!an!engagement!with!new!inputs.!The! examination!of!my!past!and!current!work!also!provides!a!space!to!gain!a!deeper! understanding!of!procedural*blending*in!sound!art!practice.!This!‘introspective!approach’! is!then!calibrated!by!an!investigation!of!the!practice!of!other!artists,!through!collaborative! workshops,!interviews!and!an!online!magazine,!each!providing!different!spaces!for!a!wide! range!of!practitioners’!voices!reflecting!on!the!diversity!and!complexity!of!multimodal! sound!art!practice.! 1 Please!note!that,!while!The*way*we*think:*conceptual*blending*and*the*mind’s*hidden*complexities!was! originally!published!in!2002,!I!will!be!referring!to!the!first!paperback!edition,!published!in!2003.! Contents( ! List(of(exhibitions(…………………….…….…………..………………..………………………....…..….………(4( Contributions(to(knowledge(………….…….…………..……………..……………………......………..……8( Introduction(…..…………………………………………………………………………………………….….…….10( ! 1.!Background!………………………………………………………….……………………………….……….10! ! 2.!Research!aims!……………………………………………………………………………………….……….11! ! 3.!How!the!aims!are!explored!………………………………………………...………………….…….….12! ! 4.!Key!terms!……………………………………..…………………………………...………………….……….13! ! 5.!Chapter!outline!………………………………………………………………….………………….……….14! Chapter(One:(Inputs(to(sound(art(practice:(trajectories(of(fine(art,(music(and(( ( ( (technology(……..………..….….………..……………………………..……….……………….…16( ! 1.1!Introduction!………………………………………………...……………………..……………….……….16! ! 1.2!Diverse!understandings!of!sound!art:!an!outline!……………………………………...…….16! ! 1.3!The!emergence!of!sound!art!throughout!the!20th!century!……………………….….….21! ! 1.4!Sound!art!arrives!towards!the!end!of!the!20th!century!…………………………….…….26! ! 1.5!Music!as!a!mode!of!sound!art!………………………………………………….…………………….28! ! 1.6!Conclusion!………………………………………………………………………………..………………….33! Chapter(Two:(A(personal(journey(through(process(…………..………………….………...……34! ! 2.1!Introduction!………………………………………………………………………….………………….….34! ! 2.2!My!artistic!development!to!the!year!2000!……………………………………………….…….34! ! 2.3!My!artistic!development!2000!–!2011!……………………………………………………..…….38! ! 2.4!Summary!…...………………….……………………………………………………….…………………….44! Chapter(Three:(A(multimodal(approach:(conceptual(blending(……….……………...………46( ! 3.1!Introduction!…………………….…………………………………………………….…………………….46! ! 3.2!Steps!towards!conceptual!blending!……….…………………...……………………….…………47! ! 3.3!Conceptual!blending:!an!outline!……….……………………………………..………….…………48! ! 3.4!Procedural!blending:!applying!conceptual!blending!to!sound!art!practice!…...….51! ! ! 3.4.1!A!graphic!model!of!procedural!blending!….......................................................….52! ! ! 3.4.2!From!conceptual!blending!to!procedural!blending:!adaptions!and! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!changes!……….……………………………………..………….…………………………………54! ! 3.5!Primary!research:!Modular*Field*Methodology,!an!overview!…...............................….56! ! ! 3.5.1!The!Modules!…..............................................................................................................….58! ! ! ! 3.5.1.1!Module1:!My!practice!lab!…....................................................................….58! ! ! ! 3.5.1.2!Module!2:!The!interviews!…....................................................................….59! ! ! ! 3.5.1.3!Module!3:!The!online!magazine!…........................................................….60! ! ! ! 3.5.1.4!Module!4:!The!workshops!…...................................................................….61! 1 ! ! ! 3.5.1.5!Participating!artists!…................................................................................….62! ! 3.6!Conclusion!…..................................................................................................................................….67! Chapter(Four:(My(practice(laboratory…..…….….……………….………………………………...……69( ! 4.1!Introduction!…...............................................................................................................................….69! ! 4.2!Practice!overview!…..…….….……………….………………………………...………………...………69! ! 4.3!Key!work!1,!Project!2:!In*A*Day’s*Work*…..…….….……………….……………………………73! ! ! 4.3.1!Introduction!…..…….….…………………………….………………………………...…….…73! ! ! 4.3.2!A!survey!of!blend!fields!…..…….….……………….………………………….…...………74! ! ! 4.3.3!Conclusion!…..…….….……………………………….………………………………...….……76! ! 4.4!Key!work!2,!Project!4:!Traces*in/of/with*Sound*….........................................................….77! ! ! 4.4.1!Introduction!…..…….….……………………………….………………………………...….…77! ! ! 4.4.2!Blend!field!1:!initial!ideas!…....................................................................................….78! ! ! 4.4.3!Blend!field!2:!preparation!and!performance!1,!Dismantled*Cabaret!……..80! ! ! 4.4.4!Blend!field!3.!preparation!and!performance!2,!City*University*……….…….81* * * 4.4.5!Blend!field!4:!residency!and!performance!3,!SoundFjord*……….………...….83! * * 4.4.6!Blend!field!5:!preparation!and!performance!4,!Aural*Detritus*Festival*…84! ! ! 4.4.7!Blend!field!6:!installation!as!part!of!Noise*and*Whispers*……….………....….86* * * 4.4.8!Conclusion!…..................................................................................................................….86! ! 4.5!Key!work!3,!Project!6:!Multilogue*……….………………………………………………..….....….89* ! ! 4.5.1!Introduction!……….…………………………………………………………….……..…....….89! ! ! 4.5.2!Blend!field!1:!the!installation!……….……………………………………….............….90! ! ! 4.5.3!Blend!field!2:!blending!as!method!……….………………………………………....….92! ! ! 4.5.4!Conclusion!……….……………………………………………….………………….............….96! ! 4.6!Key!work!4,!Project!9:!Bedroom*Symphonies!……….…………………………………….…...98! ! ! 4.6.1!Introduction!……….………………………………………………………………..............….98! ! ! 4.6.2!Inputs!to!my!practice:!a!summary!……….………………………………………..…...99! ! 4.7!Summary!……….……………………………………………………………………………....................102! Chapter(Five:(An(incipient(taxonomy(of(inputs,(part(one:(sight,(sound,(tools…….....105( ! 5.1!Introduction!……….……………………………………………………….....……………………....….105! ! 5.2!The!inputs!of!sight!and!sound!……….………………………………………..........................….106! ! ! 5.2.1!Visual!art!and!sound!……….………………………………………............................….107! ! ! 5.2.2!Music!and!sound!art!……….………………………………………….........................….109! ! ! 5.2.3!Sound!and!vision!as!linked!inputs!……….……………………………................….113! ! 5.3!Listening!as!input!……….………………………………………………………….........................….116! ! ! 5.3.1!Notions!of!presence!as!input!……….…………………………………..………......….119! ! ! 5.3.2!Sound!and!space!as!inputs!……….………………………..……………………......….122! 2 ! 5.4!How!artists!work:!inputs!to!making!……….……………………………………………......….124! ! ! 5.4.1!The!inputs!of!tools!and!technology!……….……………………………………...….124! ! ! 5.4.2!Approaches!and!methods!as!inputs!……….……………………………………..….129! ! 5.5!Summary!……….……………………………………………………………………..……………......….133! Chapter(Six:(An(incipient(taxonomy(of(inputs,(part(two:(expansion(of(inputs,( notions(of(freedom,(the(artist(as(human(and(integrating(inputs(…………………..…...…134( ( 6.1!Introduction!……….………………………………………………………………...…………….…..….134! ! 6.2!Extending!practice:!the!search!for!new!inputs!……….…………………………………….134! ! ! 6.2.1!Conducting!research!to!expand!inputs!……….…………………………………….135! ! ! 6.2.2!Other!artists’!work!as!input!to!practice!……….………………………………..….137! ! ! 6.2.3!Collaborating!to!expand!inputs!……….…………….……………………………..….139! ! 6.3!Establishing!connections!between!freedom!and!the!new!as!inputs!to!practice…..142! ! ! 6.3.1!Notions!of!freedom!as!input!……….………………...……………………………..…..142! ! ! 6.3.2!The!desire!to!make!something!new!as!input!……….………………………...….144! ! 6.4!The!artist!as!human!being:!personal!inputs!……….……………………………………..….146! ! ! 6.4.1!Childhood!experiences!as!input!to!practice!……….……………………..…...….146!