Re: [microsound] Unintentional sound

[Aaron Ximm <ghede@xxxxxxxx>]

> I think maybe the word unintentional is an improper choice in this
> context.  He seems to be intentionally recording a sound that is a sonic
> feature of a given location.  Granted, he is not staging the sound, or
> manipulating the drain, etc.  But to call any sound that is recorded
> with such care and precision unintentional is misleading.  Perhaps a
> word like "field recording" or "non-instrumental" or "incidental" might
> be more appropriate.

To clarify: in the original context I was refering to "unintentional
sounds" as the *subject* of my phonography ("aesthetically motivated field
recording" is how I usually gloss phonography, not my coinage of course;
"philosophically" or "conceptually" or "politically" etc might work as
well). Not the result (recording).

I.e. it's not my *recording* which is unintentional (just as you say).
Though my wife might say it's become reflexive and unconsidered (on a bad
day) ;).

I was offering this recording as an example which documents the kinds of
sounds I find are the focus of my field recording practice: compelling but
unintentional ones (or: conjunctions and serendipities and soundscapes).
Unintentional on the part of any agent in the sound's creation.
Unintentional in the brute lay sense of conscious/design decision.

The fact that this is a distinctive "feature" (soundmark) of the
space/time it's located in is precisely why I find it interesting and why
I recorded it. :)

Fwiw I find "unintentional" is a distinction that only meaningfully
adheres to human-produced sound; that it's a category error (irrelevant)
to call weather-sound (say) intentional or un-. On the other hand there's
something interesting when you extend this distinction to the sounds of
life, especially along the boundary conditions -- e.g. the yeast cells
which vibrate in the human-audible frequency range -- but that's just
becase we have complicated ideas about non-human (living) agency. Do frogs
intend to attract mates or mark their territory?

But then again... do I? :)

 best,
  aaron

  ghede@xxxxxxxx
  http://www.quietamerican.org

  |  quod omne animal post   |
  |  cogitum est triste...   |


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