Re: [microsound] 99 cent culture

[noelsus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

It's hard to add to your ideas, your 99% there. Just round up.

> I'm preparing a sound installation proposal for a local contemporary
> arts center concerning the phenomenon of the 99 cent store. I guess a
> typical approach would be to round up a number of 99c items, sample them
> being struck, hit, crushed etc and then reconstituting those sounds into
> a composition.
>
> But I'm hoping that doing a little thinking out loud might elicit some
> comments and ideas that might help forge a more interesting or informed
> approach- and that this subject might be of interest to the list as a
> sequel to a topic discussed earlier:. about how can music, particularly
> instrumental music without narrative lyrics etc,  can express political
> ideas.
>
> First personal response about the topic: the idea of the 99c store
> evokes the culture of  "cheap", the sense of getting a bargain and
> beating the system while denying the possible cost in human exploitation
> (almost all of the non-food items come from China.)  Childhood memories:
> the fun of dropping into the local Woolworth and being able to buy
> something, even with your measly allowance. It's now the gloomy Zinn
> read, Amy Goodman fed, politically aware adult that now sees the menace
> of Walmart (the race to the bottom), a giant trade deficit, the relative
> decline of an American manufacturing giant made rich by two world wars.
> Hmmmm, is this about politics or about age/aging?
>
> What does 99c mean - cost of a song on iTunes, a DVDs of movies now in
> the common domain, a slice of pizza for a hungry and broke student -
> it's almost free. Capitalist context - cheap is demeaning, sign of low
> value -discontinued items no longer of interest etc. Socialist/communist
> context inexpensive is almost free - good things: free health care,
> libraries, education, music - low cost = maximum accessibility, public
> good etc. .
>
> What about the inherent distortion of the project - using 99c items,
> processed by thousands of dollars of software and hardware.?
>
> Any thoughts....?
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To unsubscribe, e-mail: microsound-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> For additional commands, e-mail: microsound-help@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> website: http://www.microsound.org
>
>



---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: microsound-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
For additional commands, e-mail: microsound-help@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
website: http://www.microsound.org