Author: Han Wen
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Culture in sound
Through the study of Japanese ambient music, I have discovered its reconstruction of local identity in the tide of globalization. For instance, David Novak’s marginal circulation theory reveals its essence: the combination of Western electronic technology and Eastern spirituality. The shock of post-war modernization and the collapse of the bubble economy forced artists to rewrite…
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The Power of Protest in Sound
We visited the sound exhibition of Iranian artist Noori, whose theme was Echoes of Protest. She didn’t tell stories through pictures or words, but used various sounds to let you directly feel the emotions of protest – such as anxiety, hope, and powerlessness. 27 minutes of audio:Someone recites T.S. Eliot’s “The Hollow Men” (the original…
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Some texts and thoughts
a. In Noise, volume flattens out the scene to foreground the idiosyncrasies of individual sensation. Noise fans and performers sometimes describe their experiences at live performances as a state of hypnosis, dreaming sleep, or trance. This immersion in volume is not a moment of social collectivity but a personal encounter with the overwhelming presence of…
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Ethical issues brought about by sampling techniques
Digital samplers can transform sounds into codes that can be replicated infinitely. Thomas Porcello points out in “The Ethics of Digital Audio Sampling” that although this technology has brought convenience, it has also raised many issues regarding copyright and creative ethics. For instance, in the 1980s, Jan Hammer sampled the performance of percussionist David Johnson,…
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Hear the folds of the air
I was recording the convenience store outside my window at 1am, and the electronic ding of the cash register hit the wobbly chain of the roller shutter, creating a damp copper bell in my headphones.It turns out that silence is not a vacuum, but the embryo of sound. I picked up a 1987 desk clock…
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The process of work
For the group radio theatre project, I was responsible for the Foley sound production. Before starting, I read the script and marked which scenes needed specific sound effects. For example, a rainy night, the opening of an old wooden door, the clash of cups and saucers while drinking coffee. My task was to make sure…
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Cultural drift on the airwaves
I was browsing through the list of programmes on Resonance FM, and randomly clicked on “The Out of Language Experience” under the Garden.Something.Meeting section.This accidental choice made me appreciate the unique charm of radio art – its ability to break the boundaries of time and space and achieve a wonderful blend of cultures. What struck…
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Understanding of the art of broadcasting
The book Radio and sound experimental mentions: “Though the radiophonic voice is “disembodied,” the body is never totallyThough the radiophonic voice is “disembodied,” the body is never totally absent from radio, while it is often radically disfigured, transformed, mutated.The body is neither purely natural nor purely textual, but rather the primal symbolic system that articulates…
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Developing a research question/topic
Research Question: How does Japanese ambient music reflect local culture, philosophy and identity? Directions: a. Identity: What kind of historical background and globalisation influences artists to create such music and how it reflects contemporary Japanese culture. b. Philosophical Influences: How to express the beauty of such mutilation as wabi-sabi aesthetics through sound, e.g. the irregularity…
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Sonic narrative
There are many core elements of radio art, such as vocals, background music, sound effects, and ambient noise.They interact with each other and create atmosphere and meaning, and in class we listened to a number of examples of radio art, each showing a different style of sound narrative. I was most interested in the category…