Sáof
Bachelor’s Thesis, Institute of Sonology, The Hague
The project approaches sound phenomena as capable of constituting perceptual space and unfolds on two planes. One plane of inquiry addresses the spatiality inherent in the source material - created by texture, frequency (e.g., Pratt's effect; spectral verticality in Erik Nyström), and sound reproduction technologies. The other perceptual level concerns acoustic response. Utilised with intention and precision, spatial characteristics such as site's dimensions, the distance and positioning of sources - loudspeakers and/or instrumentalists, and the amount and behaviour of acoustic reflection extend the artistic and aesthetic realms of composition. Advancements in the technology of electronic sound have expanded the scope of precision in working with both acoustic and psychoacoustic phenomena, such as inner ear distortion, masking, acoustic beatings, and other phase events. Alluding to tactile sensations, these phenomena entail additional layers to sonic tangibility and are shaped by and with the physical environment, from the ear to the architectural construction to the loudspeaker.
Unfolding across selected locations, the works I plan to develop employ non-conventional speaker configurations and site-responsive strategies, articulating the interdependency between spatial and perceptible material qualities of sonic structures and the physicality of site and sound registration. An important aspect of the research addresses the constraints on documenting spatial sound by reviewing the perceptual implications of the recording tool. In the wider scope, the project engages the entangled relations between the production, presentation, and reception of musical structure as a perpetually situated, shared spatial experience. The outcome of the project will be the formulation of compositional spatial-material methodology, applicable to electroacoustic and electronic works, stage performances, and installations.