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Date: Mon Apr 19, 2010 2:29 pm ((PDT))
Its an interesting discussion and I have seen similar conversations or =E2=
=80=98arguments=E2=80=99 in the art world also. Some of the greatest works =
of art were made by the poorest but most inspired artists. At the time of c=
reation though, the artist was moved to =E2=80=98say something=E2=80=99 reg=
ardless of the materials or equipment used. You can also assume the same fo=
r the photographic media in which many of the greatest photographs were not=
staged but the photographer was in the right place at the right time. Litt=
le did artist or photographer know what value their work had years down the=
road.
I don=E2=80=99t think its really for =E2=80=98us=E2=80=99 to judge unless w=
e are looking at the recordings from a purely technical perspective, even t=
hen someone recording something can only use the materials available to the=
m at the time. Some of the most grainiest, technically poor photographs bec=
ame the most famous and valuable.
There are many things that I think make up good =E2=80=98art=E2=80=99 or ev=
en a good recording, technical ability, equipment used, location, inspirati=
on, recording style, the passion from within but I think most of all pressi=
ng the =E2=80=98red=E2=80=99 button on the machine has to be number 1, with=
out it, there is nothing. But the flip side of the coin is that I can under=
stand both sides of the argument, there are millions of photographs taken e=
veryday, many of them portraying things of no interest to many of us but so=
meone out there, in years to come, might get a sense of what it was like to=
live in =E2=80=98our age=E2=80=99. Is there a deeper message here? do we a=
s recordists or artists want to tell the world that we existed, that we mad=
e an effort, that we said something and I think to =E2=80=98say something=
=E2=80=99 with our work is key.
Lastly, museums have come to collect what they deem to be important art, ph=
otographs, relics, recordings etc, there are also sound libraries and I thi=
nk it=E2=80=99s the job of the curator to deem which sounds should be archi=
ved but then again, they are not always right either. Here is a fascinating=
collection from the BBC, well worth a look, We all have our reasons for do=
ing this, my own perspective is that I think nature recording is extremely =
important in these times of environmental degradation. I have tried fightin=
g the clear cut loggers, the sprayers and the developers=E2=80=A6 I suppose=
I feel obligated to record what I feel is disappearing in the natural worl=
d, right or wrong, it doesn=E2=80=99t really matter does it. I would be int=
erested to know why others on the list get up at all hours and go our in al=
l weather to record? Is there a common theme?
=E3=80=80
Cheers
Mark
Nova Scotia
Canada
http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/sound_archive.shtml
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