The late John Cage once weighed in brilliantly on the natural
soundscape and editing issue at a conference at LucasFilm in 1989.
When asked if there was anything "pure" about a recording, he kind of
shook his head and thought for a moment, as if anyone who was a
recordist could even broach the subject. After responding that because
a recording (of any sound) is a decontextulaization and abstraction of
its source, in a "so what?" moment, he said:
"Attempts to replicate or capture aspects of the natural world without
amendment speak clearly to a vision of paralysis and death=85It
[recording of sound] simply cannot be done without some element of
transformation.=94
Bernie Krause
On Jul 29, 2011, at 9:30 AM, corticalsongs wrote:
>> Good discussion, guys.
>>
>> I settled the matter for myself years ago. It's all about intent.
>> Targeting a single caller? Compiling scientific data? Capturing BG
>> sound for a film? Pushing an activist cause? All different intents
>> requiring different approaches.
>>
>> While much of my work has loftier goals, the sole intent of my nature
>> recording activities is to bring back sweet "ear candy" for my
>> listeners, most of whom are urban dwellers. So I first try to avoid
>> anthrophony as much as possible (which is itself an editing
>> decision).
>> And when man-made sounds intrude, as they inevitably do, I edit
>> around
>> them -- carefully, but without guilt. I fully understand that I'm
>> cobbling together a sanitized illusion, but that's the aesthetic I'm
>> after. To me, it's no less honest than the nature photographer who
>> might capture a lovely wild landscape mere steps from the paved
>> highway where his vehicle stands parked on the shoulder.
>
> Hi Curt,
>
> I would like to remove the word "honest" from the discussion if
> possible :)
> I do not think that the creation of illusion or fantasy is
> necessarily a moral or ethical issue as the word can sometimes
> imply. Guilt should not be a factor in the editing of recordings.
>
> What I find interesting is how we all are after this same aesthetic
> - we all collectively make this choice to edit out man. So far, each
> of us has confirmed this. If aliens were to come down to Earth and
> only listen to our nature recordings and view our wildlife
> documentaries, they might be tempted to see a planet rich in
> wildlife and brimming with species. Yet it seems that we are facing
> the worst environmental crisis we have ever seen as a species, and
> one that we have presumably created.
>
> So not only is it interesting to me that we all enjoy creating the
> illusion, our audience also enjoys the illusion. In many cases we
> are both the creators and audience. This is fascinating.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> "While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
> sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie
> Krause.
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
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