Category: GLOBAL SONIC CULTURES

(Artist case study)

“An old man confronts us with some truths about language. The strangeness of his voice merges with the buzzing and humming artefacts of an archaic recording mechanism. A young girl repeats words she is trying to memorize in what sounds like French. Several men exuberantly chant fragments of a creation myth. An elderly woman tells a story of jealousy and murder to an appreciative listener.”

‘The Last Silent Movie’ is a 21 minute audio installation that is constructed from archival recordings of dead or dying languages, sections of the voices are translated into English subtitles and played against a black screen for the duration. Hiller sourced her material from linguistic and ethnographic collections, taking fragmented recordings of speaking, singing, prayers, telling stories, or even simply counting. The piece features a lot of the last surviving speakers of the languages, for example the K’ora from South Africa, recorded in 1938- a language that is now entirely extinct. Likewise, Manx, a languages that derived from the Isle of Man, documented in 1948, now unused. The piece is choreographed in a sequence that recalls a series of lost and destroyed worlds, reinstating them through the medium of sound.

I chose to write a research blog on Susan Hiller’s work as I felt it belonged within multiple angles of my research, within the sonic memory aspect, as well as the indigenous cultures. When trying to find an artist to write about I kept coming across people who were creating institutions surrounding the topic of memories, however were doing it in a more subtle way, and a way I couldn’t really connect to. Hiller’s work really stood out to me, not only because she was using words and language instead of music, but also because it made me feel something. The entirely black screen really forces you to really listen to their voices, creating these images in your head of what each person looks like- presumptions made entirely off of your own stereotypes and relation to cultural experiences.

This exhibition is mourning these lost and forgotten languages, that are not only voices but entire cultures and communities that has been demolished along with the language. These recordings, once lost deep in archives now almost setting free these ghost like characters who have been lingering within these recordings for years. Now heard again.

“I wanted to make the absences audible.” -Susan Hiller.

The installation functions as both an archive and an act of resurrection. Hiller draws your attention onto the cultural memories embedded within sound and oral storytelling, allowing the incredibly powerful emotional resonance of the voices to remain, even when the languages are incomprehensible for the viewer. This really emphasises how such identity and presence can be presented through sound, no matter a linguistic divide, there are certain emotions embedded in sounds and oral storytelling that are universal. These emotions are planted through memories and an understanding from birth of the distinct sounds of certain emotions, even though you’re unaware of what’s being said. The subtitle translations in the piece serve as a literal interpretation sure, but also as a strong connection to meaning, encouraging reflection on the density of life that is lost when a language disappears.

(Essay Research)

In recent years music therapy has emerged as an incredibly useful tool in relation to cognitive rehabilitation, particularly for individuals with neurological conditions or injuries, like a stroke. The effectiveness of the therapy all lies in the brain’s neuroplasticity- the brain’s ability to adapt its structure and function in response to experiences throughout life. As mentioned in more detail in my previous blog about Alzheimer’s, music stimulates the brain in multiple different regions, each reacting with a different response. And it’s these distinct responses that makes music an ideal medium for engaging damaged or underused neural pathways in need of rehabilitation.

In cognitive rehabilitation, music therapists use exercises involving rhythm and melody to target specific areas of the brain which then ignite different cognitive skills, such as memory, attention and language. If certain pathways of the brain are damaged from injury or illness, these are the areas that are targeted in the therapy, using different methods to reach the region that needs specific attention. For example, singing and other melodic exercises are able to improve speech in patients with a language disorder, whereas, focusing on rhythm and movement can help retrain motor skills after a stroke.

One of the most impactful aspects of musical therapy is that it engages your limbic system (the area of the brain responsible for emotion)- this involves the; auditory cortex, motor cortex, and the prefrontal cortex. These regions are engaged simultaneously, meaning, the multi-region stimulation increases the formation of new neural connections or reactivate inactive ones. This spark in connections enhances the brain’s ability to recover functions that have been lost due to illness or injury.

Although this particular kind of musical therapy is a rather recent discover and practice in the western medicinal world, there are many cases of sonic healing used within indigenous cultures. Practices that are sacred and have been used for hundreds of years for both spiritual and physical healing.

One example of a physical healing process involving sound comes form the Australian Aboriginal cultures, involving the didgeridoo, a wind instrument that is believed to be over 1,500 years old, traditionally made from eucalyptus trees that have been hollowed out by termites. The process involves this idea of therapeutic vibrations. Low-frequency sound waves are produced when playing the instrument, and it’s the resonant vibrations that are thought to help with deep tissue healing. As well as the physical pain, it is used to heal the body and mind spiritually, often combined with practices aimed at reconnecting individuals to ‘Ancestral Dreaming’, a central cosmological concept in many Australian Aboriginal cultures. It refers to a timeless realm in which ancestral spirits emerged and created the world. The stories, laws, and spirits from ancestral dreaming continue to exist and influence their lives to this day. For many Aboriginal communities, time is not linear and the past, present and future intertwine along with the spiritual world.

It’s clear that musical therapy is a distinct, effective form of healing both the mind and body, and although is something that has only recently been backed up by science in the western world. It is a practice that humans have been using for centuries, each in their own different forms and expressions, but each as powerful as the next. I think often times as a western society people look down upon traditions that involve spirituality as they see it as a kind of nonsense, and because of this, it has stunted our development in healing and helping individuals. However this ignorance should be avoided at all costs as there is evidence of these Indigenous practices working, which are only now being backed up by science.

(Essay Research)

Alzheimer’s is a disease that is caused by a build up of proteins that tangle in the brain causing brain cells to die over time and eventually shrink the brain. As it progresses, Alzheimer’s causes a multitude of problems that affect the brain and nervous system. Some of these include; memory loss, cognitive decline, language and communication issues, mood and personality changes, and disorientation. With no cure for the disease and a significant rise of cases in recent years, more and more research is being done into the subject. Research surrounding sonic memories and the lasting impact they have on patients is particularly fascinating. In a 2015 study (led by neuroscientist Jörn-Henrik Jacobsen) researchers mapped regions of the brain that are activated by familiar music, identifying specific areas of the brain that react and respond. They then looked into the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. They found that these areas involved in processing the musical memories experience little shrinkage or cell death. The regions of the brain that help encode music-associated memories are thought to be the last to go in Alzheimer’s patients.

To understand how our brains interpret and integrate music with memory, I thought it be best to look into how the brain processes it first. Although it is pretty a complicated, scientific process, I have gone into quite simple detail with it, in order to grasp an understanding.

Through a complex network of regions that work together, we’re able to experience such a rich sensory occurrence. First, the auditory cortex (located in the temporal lobe) is responsible for processing all auditory information, it decodes the basic features of sound like pitch, rhythm, and volume. Helping us to recognise melodies and distinguish instruments from the voice. At the same time the motor cortex is activated as it responds to the beat or rhythm, often causing these trigger movements like tapping your foot (this can be involuntary). Music also engages the Limbic system, involving the amygdala and hippocampus, two key parts of your brain responsible for emotion and memory. These 2 areas of the brain (the amygdala and hippocampus) are heavily activated when listening to music hence the intense emotional feelings that can occur when listening. These and the prefrontal cortex are also accountable for the deep rooted connections and memories made to music. The prefrontal cortex recognises patterns within the music, allowing us to form presumptions and expectations about where the music will go, as well as attaching personal meaning to it. Finally, the nucleus accumbens, the pleasure and reward centre of the brain, releases dopamine whilst listening to music, explaining the deep sensation it can create.

Alzheimer’s spreads through the brain in a pattern, typically beginning in the areas responsible for verbal memory and facial recognition, then ending in the brainstem (which is critical for the function of heart and lung control and swallowing). As I mentioned before, the long-term memory of music remains intact until the very last stages of the disease. Alzheimer’s patients, even in the much later, deeper stages who aren’t that verbal or communicative, often show an emotional response to music, remembering the emotional connection they once formed with it, providing a sense of comfort and restored identity.

Oliver Sacks’ book ‘Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain” (2007) Explores the relationships between music and the human brain, especially through neurological case studies. Offering a powerful insight into music and memory in relation to Alzheimer’s disease. Sacks observed that music therapy could reduce agitation, spark verbal communication, and create a temporary but incredibly meaningful sense of clarity for the patients. This video below (a clip from ‘Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory’, 2014) portrays one patient whom which Sacks uses as an example for the incredibly reaction music can have on the damaged brains.

As a reaction from these discoveries, music therapy has become an increasingly popular form of treatment for Alzheimer patients. Playing familiar music to act as this kind of catalyst for improved; cognitive function, mood and communication skills, as well as reducing anxiety and agitation.

I found the lecture of Indigeneity incredibly interesting, I have always been attracted to learning about indigenous cultures all over the world, and looking at it from a sonic point of view was something I hadn’t really explored before. Understanding the importance of the relationship between the music and the land around them that so many different indigenous cultures share. Although coming from completely different landscapes and areas of the world, this relationship is something that frequently presents itself when looking at the kinds of music played by different indigenous groups.

Song lines are a perfect example of how music is used to establish a relationship with the land, it is a kind of mapping system used by Australian Aboriginals. It consists of an intricate network of paths that describe the land, sky, and waters, embedding stories as they go along. These oral maps were passed down through generations in order to preserve this knowledge of navigation, identifying crucial landmarks and sources. As the Australian aboriginal communities survive off the land, they have to be aware of having a balanced relationship between them and it. Therefore when they notice the animals and food sources growing scarce, they move to a new location, allowing the pervious land to grow back and replenish. This relationship between man and land is something that is just completely lost within our society, the consumer culture is so strong, we take for our benefit only, leaving no time for the land to recover, therefore rendering it dead. This is something I find incredibly sad as this is really the result of money, money and selfishness. We all once had this balanced connection with the land- it’s embedded in us as animals, however, overtime we have created this complete separation between us as humans and the idea of being an animal, as a result of this we have lost the dynamic with the world we once had. It does however, still exist within most Indigenous communities as they have not lost connection to their roots.

Within many Indigenous cultures around the world history and storytelling are transmitted orally, whether this be through; spoken word, song, dance, ceremony, and/or performance. The reason for this is because many of these cultures see knowledge as a living thing, not something of the past that should be stored away, or separated from its context. There is a responsibility to pass on information to the younger generations, so the information is shared in the right way, at the right time. Much of the knowledge passed on is so deep rooted in their ancestry that it becomes something spiritual and socially bound to their land, family, and community. Additionally, many indigenous cultures did not develop a written language in the way a lot of the world did, instead they developed these complex oral systems of communication which are extremely precise. As colonisers began to disrupt indigenous communities and started forcing their languages, rules and ways of living onto them, oral storytelling became both a survival tool and a form of resistance, preserving their identity in the face of disruption and erasion.

This perspective of looking at how Indigenous communities use song and sound to preserve culture and connect to both each other and the world they live in is something I find really fascinating. There are so many different indigenous cultures around the world that each use sound in a slightly different way and yet each has similar reasonings or purposes behind them, even though they from such different environments. This idea paired with how much we have lost our connections to the world in modern, western society is something I will continue to look into and research.

Afro-Sonics is a term that refers to the diverse range of musical and sound practices, traditions, and auditory cultures deep rooted in African and Afro-diasporic lives and experiences. It encompasses many traditional aspects of African music whilst also the more contemporary aspects like Hip Hop or Afro-futurism. Prior to the lecture I was aware of multiple different forms of Afro-Sonics, however not all and so it was really interesting to learn about them in a chronological structure, understanding the relationships between different genres of music as well as hearing and acknowledging the links between them. In this blog I have just involved the aspects I was previously unaware of to help better my understanding of them.

The ring shout

The ring shout is a Christian religious expression practiced by enslaved africans during the period of slavery. It is a kind of call and response, involving multiple people, some clapping their hands to create the beat, some using wooden sticks, whilst others sing and dance to the rhythm- often moving in a circle. There is a folkloric explanation that says the term “shout” comes from an older West African word meaning “to move in a circle.”

The ring shout was used as a kind of resistance, helping to preserve their African cultures under the strict, ruthless conditions of slavery. It was a way of recognising values that were shared between their different communities before being enslaved, values such as; ancestor worship, contact, communication and teaching through storytelling. Having watched videos of ring shout performances, the sheer importance and power of the music was immediately evident. You were able to understand the culture significance the music held, as well as the raw side to it.

Underground Railroad Songs

Underground Railroad Songs were used by enslaved African Americans to communicate secret messages about escape routes, safe houses, and plans to flee slavery via the Underground Railroad system. This was a secret network of routes, safe houses, and allies willing to help slaves escape from plantations is the South, to freedom in the North of America and Canada, mostly during the 19th century. The songs sang carried hidden, deeper meanings of the path to freedom. Not all carried hidden meanings, some were used expressions of faith and community, they had more of a spiritual meaning.

Some famous songs include;

• “Wade in the Water” – Warned escapees to travel through water to throw off tracking dogs.
• “Follow the Drinking Gourd” – Gave directions using the stars (the “Drinking Gourd” was the Big Dipper, which points to the North Star).
• “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” – Symbolised hope, freedom, and the desire for deliverance.

Maroon music

The word Maroon refers to slaves who escaped and created their own independent communities within remote areas of Jamaica, Suriname, Brazil, and the United States. The term comes from the Spanish word ‘cimarrón’ meaning wild or untamed, which was used to describe the escaped slaves.

Maroon music strongly links back to their African roots, involving traditional techniques and rhythms, however also evolved into a unique thing as it had a blend of influences. Maroon music uses mostly drums and other percussive instruments to create those more traditional rhythms. Similarly to The Ring Shout, Maroon music is call and response as many African-derived music forms were often performed in groups. Music was often accompanied by dance or ritual performances, as Maroon music was also a religious expression. These dances helped strengthen communities and preserve the African cultures.

Afro-futurism

Afro-futurism is a movement that blends elements of science fiction, fantasy, and African culture to reimagine the future of Black people. It combines technology, space exploration, and speculative narratives with African traditions and cultures, creating a vision of the future that centres around black experiences and identities.

From my understanding, one of the main themes behind Afro-futurism is this idea of reclaiming identity. Having been snatched of their own history and ancestry knowledge, bloodlines of enslaved Africans lost the connection to their past and this idea of ‘home’, and so began to think of their future. The concept involves the use of technology and this kind of sci-fi future as metaphors for freedom, transformation, or alienation.

For today’s session we visited 2 exhibitions in the Chisenhale gallery & Auto Italia, 2 galleries I haven’t previously been made aware of. The first of the two was Chisenhale, an artist named Claudia Pagès Rabal whom’s piece- ‘Five Defence Towers‘ “intertwines words, bodies, music, and movement. Five Defence Towers marks Pagès’ first institutional solo exhibition in London and the premiere of a major new moving image commission.” “Pagès’ new commission locates five defence towers built throughout Catalonia’s former borderlands.” “These historic frontiers of legal, economic, political, and cultural power struggle are the starting point for Pagès’ new moving image work, which spans scripted dialogue, choreographed dance, light, and sound.”

As you can see from the image below, the film was portrayed through this semi- dome shaped collection of LED screens. Shot on a 360- degree camera, the curation and execution of this artwork was incredibly unique and had a distinct effect on me as a viewer. On each wall was a collection of photos, picturing the remains of the 5 towers. I found these to be very beautiful photos, the colour and actually, darkness of them was what made them most interesting, they weren’t really capturing much, simple pictures of ruins, however she’s managed to embrace and portray her own phycological connection with the issue through these images. I knew nothing about the towers before entering the exhibition, and yet I began to feel as if I had a connection to the them, and the deep emotional presence of the topic became much more prominent.

Claudia Pagès Rabal – Five Defence Towers

Although I did feel massively emotionally connected to Rabal’s film work, I did take a liking to the structuring and arranging of the portrayal of her work. Having worked with film, I have never thought to present it in this kind of way and so this opened my mind up into why and how it has certain effects. Because you’re lying down, looking up to watch the film, you automatically feel in a more vulnerable position, in which you’re almost a subordinate to the film. Without this positioning of the screens, I think the film would have much less of an effect on an audience. The eye contact was a huge part of what made this lay out so interesting, it became very intense at parts with these harsh eyes almost gawking down at you, you’re left with nowhere else to look but directly into her eyes and so you start to feel a relationship form between you and the character.

Nazanin Noori – THE ECHO OF PROTEST IS DISTANT TO THE PROTEST

The other exhibition we went to see was; “THE ECHO OF PROTEST IS DISTANT TO THE PROTEST, the first exhibition in the UK by Berlin-based Iranian interdisciplinary artist Nazanin Noori. The exhibition features newly commissioned works examining the emotional (im)mobilisation of the public in the context of political protest. Created in response to the death of Jina Amini and the uprisings that followed in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the exhibition reflects on the country’s sociopolitical landscape in recent years and explores the complexities of witnessing political events from afar—an experience shaped by paralysis, turmoil and longing.”

The aspect of this work that captured my attention the most was definitely the sound and spatial installation, ‘IF THERE IS GOD NO ONE WILL BE DAMNED / A HOLLOW SONG SUSPENDED‘. An entirely red room with 9 plastic garden chairs placed in a circle, 4 speakers surrounding these chairs playing a 27 minute track composed of ‘electronic textures, orchestral swells and choral fragments’ an incredibly beautiful, layered and developed sound piece. As the redness of the room begins to play with your eyes, the spacial sounds begin to play with your ears, unsure on what quite you’re listening to, you begin to feel quite disoriented and lost within the work. There are these two personas in the piece which are these very powerful choir like singers, and as the piece goes on you’re trying to understand the relationship between them. The piece flows in and out of pockets where it’s as if the voices are trying to fight each other, contrasting and pushing the other, then suddenly they both move into these harmonious sections in which they work together to create an even more powerful sound. This fluctuation is something that really made the piece individual and kept you engaged.

I think overall the biggest impacts these exhibitions had on me, was less so about the artists themselves, but more about curation, spatialisation and the layout of your work. This is something I haven’t really taken into consideration when thinking about displaying my work. When I have done so it’s been in very conventional, normal ways which I can now see how this can have a massive effect on your audience. I am thankful to have been made aware of the importance of this is such a way that I can understand how it has had an effect on myself and therefore am far more conscious of it now.