Exploring Mobile Soundscapes

Art and Media

• Artworks are material objects that involve processes of mediation and remediation, and their meaning is co-produced through interaction and interpretation of artists and audiences.
• Art events are temporary interactions between artwork and audience, taking various forms and blurring mediums, involving audience interpretation and participation.

Aesthetic Objects and Mediality

• The External Work refers to the compositional forms of an artwork that can be objectively observed, including its material and medial properties.
• Aesthetic Objects refer to the understanding and interpretation of the external work of art.
• Mediality refers to the characteristics and properties of a specific medium or media.
• Intermediality refers to the interaction, combination, and convergence of different media within a single artistic or cultural work.

Performance and Performativity

• Performances are ephemeral events that involve the interaction between performers and a specific audience.
• Performativity refers to the communicative event of a performance, where media transformations are integral to the aesthetic affordances of experiencing artworks.

Body and Technology

• The body is a means of artistic expression and communication in performances, creating a physical presence that engages the audience by conveying emotions and concepts without relying on speaking language.
• Vocal technique can be considered as a form of technology, since there are various methods and techniques that can be employed to condition and enhance vocal performance.
• The techno-sublime refers to the concept of experiencing a sense of awe and wonder through a defamiliarized sensory experience of technology.

Theatre and Sound

• The theatre can be seen as a technological medium of display, since prior to the invention of microphones and speakers, the main technologies affecting the sound/space relationship in a theatre were the building materials and design.
• The proscenium is a type of stage and it is characterized by a large arch or frame, which separates the stage from the audience and allows for a controlled and framed viewing experience.
• The theatraphone was a device and an early example of remediation, which allowed for the transmission of audio from a live performance to a distant location, enabling people to listen to theatrical performances remotely.

Film and Music

• A phonograph is a device that was invented by Thomas Edison and it was the first device that could both record and reproduce sound.
• The Kinetoscope was an early motion picture exhibition device that allowed individuals to view short films by looking through a small window, they could only be viewed by one person at a time and they played a crucial role in the film industry.
• Crooning refers to a vocal technique that is characterized by a smooth and intimate singing style, often associated with romantic ballads.
• Vocaloid software is a technology that is extensively used in virtual concerts and it incorporates digitized voices, allowing for the creation of synthesized vocal performances.

Soundtracks and Film Music

• Cue sheets are documents issued by studios to silent film accompanists in order to exercise more control over the music and sound in films.
• Themes refer to musical cues or motifs that are associated with specific characters, scenes, or plot developments.
• Leitmotif is a recurring musical theme or motif that is associated with a particular character, location, or concept.
• The "Classic Hollywood" soundtrack refers to the style of film music which predominantly featured music from the Romantic period of Western Art Music, and its aim was to enhance cinematic experience.

Film Music and Sound

• Diegetic sound refers to sound that comes from within the filmic world and which the characters themselves can also hear.
• Non-diegetic sound refers to sound that is not visible and not in the soundscape of the characters, but the audience can hear.
• Onscreen sound refers to diegetic sound that is made within the audience’s view.
• Offscreen sound refers to non-diegetic sound that is made outside of the audience’s view.
• Foley artists are professionals who experiment with different material to create specific sounds that cannot be made naturally.

Film Music Analysis

• Pure, cultural, and cinematic codes are different types of codes used in film music analysis to understand the relationship between sound and image.
• Pure codes refer to listening to music independently of any other activity.
• Cultural codes refer to establishing the cultural background of the scene or character.
• Cinematic codes refer to music in a film that refers to the film itself and adds to the effect and emotions of it.

Sound and Environment

• Acoustic ecology refers to the study of the relationship between sound and the environment.
• It explores how our ability to impact our sonic environment influence not only the surrounding soundscape but also our values and power within society.
• A soundscape refers to the combination of all the acoustic resources within a given area as modified by the environment.
• Schizophonia refers to the disconnection between the source of a sound and its reproduction or transmission.
• Schizophonic mimesis refers to the idea that the separation of a sound from its original context can lead to a loss of meaning or authenticity.

Sound, Culture, and Identity

• Acoustemology refers to the study of how sound is used as a distinctive medium for understanding and knowing the world.
• It emphasizes the importance of engaging with the acoustic environment as a means of deepening our connection with the world around us.
• Mobile soundscapes refer to the engagement of aesthetic, artistic, and cultural subjectivities of urban communities through artistic enactments of sounds and technologies.
• Sound system culture refers to the practice of using mobile sound systems to play music at outdoor gatherings and events and it is characterized by the cultural significance of the sound system as a symbol of community and identity.

Stars and Celebrity

• The star system refers to the process of creating and promoting film actors as stars through careful branding, image management, and public appearances.
• Pseudo individuality, according to Adorno and Horkheimer, is a commodity that is determined by society and falsely represented as natural.
• Stars in relation to the body/beauty myth refers to how the film industry perpetuates certain beauty standards and objectifies the female body.
• Stars as brands refer to the modern phenomenon of celebrities operating as personal brands, and strategically navigate between their on-screen appearances and their off-screen presence to achieve maximum publicity and recognition.

Audience and Reception

• Audience experience refers to the collective and individual experiences of a group of people, which encompasses the emotional, sensory, and intellectual responses that individuals have while engaging with the material and interacting with other members of the audience.
• Audience behavior refers to the actions, reactions, and attitudes displayed by individuals or groups within an audience while engaging with a particular form of media or attending an event.
• Audience performance refers to the behavior and actions of an audience during a performance or event.
• Audience reception refers to the way in which the audience receives and interprets a performance or text.
• The public refers to a community of citizens who are characterized by rationality, deliberation, tolerance, and a focus on decision-making.

Fandoms and Participatory Culture

• A fandom refers to a community of individuals who emotionally engage with a particular popular narrative or text.
• Fandoms are characterized by close-knit communities that challenge traditional cultural hierarchies and engage in participatory culture, emphasizing sharing and creating.
• Textual poaching refers to the practice of fans appropriating and reinterpreting existing texts.
• Participatory arts cultures refer to artistic practices and cultural activities that involve active participation and engagement from the audience or participants.
• RW culture stands for Read Write culture, in which individuals have the ability to create and contribute their own content, and it emphasizes the idea of co-production and encourages users to be active participants in shaping the culture.
• RO culture stands for Read Only culture, in which there is a clear distinction between the creators and the audience, with limited opportunities for active participation or contribution.

Test your knowledge about mobile soundscapes and sound system culture with this quiz. Learn about the engagement of aesthetic, artistic, and cultural subjectivities of urban communities through artistic enactments of sounds and technologies. Explore the cultural significance of sound systems as symbols of community and identity in outdoor gatherings and events.