July 2015 – Chiaroscuro

Assignment One: Peer Portrait

Alaine Thompson on July 31, 2015August 22, 2015

For our first assignment we had to do a portrait on the person we chose to sit next to on the first day, which was very interesting and proved to be quite a fun challenge. My subject was Aisha Stevens, who I got along with immediately and turns out, like most people, is a very interesting person with a story to tell; you just have to find the story. Here is my reflection and my final piece:

Sense of Place can truly define a person and to Aisha, her place in the world is traversing it in the footsteps of her parents, especially her father and grandfather, all journalists before her.

Whilst interviewing Aisha I quickly discovered that she had a very passionate love for journalism and a very strange sense of place, due to the fact that she had been uprooted so many times. But because of this strange sense of place she almost enjoyed travel and the enticing nature of the foreign as opposed to what she’s already accustomed to. Couple this with the fact that both her parents are journalists and her own vendetta to become one herself, and you’ve got an individual with a world at her feet.

I really decided to focus in on Aisha’s parents and the fact that through their careers as journalists Aisha had been moved around a lot and really developed a very unique and worldly sense of place. Sense of place is a very significant part of identity and through asking Aisha about her favourite places I discovered the type of person she was and the overall tone of my piece. I used atmospheric sounds to create and add textures to certain phrases, combining and then suddenly dropping the layers at different points to allow for greater meaning to be created through subtext. While the sounds used were at times obvious, they did take on a more emotional and subtextual quality as the piece progressed, and the sounds were used instead for their emotive quality rather than physical/location-based quality.

While this was not my first attempt at using audio editing software, it was my first time creating a layered audio portrait and I feel that it was successful for a first attempt. However, I do acknowledge that the recording could have been done in a cleaner room to achieve a clean sound with no white noise pollution, and that my cutting could have been more lenient as in some areas the ends of words were cut off unintentionally. However, I do not feel that this takes away from the overall piece, it is just not good practice unless it is being used for a desired effect.

Sound as Texture

Alaine Thompson on July 29, 2015September 16, 2015

Sound texture plays hand in hand with connotation, it’s what you feel through the sound. Mix quality, fidelity, layers, direction, non-verbal information, location, stereotypical generalisations. All of these come through the sound’s textures, we can hear the connotations in the textures cuing us into this new and unique world the sound is creating. The idea that sound can create texture, that it’s something tangible, that you can almost feel the unique timbres of each sound as they vibrate against your eardrum, is quite peaceful and embracing.

This textured quality of sound allows information through every vibration, surrounding you in a world you may not realise you’ve created until you’re in it.

For me the most interesting sounds, with the most interesting textures are definitely the field sounds you hear everyday, like the train, the tram, the railway gates, the sound the green man makes when he’s flashing at the lights, all of these sounds have unique emotive timbres and connotative values that effect the piece through their own unique textures. The thing that most interests me about these sounds is the idea of taking such sounds and removing them from their environment, taking them out of context, and using them for their emotional tones and qualities.

Radio and its Potential: An Intriguing Discussion

Alaine Thompson on July 24, 2015July 31, 2015

In our studio last week we had a lot of in depth discussions about radio and various ideas surrounding sound works in general.

There were a lot of things that I found interesting, such as the way that sound can establish underlying ideas, objects, codes, conventions, even create stereotypical generalisations. Simply through one small sound you can glean so much information. You can understand distance (space), location (and possibly the time, e.g. crickets can establish that it’s night), emotion (intonations, volume), whether it’s scripted or off the cuff or somewhere in between. There is so much that our brain subconsciously processes through sound that just goes unnoticed.

It was also interesting talking about how different countries handle public mediums such as radio, how they often have their own styles and niches and how in some countries the level of censorship is so high that the public radio stations are run by the State Governments. That’s where another very interesting point comes into the discussion, as most public broadcasters need to keep the information they create and distribute popular and easy to consume, containing the common social values of the time so as to not offend most of the listeners. Because of this ‘politically correct’ content, more niche audiences are reaching out to the internet to both find and create their own content. The internet really is a place where creatives from all walks of life can just about do what they creatively want.

‘The Letter S’ in particular accentuated and emphasised the importance of the pregnant pause and how its effective placement can enhance a piece so much more. It emphasises the idea that the absence is just as important as the presence, in this case sound. In particular, it was interesting listening to the framework of the piece and hearing as it established the base for the sound work and then flowed in and out of the layers, fading which ever layer had reached irrelevance, and sometimes, when attention was needed, stopping all layers to focus on one abruptly. The layering in such professional pieces as ‘The Letter S’ really creates an atmosphere, and the use of both verbal and audio motifs enhances the subtext and meaning of the piece with very little effort.

Professional sound works and radio have often been called a ‘blind’ medium as they can’t be seen visually but instead have to be imagined through the mind’s eye. Because of this such pieces often create emotionally connective and visceral experiences, driving you deep into the atmos of the piece. However, with the quick adoption of the internet into so many of these pieces and the limitations on technology becoming less and less, sound pieces are becoming an increasingly more visual experience. The other interesting thing about such works is that because they exist in a solely imagined space, there is this overlying stigma that radio pieces can’t be truthful in the way that film can, in this way radio pieces tend to be more experimental and use a unique combination of sound, rhythm and words to create a space more intended for difficult truths and conclusions to be made by the audience themselves, as it is them imagining and being enveloped by the situation. I guess in this way the audience also must be more active as they have to create the visual, as opposed to being given everything on a silver platter of sorts.

New semester, New Found Randomness

Alaine Thompson on July 22, 2015July 31, 2015

A new semester, ushering in and enticing new thoughts, experiments and thought experiments. Along with Photography 101 (which I will be posting photos from), and Popular cinema this semester, I’ve also started my first studio, an entirely audio-based studio called ‘Radio’s New Wave’ with the incredibly interesting, intuitive and on point Kyla Brettle who, to be entirely honest, when I heard her speak during first semester at one of our lectorials inspired me about sound, as before that point I never really knew much about radio, or that audio documentaries even existed for that matter. But after hearing one of Kyla’s pieces and being completely encompassed by it, I started to realise the importance of sound.

The first time I really realised the importance of sound was when I saw ‘Avatar’ at the cinema for the first time. I realised just how vital sound can be, as it evokes certain emotions and creates an encompassing emotional atmosphere in which the film takes place. And once you’ve been enveloped by that atmosphere, you don’t care about the plot, you don’t care about what’s happening around you. All that you care about is the emotional world that has consumed you in its eb and flow. Another great, more recent example of this kind of cinematic soundscape is the film ‘Interstellar’.

For me, realising this was a big step towards creating something that could somehow, creatively manipulate an audiences’ emotions into a certain state of being, to a point where I myself have been and want to share the experience and subtext that comes with it. To have the ability to allow someone else to feel the way you feel, or a character feels, or something close to it is something quite incredible and artistically intriguing, as through our art, we are mainly trying to evoke reaction.

I tried my hand at creating a sound piece for my video self portrait last semester, using random sounds I had collected and mixing them to create an entirely new and emotionally discordant piece. While I am happy with the piece I created, I feel that it lacks emotional layering and becomes lost in the noise. Instead of being simple, it became too complex and didn’t focus on what emotion each individual sound evoked. Instead of noticing that the presence of something is just as vital as the absence, the piece became too cluttered very quickly. I did however like the concept and the overall structuring, and feel that with some more experience and fine tuning I will be able to create a more interesting and emotionally complex piece, as I was trying to create.

That, for me, is why I chose this course. I realise the value that sound has in any art form, even just by itself, to evoke and envelop its audience in powerful emotions. But I feel that at my current stage of knowledge I don’t have the ability to tame it and wield it with the kind of precision and delicacy I would like for my films and other relevant pieces.

I really like the idea of using random sounds to mix and match and create something unique and new, so when I was in America, whenever I found a unique sound I used my phone to record it:

Most of these sounds are from Yellowstone, in fact all of them are. It is a truly amazing place due to it being a super-massive volcano and all of the thermal activity associated with that. Here are a collection of unique sounds created by the very unique formations of Yellowstone National Park.

Mud Pots:

Mud Pots 2:

Plaster Mud Pots (this one looked white like plaster and were more water like than mud, but still reacted to the thermal activity like mud, which was pretty cool. Also, it is a name that I made up for it, so good luck trying to find it):

Steam Vent:

Blue Mud Steam Vent:

Vixen Geyser:

Yellow Funnel Spring:

Tower Falls:

Bass Hum of a Local Supermarket (it was so eerie, I just had to. Also, the ATM stopped working mid transaction, so we were stuck there a while):

Day 14

Alaine Thompson on July 10, 2015July 31, 2015

Oh, Chicago, I think I’m in love… Not only is the public transport around here quick, easy, stylish, sensible and cool-looking with a nice view taboot, it’s also one of the most stunning cities i’ve ever had the opportunity to be enchanted by.

Just standing in the middle of the River Walk, and on the top of all the bridges, you are simply overcome by the beauty and majesty of the cityscape combining with the river and the lake in stunning detail. The architecture and planning around the Chicago River and Lake Michigan is so well done and thought out, that a unique beauty and grandness becomes instantly apparent. Chicago is definitely a unique city.

(FYI, the Trump building is a real eye sore and was illegal originally, due to its huge height originally planning to be taller than the tallest building in Chicago (which wasn’t allowed), but in true Chicago tradition, Trump apparently bribed a few officials by paying for the restoration of a nearby bridge and placing two new parks near his building as well as a dog park somewhere in the vicinity. The Wriggly building (that’s right, the giant lolly and bubblegum company) is the beautiful art deco piece in the centre)

That morning we went on a river cruise with an architect from the Chicago architecture foundation as our tour guide.

The irritating, but kind of nice example of post-modernist architecture, the Trump building again. And the stunningly beautiful Wriggly building.

Marina City. Designed by Bertrand Goldberg, completed in 1964. I would argue that the style is futurist (at least in terms of the 60’s), but Goldberg himself called his style of design Modernist during his time. There is much conjecture about the style in which this building is made, there are many sound arguments for many different styles, so the structure remains quite ambiguos as to to its style.

Another great example or three of post-modernist architecture.

The wheel house of the bridge. This one in particular is actually a museum in which people can enter to see the inner workings of the bridge mechanisms.

Some more post-modernism. This one in particular reflects the river it borders through its curved design.

An old rail bridge no longer in use that remains up all year round until once a year when they have to lower it and use it to maintain the right of way over that particular rail line, otherwise the rights revert back to the government.

Triangular houses.

A park.

Goose Island

The Civic Opera Building.

A post-modernist building with a map of the Chicago River painted down its side.

The Sears (now Willis) Tower.

River City, also by Bertrand Goldberg. His style is very intriguing.

This building is built right on the beach, which is illegal now, but it was built before the law was passed so it snuck in under the radar. Apparently bribery helps as well.

The old naval pier now turned into a fair ground.

Dad found this butterfly, apparently it’s rare to see butterflies like this with their wings open. Also, very different to the kinds we get back home.

Why it’s called the ‘windy city’ (because of all the hot air blowing out of the businessman’s mouths, or so they say).

Where we had lunch. Yep, that place with the umbrellas underneath Marina City. The servers were so refreshingly rude. It was a nice change of pace.

A cool sculpture just in the middle of nowhere (or possibly in front of an art museum).

This is the Chicago Market.

And this is a sculpture in the middle of Chicago Market by Picasso. No one knows what it is. Neither did Picasso.

The view from the bar at the Holiday Inn.

Chicago is an amazing place. As you can clearly see by just how many photos I’ve taken of the architecture.

Day 13

Alaine Thompson on July 8, 2015July 10, 2015

Our last day in Boston before moving onto Chicago. We went down Charles street to check out the antique shops for a souvenir for my brother Matt, but found that all of them were closed.

Except for one.

There were so many amazing things in there, especially china vases and plates. Even some beer steins.

A sign for the Boston Pops/4th of July fireworks celebration we encountered the other day.

The shell, where the Boston Pops play.

The Harbour and the surrounding park land is really quite peaceful. We sat for a while and watched the boats before leaving for Logan Airport.

This was a really cool statue of Arthur Fiedler, the most popular conductor of the Boston orchestra who created the popularisation of orchestral music in the Boston area, leading to what is now known as the Boston Pops. The statue is made from multiple sheets of metal of varying thickness and sizes.

Logan Airport, waiting for our flight. The stuff up with United Airlines’ systems didn’t effect us as much as the news stations would have had us believe, luckily, and we were on our way to Chicago pretty quickly.

After a surprisingly quick flight, thanks to Sylvia Plath and her igenious writing skills (I’m currently reading ‘The Bell Jar’, and it’s incredible), we were at O’Hare Airport, which is huge. The train system in Chicago is amazing and runs right to the airport. Melbourne really needs to get its act into gear and build something like this, because this is just awesome.

We soon arrived at our apartment, which is huge! It’s two floors and I finally have my own room with a double bed again. After the crammed apartment we had in Boston, this is a nice, refreshing change.

We went to a local restaurant for dinner, a Polish restaurant since Matt is going to Krakow on exchange later in the year, and it was really cool if not like being served by your best friends grandma, so you really didn’t want to dissappoint. Mum wanted to take some photos, but thought that the old Polish lady would takee offense, that’s what the atmosphere was like. The tables were covered in floral patterns and lace and then coated in plastic and the wholee place was littered with decorations of their native country, Poland. It was an amazing place to eat, with really great food and atmosphere. Definitely the type of unique and homely cooking you can only get from this kind of obscure neighbourhood. So far, loving it.

Day 12

Alaine Thompson on July 7, 2015July 10, 2015

Boston Harbour, on our way to George’s Island. The Boston Harbour has 27 islands situated within it, and today we are visiting one right on the edge that used to be a fort during the 1800’s (mainly).

A plane flying over from Logan Airport.

One of the islands is Long Island. And apparently there is a Thompson Island in there somewhere…

The very manicured, George’s Island.

A strange seagull.

The shore.

Where the guns used to be.

An old cannon.

There are clearly a lot of Supernatural fans around here…

Some spooky tunnels.

The lime leached so much through the stone it actually created stalectities.

The view on the way back.

Boston definitely is a very beautiful place.

Day 11

Alaine Thompson on July 6, 2015July 10, 2015

In the morning mum and I set off to Nordstrom Rack to find some discount jackets. This is our bounty:

Seriously, they were so cheap for such nice jackets!

Being our lazy Boston selves, we sat around watching Netflix and doing nothing until my brother Matt and his friend Sam (who also happened to be in Boston) got back from their brewery tour. We took the train to Alewife. Alewife. What a strange and historic place Boston must be to have a place called ‘Alewife’. Apparently it is named after a fish which was in turn named after women in medieval England who made ale.

Anyway, we got off at Harvard to go and look for ourselves at the prestigious campus.

This, is Harvard.

(Apparently if you touch this guys shoe, he bestows you with infinite brain power and smarts. Also, apparently some of the people who attend Harvard play a drinking game in which they see who can pee on the staues foot first. Oh, those lucky tourists.)

All these old buildings may ooze history and authority, but the campus itself doesn’t really ooze airconditioning (and Boston gets humid!). To be honest, I feel institutions like Harvard are out-dated and are lasting only in name and the types of people that name still draws in. Younger institutuions are growing.

And this, is Harvard Square. A very nice place that reminds me of a quaint little village (wow, I’m using the word quaint a lot for Boston, aren’t I?).

After a good dinner in Harvard Square, we went to Mike’s Pastry, not only because they have the same name as my dad (he actually asked if he could get a discount, like he does at every pastry shop. That was a really bad pun…). But in all seriousness, they have the best canollis and macaroons around.

The food here is seriously amazing, as are the buildings and the history. It feels like the whole city is stuck in the 80’s (the 1980’s, not the 1880’s, which gives a really nice pace and vibe to the city).

Day 10

Alaine Thompson on July 5, 2015July 10, 2015

Boston Public Garden. This place is very quaint and beautiful, and reminds me very much of old nursery rhymes. There’s even peddle powered swan boats and a statue of a paddling of ducks (this is technically the plural for ducks while their swimming, but I don’t care! Like I’m going to call a cute group of ducks a raft…).

The smallest suspension bridge apparently…

It’s surprisingly well manicured, like most parks I’ve been to here in America.

Another paddling of ducks!

A statue of George Washington (these are everywhere apparently, even where there is no historical significance, which is rare in Boston. Seriously, they say you can throw a dead rat and it’ll probably land on something historic).

A pretty church.

Boston Public Library. Thse chandelier things were crazy!

That church again…

After having lunch at Wagamama, we wandered our way up to the top of the Hub, to the observation deck and we got the best views of Boston.

Fenway Park. The Red Sox were actually playing the Houston Astros while were up there.

On the way home we went back via Newbury Street, where all the shops are in the fronts of old houses. As you can see, this is where all of the designers live.

Including Vera Wang Bridal.

Boston is so layed back, it’s really nice. But the more time I spend here, the more time I waste watching Naruto and other TV shows on the American version of Netflix, instead of blogging…

Day 9

Alaine Thompson on July 4, 2015July 10, 2015

Independence Day. The day we’d all been waiting for, for the crowds, the fireworks and of course the seafood. Why seafood? Because it’s Boston, and Legal Seafood is everywhere. They have the best seafood around and they aren’t overtly expensive. However, me being a vegetarian (who doesn’t mind being a pescatarian every now and then) decided to opt out of the seafood and go for the only vegetarian dish on the menu. Big mistake for someone who doesn’t like chili very much! I asked the server if she thought it was too hot or not, and she said it wasn’t hot at all. I get the dish and I can barely eat any of it. Just proves how different America and Australia are in terms of heat in their foods. At least when it comes to vegetarian food. Seriously, everything I’ve eaten here has had some form of chili in it, because they think it would be too bland for me otherwise. They obviously don’t know many vegetarians. I’d be happy with rabbit food.

Anyway, enough ranting about the dinner (I jumped straight to dinner, because seriously, we did nothing all day, except walk along the harbour, which was actually very pretty). We walked along Longfellow Bridge to get to Cambridge for a good view of the fireworks (and to get to our booking of Legal Seafoods).

The crowds at Cambridge were crazy! At the end of the night there was an ambulance, which was surprising. Given the crowds I would’ve expected more casualties.

There was a blimp floating around with a giant eye on it, staring down at everyone. Funnily enough, it was advertising Hendricks Gin (the only gin made and served with cucumber).

After a lot of waiting and listening to the Boston Pops (the popular orchestra, whioch was actually pretty cool) and a lot of teases with the fireworks, the showfinally started at 10:35 and then proceeded to go for 25 minutes straight. There was music as well, but the only time the fireworks went in time was when they played ‘ode de triumph’ and ‘beautiful world’, which was actually pretty cool. They also had a lot of star shaped, smiley faces, love hearts, and USA shaped fireworks at varying points throughout (although the USA ones only happened twice). It had its moments, but overall the show wasn’t as ‘spectacular’ or as well thought out as we were expecting. I mean, you could at least theme and launch the fireworks to each respective song.

Anyway, PRETTY FIREWORKS!

I couldn’t hear the next day and I had pain in my ears for a while. It was worth it… sort of. The experience was definitely different and more hyped up/extravagent than back home. They actually said that the fireworks presentation would be “brought to you without commercial break”. In what circumstances would there be a commercial break?! It’s freaking fireworks!

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