I have solidified my ideas to an extent through writing out a detailed proposal and I've also been discussing creative working methods with Mike Keogh at Artech where I'm doing my practicum, and it's very interesting for me to see the output of his work and the conditions that he's working under, producing music and sound for games. He really seems to exemplify the sense of working creatively under restrictions which is what I would like to re-create through my portfolio project.
I am currently looking for a way of putting together a creative webpage to accompany each of my songs. I'd like to post some of my visual inspirations as well as the explanations of each project along with the song itself. I have little experience creating web pages, but I would really like to work with something like Dreamweaver to create something similar to what I made for Sonic Design in my first year. I'm still in the process of finging something that works.
First Journal Entry
-Wrote out instructions for Airplane video art piece.
-Decided to start a progress log.
-Played with google page creator to try and get website going… total shit, must find something else. Dreamweaver again?
-Tried setting up blogger account, site is not co-operating... pulling out my hair.
-Played with Tassman synth, really like sound under “organs” called “combo Doors.”
-Made sound more bassy
-softened the hammer sound
-Changed octaves of both tones… etc
-A good/complex sound... has drone and melody to it.
-Might think about adding audio clips… think propeller. (Wavelab for processing)
-Try searching The Freesound Project, or findsounds.com
-Still trying to remember Tassman, Need to figure out
-policy for saving
-Exactly how tassman is working with cubase… keep losing my sound.
Description of Airplane Video Art Project (Song #1)
Create a four minute soundtrack to accompany this video art piece which is to be shown in the National Gallery of Canada and projected on a wall in its own separate alcove. The piece should include musical excerpts and be suited to stereo headphones which will be located at the entrance to the alcove below the projector and connected to an airline seat. This seat will be placed parallel to the projected image forcing the seated viewer to look to their left as if through the window of an airplane (see diagram).
The piece entitled “Air Infatuation,” deals with the sense of longing which is felt when staring out of an airplane window down towards the expanse of earth and nature below. The work is meant to be a solitary/peaceful experience and the accompanying music ought to evoke a sense of contemplation directed towards the scene while also not overpowering the viewers’ attention of the video art.
The visual elements of the work include a projected image of an airplane window through which can be seen a moving propeller and mountainous coastal landscape. The footage is to be shot between the city of Vancouver B.C. and the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Guaii) where an interesting mixture of land and sea can be viewed from above.
Air Infatuation is currently under construction, but it is essential to develop a working soundtrack in advance in order to gain a sense of the emotive qualities which the music offers so that the images can be matched accordingly. It is expected that the work will include four continuous minutes of footage which can be seamlessly looped and it is expected that the music will also have this capability.
Preliminary Set of Rules/Ideas Describing My Portfolio Collection
Goal: I will be exploring the creative process by looking at a specific working method which involves creatively designing audio works within a strict set of pre-determined guidelines. I wish to explore the process of working on pieces of music and sound from a starting place which includes rigid guidelines from which I can elaborate and expand upon creatively while also keeping within the bounds of the original requirements. This in some form seems like the working method that I might be using in the work world and I thought that it might be useful and interesting to attempt this process within the project of putting together a collection of my own creative works.
Process: I plan on putting together a collection of around 13 audio pieces of varying lengths which will all spring from previously outlined and detailed narratives describing the scenario for which the sound is to be created. I plan on allotting around two weeks for the completion of each work, but this timeline will likely vary depending on the demands of the piece. I will be working in my home studio with both acoustic and midi instruments and may also seek out the PC studio’s at school if I find that an idea cannot be fulfilled at home.
Template: The idea for this project came from work that I did this summer in Burnaby BC for the Japanese Canadian National Museum for an exhibit entitled “Sea, Stealth and Suzuko, Suian Maru Centennial Exhibition.” I was asked to complete an atmospheric sound work that would play in the museum space to accompany this historical exhibit and I thought that I could use this project as a starting place from which to begin coming up with similar (but imaginary) projects for which to create sound. I will outline the guidelines of the “Sea, Stealth and Suzuko” project below to provide a sense of how I will be describing the imaginary projects which I will be working from for my collection of works.
Create a soundscape which involves two key elements of the Jinsaburo Oikawa story that help to enhance the atmosphere of this exhibit that describes the settlement of a group of Japanese immigrants on two islands on the Fraser River. It will be important to include the sounds of the river which surround the islands as well as the sounds of settlement which include the clearing of Oikawa-jima and Sato-jima (the two islands where the colony was built). This piece will be used as a means for enhancing the experience of viewing the Oikawa family artifacts and reading about the story of the voyage of the Suian Maru, which is the ship that brought the Japanese immigrants to Canada. It is important that this work be thought of as a supplement to the artifacts in the exhibit and that it enhance the mood of the story.
Ideas: I am still in the process of formulating ideas for projects which I will work from but I am thinking of writing sound/music for:
- A segment of a television travel documentary which includes shots taken through the window of a bus as it travels from the flatness of the prairies into the Rocky Mountains towards Banff.
- A four minute video art piece which runs in a loop and includes images of a propeller taken from the window of an airplane flying over the coastline from Vancouver to the Queen Charlotte Islands.
- The background of the Beluga whale show at the Vancouver Aquarium during the storytelling section where children are asked to close their eyes and imagine the arctic.
- Some sort of museum exhibit which involves short pieces of music for various areas of the space.
- A scene from a film which has not yet been imagined.
- Something new to be played from the loudspeakers outside of the Rideau Centre.
The ideas are still flowing, but I would very much appreciate any suggestions of spaces, places, art works, etc. that I could write music or sound for.
Extras: I have also been thinking of putting together a visual companion to accompany my finished collection of works which will include the guidelines for the work and also any photographs or other visuals that have been used for inspiration.
