Papers by Joseph Klett
Sociologists have yet to theorize interactions with sonic materiality. In this article I
introduc... more Sociologists have yet to theorize interactions with sonic materiality. In this article I
introduce an analytical concept for the observation of interactions with sound. Sound has
material effects in all situations. But the audibility of sonic objects is a relation of situated
actors to material arrangements. Sonic object settings are dynamic material arrangements in
which sonic qualities emerge for interpretation. The concept synthesizes research on sonic
materiality, audibility, and interaction. After outlining the concept, I present an empirical
illustration from an audio firm’s R&D laboratory arranged to support a new technology
called object-based audio. I observed engineers conducting two concurrent but contrasting
experiments; results indicate how settings both enable and constrain the interpretation of
sound.
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In aesthetic terms, the category of ‘sound’ is often split in two: ‘noise’, which is chaotic, unf... more In aesthetic terms, the category of ‘sound’ is often split in two: ‘noise’, which is chaotic, unfamiliar,
and offensive; and ‘music’, which is harmonious, resonant, and divine. These opposing concepts
are brought together in the phenomenon of Noise Music, but how do practitioners make sense
of this apparent discordance? Analyses that treat recorded media as primary texts declare Noise
Music to be a failure, as a genre without progress. These paint Noise as a polluted form in an
antagonistic relationship with traditional music. But while critiques often point to indeterminate
structure as indicative of the aesthetic project’s limitations, we claim that indeterminacy itself
becomes central to meaningful expression when the social context of Noise is considered.
Through observational and interview data, we consider the contexts, audiences, and producers
of contemporary American Noise Music. Synthesizing the performance theories of Hennion and
Alexander, we demonstrate how indeterminacy situated in structured interaction allows for
meaning-making and sustains a musical form based in claims to inclusion, access, and creative
freedom. We show how interaction, not discourse, characterizes the central performance that
constructs the meaning of Noise.
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Book Reviews by Joseph Klett
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Teaching Documents by Joseph Klett
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Papers by Joseph Klett
introduce an analytical concept for the observation of interactions with sound. Sound has
material effects in all situations. But the audibility of sonic objects is a relation of situated
actors to material arrangements. Sonic object settings are dynamic material arrangements in
which sonic qualities emerge for interpretation. The concept synthesizes research on sonic
materiality, audibility, and interaction. After outlining the concept, I present an empirical
illustration from an audio firm’s R&D laboratory arranged to support a new technology
called object-based audio. I observed engineers conducting two concurrent but contrasting
experiments; results indicate how settings both enable and constrain the interpretation of
sound.
and offensive; and ‘music’, which is harmonious, resonant, and divine. These opposing concepts
are brought together in the phenomenon of Noise Music, but how do practitioners make sense
of this apparent discordance? Analyses that treat recorded media as primary texts declare Noise
Music to be a failure, as a genre without progress. These paint Noise as a polluted form in an
antagonistic relationship with traditional music. But while critiques often point to indeterminate
structure as indicative of the aesthetic project’s limitations, we claim that indeterminacy itself
becomes central to meaningful expression when the social context of Noise is considered.
Through observational and interview data, we consider the contexts, audiences, and producers
of contemporary American Noise Music. Synthesizing the performance theories of Hennion and
Alexander, we demonstrate how indeterminacy situated in structured interaction allows for
meaning-making and sustains a musical form based in claims to inclusion, access, and creative
freedom. We show how interaction, not discourse, characterizes the central performance that
constructs the meaning of Noise.
Book Reviews by Joseph Klett
Teaching Documents by Joseph Klett
introduce an analytical concept for the observation of interactions with sound. Sound has
material effects in all situations. But the audibility of sonic objects is a relation of situated
actors to material arrangements. Sonic object settings are dynamic material arrangements in
which sonic qualities emerge for interpretation. The concept synthesizes research on sonic
materiality, audibility, and interaction. After outlining the concept, I present an empirical
illustration from an audio firm’s R&D laboratory arranged to support a new technology
called object-based audio. I observed engineers conducting two concurrent but contrasting
experiments; results indicate how settings both enable and constrain the interpretation of
sound.
and offensive; and ‘music’, which is harmonious, resonant, and divine. These opposing concepts
are brought together in the phenomenon of Noise Music, but how do practitioners make sense
of this apparent discordance? Analyses that treat recorded media as primary texts declare Noise
Music to be a failure, as a genre without progress. These paint Noise as a polluted form in an
antagonistic relationship with traditional music. But while critiques often point to indeterminate
structure as indicative of the aesthetic project’s limitations, we claim that indeterminacy itself
becomes central to meaningful expression when the social context of Noise is considered.
Through observational and interview data, we consider the contexts, audiences, and producers
of contemporary American Noise Music. Synthesizing the performance theories of Hennion and
Alexander, we demonstrate how indeterminacy situated in structured interaction allows for
meaning-making and sustains a musical form based in claims to inclusion, access, and creative
freedom. We show how interaction, not discourse, characterizes the central performance that
constructs the meaning of Noise.