Austen Brown

This course considers the building blocks of modular analog synthesis-


oscillators, amplifiers, and filters, using vintage and modern analog equipment. The course also considers various frequency and amplitude modulation techniques, including ring modulation and frequency shifting. These techniques are contextualized in a brief survey of the history of `classical' analog synthesis music, both European and American, with some analysis of classical studio technique in the work of composers such as Stockhausen, Berio, Koenig, Subotnik, Oliveros, Babbit, etc. Weekly compositional projects emphasize particular technical and aesthetic problems.

Students pursue individual projects which are critiqued in class, with occasional individual meetings as needed. Discussions include aesthetics and history of sonic arts as relevant to the work students bring in, concepts of critical listening, and technical issues speciHcally related to student projects (but this is not a course in general studio technique). Active participation in all critiques is expected. Students will be given access to only those studios that they have already used in previous sound courses. Open to students working with sound in other media (Hlm/video, installation, performance, etc.), as well as with ?pure sound?.

This class is an occasion for students with advanced sound skills to receive critique (and course credit) for their work. Examples of sound work by other artists, as well as readings, are brought in as prompted by issues in student work.

Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of 3-5 finished pieces during the semester. In addition, the professor may assign a few compositional or technical exercises.

Public Sound and Space explores situating sound-based art practices, including performance and installation, into public space. Projects are conceptualized and developed in response to specific locations found in and around Chicago, determined by students in coordination with the instructor. The course examines public space and architecture through historical and contemporary sound practices, as well as the non-art uses of sound and its employment in public space. Technical workshops emphasize sound projection, acoustics, and mixing for complicated sonic environments and playback systems. In collaboration with the Digital Light Projections course, students will work in pairs to mount a large-scale sound and video work to be projected onto the Merchandise Mart, a significant building in the Loop. Bi-monthly in-class meetings between Public Sound and Space and Digital Light Projections will catalyze collaboration, hold technical and conceptual critiques, and accommodate workshops to address sound and image workflow. Facilitated by Art on the Mart, an art initiative presenting international artists, the work will be on view daily for 6 weeks capturing an audience of roughly 300,000 people.
We will study the works of artists including Susan Philipsz, Park McArthur, Ryoji Ikeda, Cevdet Erek, and Cameron Rowland. Readings include Miwon Kwon, Niall Atkinson, and others.
In addition to the collaborative Art on the Mart project, students will research, propose, and develop a public sound work in response to a site of their choosing for the final.

Taken every semester, the Graduate Projects courses allow students to focus in private sessions on the development of their work. Students register for 6 hours of Graduate Project credit in each semester of study.

Taken every semester, the Graduate Projects courses allow students to focus in private sessions on the development of their work. Students register for 6 hours of Graduate Project credit in each semester of study.