In the above video from Idea Channel, the speaker explores the idea that musical chords do not inherently contain emotion, and that instead we are socialized to prescribe certain feelings and reactions to different notes and phrases. This theory lends itself well to the exploration of sound and music as seen in the trans-modernist movement, which calls into question the very definition of what “music” really is or isn’t, how we perceive it, and what it means.
Sound is a unique element in art in that it is arguably one of the most important aspects of a piece of media, for example a movie, but is simultaneously one of the most overlooked elements in a piece. Music and sound effects can shape the way audiences view a movie and can alter and manipulate the emotions that the audience is supposed to feel in a specific moment. However, any sound technician for popular media will tell you that the best sound design is that which is undetectable and indistinguishable from the visuals it accompanies. According to the sound design team for the recent James Bond films, “if they’ve done their job well, the audience should not even notice it.”
As the modern art movement swept the European art scene off its feet in the second half of the 20th century, many artists, particularly among the Dada crowd, began to challenge the idea of what “art” really was. In their quest to break down the definition of art itself, the Dada artists spread their wings further than purely visual and often incorporated sound and performance into their work. In this way they began to also challenge and explore what “music” really was and what it meant, and how they could break this definition through performance and sound poetry (some of which can be heard here).
Trans-modernist artists continue to explore what truly defines music and sound even today. As described in this article by NPR, sound is something so often overlooked, but something so vitally important to life and the human experience. With the invention of the stethoscope came the ability to hear one’s own heart beating. It brought a new sense of self awareness that many people couldn’t fathom before because they simply could not experience it. Noise has a unique power over its observers that many other art forms do not. Music can invoke an incredible range of emotions and reactions from its listeners. Often times, more can be said with silence than with words or any sound at all. It is in this way that sound presents limitless opportunities for exploration and experimentation.
Amberry Jam 