Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1969. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

The presented diploma work brings the theory of noise music with the main reason to clarify the pragmatics of its forming and effects. The base of the theory in construct ob the ideas of Antonin Artaud, their reflections and externalizations in the post-structuralist philosophical discourse and intermedial fine arts. Because of the topic, work also observes trends in artictic comunication trough the noise. The aim of work is to formulates the own theory of noise music trough the postulation of cruelty in the artistic speech with emphasis on the explanation of transgresive experience during the noise music performance. The results of the work contributes to the theory of appropriation trough the description of specific medium transmission in the immanent space.

No description available.

Objet d’un intérêt tardif dans la recherche universitaire, la musique noise représente pourtant une forme d’art emblématique de l’underground sonore. Elle porte et cristallise une approche radicale en faisant du bruit sa matière, en se jouant de la forme et du développement, en hybridant ses territoires stylistiques. Les pratiques de jeu ne signent plus la suprématie de l’instrument ni de la composition, mais se placent sous le régime d’une expérimentation ludique et bricoleuse. On n’évalue plus la qualité musicale selon le niveau de compétence technique de l’artiste, tandis que les modalités d’écoute sollicitent de manière spécifique le corps et l’environnement. Les pratiques de production, d’organisation et de diffusion de la musique, empruntes de l’éthos du Do it Yourself (DIY) placent l’autonomie, la polyvalence et l’amateurisme au cœur de ce monde de l’art. A partir d’une approche interdisciplinaire marquée par la musicologie, l’esthétique et les sciences sociales, cette thèse entend questionner, à partir d’analyses musicales, d’archives de presse, d’enquêtes, de cartographies et d’une ethnographie menée au sein de la scène parisienne, comment la musique noise et les pratiques sociales qui l’accompagnent nous interrogent sur nos manières conventionnelles d’appréhender ce qu’est la musique et même une « bonne » musique, la figure du musicien, les intermédiaires artistiques ou la scène du concert, au regard de ce qui semble sans doute constituer un nouveau paradigme contemporain de l’expérimentation. / Although noise music has only recently become an object of interest for academic research, it still represents a form of art emblematic of the underground music scene. It is characterized by a radical approach which implies using noise as work material, playing with form and development, and hybridizing its stylistic territories. This approach is reflected by playing practices in which the emphasis is no longer laid on the supremacy of instruments and composition, but rather on playful and makeshift experimentation. Musical quality is not assessed on the artist’s technical skills anymore, while the listening conditions call for a specific implication of both body and environment. The practices of production, organization, and diffusion of music, borrowing from the éthos of DIY, place autonomy, versatility, and amateurism at the heart of this art world. This PhD research, based on musical analyses, press archives, field surveys, topographies, and an ethnographic study of the Parisian scene, proposes an interdisciplinary approach marked by musicology, aesthetics, and social sciences. Its aim is to question the way noise music and its specific social practices challenge the manner in which we conventionally apprehend what we consider as music, and even “good” music, the image of the musician, the artistic intermediaries or the stage, in light of what seems to constitute a new contemporary paradigm of experimentation.

This dissertation examines the role of noise in shaping the form of several recent musical compositions. This study demonstrates how the contrast of noisy sounds and harmonic sounds can impact the structure of compositions. Depending on context, however, the specific use and function of noise can vary substantially from one work to the next. The first portion of this paper describes methods for quantifying noise content using FFT analysis procedures. A number of tests on instrumental and synthetic sound sources are described in order to demonstrate how the analysis system may react to certain sounds. The second part of this document consists of several analyses of whole musical works. Works for acoustic instruments are examined first, followed by works for electronic media. During these analyses, it becomes clear that while the use of noise in each work is based largely upon context, some common patterns do exist across different works. The final portion of the paper examines an original work which was written with the function of noise specifically in mind. The original work is put through the same analysis procedures as works seen earlier in the paper, and some conclusions are drawn regarding both the possibilities and limitations of noise analysis as a compositional tool.

This thesis describes how I took part in a series of collaborations with dancers Danai Pappa and Katie Hall, musician George Williams and video artist Julie Kuzminska. To realise our collaborations, I built electronic sculptural instruments from junk using bricolage, the act of subversion, skip diving and appropriation. From an auto-ethnographic viewpoint, I explored how collaborations began, how relationships developed and how various levels of expertise across different disciplines were negotiated. I examined how the documentation of the performances related to, and could be realised as, video art in their own right. I investigated the themes of work, labour and effort that are used in the process of producing and documenting these works in order to better understand how to ‘create’. I analysed the gender dynamics that existed between my collaborators and myself, which led to the exploration of issues around interaction and intimacy, democratic roles and live art. The resulting works challenged gender stereotypes, the notion of what a musical instrument can be and how sound is produced through action/interaction. I found that reflective time was imperative; serendipity, constant awareness of one’s environment, community and intimate relationships greatly enhanced the success of the collaborations. Instruments became conduits and instigators with shifting implied genders based on their context or creative use. As well as sound being a product of movement, effort and interaction, I realised it was also an artefact of the instruments.