Abstract
Presented at the conference 'Sources and archives in screen sound studies' (University of Huddersfield, 1 and 2 June 2017), this 20-minute presentation explored the performative afterlife of recorded material. Drawing upon work as an archivist and research into experimental sound and artists‘ moving image in 1970s/1980s Britain, the paper considered Vistasound (1981, 45min) by artist Mike Leggett, centred on a holiday postcard, upon the surface of which was pressed a recording of the popular 1950's song, Stairway of Love by Marty Robins - an 'object-trouve' that is analogous with film itself. Traversing topics such as mediums, memory and popular culture, the paper considered theories of the recorded voice and the 'split‘ conditions of recorded utterance, which mirror the split conditions of recorded audio-visual material (in the archive). Considering the 'antiphonal‘ dynamics of the artists‘ voice as a catalyst for the evolving afterlife of works, this paper reflected upon what Simon Reynolds describes as dual 'avant-garde‘ and 'retro-grade‘ engagement with the past in the present and how these modes are likewise inherent to archival research and audio-visual artefacts.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 2 Jun 2017 |
| Event | Sources and Archives in Screen Sound Studies - Huddersfield, U.K. Duration: 1 Jun 2017 → 2 Jun 2017 |
Conference
| Conference | Sources and Archives in Screen Sound Studies |
|---|---|
| Period | 1/06/17 → 2/06/17 |
Bibliographical note
Impact: Supported by the Leverhulme Trust, the British Academy, and the University of Huddersfield, Sources and Archives in Screen Sound Studies brought together researchers from the UK and the US, and fostered dialogue and collaboration around the challenges of access, study, and integration of source materials in all aspects of sound and moving image research, including film and television musicology, ludomusicology, voice and/or sound studies, and practice research in composition or performance.The symposium took place on 1 and 2 June 2017 at the University of Huddersfield, which also hosted the closing events of the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival immediately before the conference: a Playing Pictures series of masterclasses and workshops for film accompanists on 30 and 31 May.
Organising Body: Sources and Archives in Screen Sound Studies
Keywords
- History of art, architecture and design