The Book of Music and Nature: An Anthology of Sounds, Words, Thoughts

Sonic Images

Sonic Images Our normal waking consciousness, rational consciousness as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different. William James in Varieties of Religious Experience “How can I stop talking to myself?” “First of all you must use your ears to take some of the burden from your eyes. We have been using our eyes to judge the world since the time we were born. We talk to others and to ourselves mainly about what we see. A warrior is aware of that and listens to the world; he listens to the sounds of the world.” Don Juan to Carlos Castaneda in Journey to Ixtlan 1. Can you find the quiet place in your mind where there are no thoughts, no words, and no images? 2. Can you remain in this quiet mindplace by listening to all the sounds you can possibly hear, including the most distant sounds beyond the space you now occupy? 3. Do you ever notice how your ears adjust inside when you move from one size space to another? Or from indoors to out of doors or vice versa? 4. Who is very familiar to you? Could you recognize this person only by the sound of her or his footsteps? 5. What is your favorite sound? Can you reproduce it in your mind? Would you communicate to someone else what your favorite sound is? 6. Have you heard a sound lately which you could not identify? What were the circumstances? How did you feel? 7. What do you sound like when you walk? [ 131 ] pauline oliveros ⢇ 8. What sound is most familiar to you? Can you describe it without referring to the source? What is its eVect upon you? 9. Imagine the sound of a bird call. What kind of bird is it? When did you last hear it? What does it sound like? Can you imitate it? 10. What is the most silent period you have ever experienced? Was it only a moment or very long? What was its eVect on you? 11. Can you imagine an animal sound? What kind of animal is it? What are its habits? What is it doing? Could you imitate the sound of that animal? 12. What is the most peculiar auditory sensation you have ever experienced? 13. Can you imagine a plant or tree? What kind of plant or tree is it? Where is it located? What sound comes to mind? 14. What is the most complex sound you ever experienced? What were the circumstances and how did you feel? 15. Can you imagine or remember some emotional experience? What nonverbal sound is associated with this experience? 16. Can you imagine the distance between any two sounds you are now hearing? 17. Can you imagine that you are in a very quiet, comfortable place, with plenty of time, with nothing bothering you? Can you imagine that you are in tune with your surroundings, and in the distance, beautiful sound is moving closer to you? What is that sound? What happens to you? Sonic Images was presented in September 1972 at California State University, Los Angeles, at the invitation of Madeleine Hamblein, director of the Los Angeles Chapter of Experiments in Art and Technology, during a conference for Architects and Designers called Shelter for Mankind. 132 ] pauline oliveros ...