Sound Body: The Ghost of a Program

The author considers the importance of the voice as a transformative instrument in 20th-century art, particularly in relation to the tape recorder and digital audio technology. He examines his collaborative work with sound poet Bob Cobbing in the 1970s and compares this with a recent gallery installation created with artist John Latham. Research from the 1970s into acoustic voice masking and resonance is contrasted with the use of analog tape processing and the sonic potential of computer audio software programs both in studio work and in improvised performance. Finally, the author discusses the implications of these confrontations between body and machine.