Matching Items (8)
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- All Subjects: Acoustic Ecology
- All Subjects: Musical Composition
- Creators: Feisst, Sabine
- Creators: Paine, Garth
Description
Fifty years ago, we embarked on a journey for the first time in all of history \u2014 an exploration of the final frontier: outer space. Now, having been to the moon and back, we are still exploring the unknown. In the 21st century, we have pioneered genetic cloning and made other unprecedented biotechnological advances. Similarly, artists have ventured into their own frontier, branching out of their own narrowly defined areas and breaking down barriers \u2014 barriers between art and science, between the concert hall and the outdoors, between manmade instruments and the sounds of nature. At first glance, it seems that music and science have little in common. But upon closer inspection, one will discover that there are similarities and intersections between these two fields that deserve attention. Interest in the correlation between music and science can be traced back at least as far as Ancient Greece; since Pythagoras, mathematicians, physicists, acousticians and many others have addressed connections between the two fields in manifold ways. It is becoming increasingly obvious that art and science are not at the opposite ends of the spectrum, where conventional wisdom has traditionally located them, but at the opposite sides of the same coin. In my thesis, I seek to explore the connections between music and the sciences by examining the field of acoustic ecology. I will first provide an overview of music as an interdisciplinary field. Then I will undertake two case studies of musicians whose endeavors have been significant to the field of acoustic ecology, and consider the benefits that can be drawn from their work. These artists are David Dunn and Andrea Polli. I will draw on their philosophy, writings and art as well as on secondary literature. I will take a philosophical approach to the intersections between the two areas and identify heretofore little explored aspects of the interdisciplinary potential of these two fields.
ContributorsChou, Cecilia (Author) / Feisst, Sabine (Thesis director) / Hackbarth, Glenn (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of Music (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
By 2030, the number of people above the age of 65 is projected to outnumber those under the age of 18 for the first time in United States history. With a growing older population, it is predicted that the amount of people moving into nursing homes and care facilities will also increase. However, a pressing problem is the high prevalence of depression and anxiety among elderly people residing in institutionalized living arrangements. With drugs and antidepressants less effective at treating patients with both dementia and depression, there is a need for more non-pharmacological interventions geared toward improving older adults’ mental well-being. In response, the potential therapeutic effect of exploring virtual nature through EcoRift—which provides dynamic and realistic 360-degree audio and visual environments—on older adults’ mental well-being was examined in this study. Ten individuals (3 men and 7 women) aged 50 and above were recruited and each participant experienced the virtual nature sojourns for 15 minutes once a week, for a total of three weeks. Pre- and post- virtual reality (VR) survey questionnaires were implemented to gauge the participants’ emotional response, including overall well-being and level of relaxation. Physiological measures such as heart rate and blood pressure were also taken before and after the VR experience. Findings show that immersion in nature through virtual reality improves older adults’ mental well-being by eliciting a transient sense of relaxation, peacefulness, and happiness. Further studies need to be performed in order to validate EcoRift’s effect on physiology; however, preliminary data suggests that immersive virtual nature also acts to decrease blood pressure. Overall, EcoRift shows to be a promising tool for bridging access to remote natural environments and may be a mentally beneficial activity for patients isolated in hospitals, hospices, and nursing homes.
ContributorsChien, Naomi Wei-Chia (Author) / Feisst, Sabine (Thesis director) / Cordes, Colleen (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
DescriptionAcoustic Ecology is an undervalued field of study of the relationship between the environment and sound. This project aims to educate people on this topic and show people the importance by immersing them in virtual reality scenes. The scenes were created using VR180 content as well as 360° spatial audio.
ContributorsNeel, Jordan Tanner (Author) / LiKamWa, Robert (Thesis director) / Feisst, Sabine (Committee member) / Arts, Media and Engineering Sch T (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
According to the profile of the World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples, the Philippines consists over a hundred ethnolinguistic groups, twenty-seven of which were direct descendants of prehistoric settlers in the country. As a nation of diverse indigenous cultures, multiple precolonial rituals are practiced even after four centuries of Western occupation. Beside strong oral and written traditions, Filipino contemporary music contributed to the preservation of these indigenous societies. Filipino composers in the second half of the twentieth century and beyond were able to incorporate native musical concepts with Western compositional language, thereby producing a new style of contemporary music unique to the Philippines. This development did not only bring greater awareness of indigenous music to city-dwelling Filipinos, but also to the larger Western music community. While newer works from Western classical composers are performed frequently today, pieces for violin by contemporary Filipino composers are largely unknown. In this research paper the author aims to bring understanding of and visibility to Filipino contemporary music to the Western violin community through an in-depth analysis of two representative works for solo violin: Abot-Tanaw II (1984) by Filipino National Artist of Music Dr. Ramon Santos, and Darangun (1985) by award-winning composer Conrado Del Rosario.
The research paper will first explore a brief history of the Philippines and its relationship with Western classical music, from precolonial times to the twenty-first century. The succeeding chapters will be devoted to the in-depth study of the two solo violin works. After providing a biography of each composer, I will present the backgrounds and contexts of their respective works. Finally, the present author will provide thorough structural analyses of these pieces and interpretative suggestions to serve as a general performance guide for interested violinists. To gather substantial data for these chapters, the author collaborated with the composers through virtual personal interviews and electronic communication.
This research paper culminated in a lecture recital performed by the author on October 21, 2021 in Katzin Hall of the School of Music, Dance and Theater at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.
ContributorsSoberano, Ramon Alfonso Cobangbang (Author) / Jiang, Danwen (Thesis advisor) / Feisst, Sabine (Committee member) / McLin, Katherine (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
"Shapeshifting through Words" investigates the history of literature from nonhuman perspectives to determine how people understand animal experiences of the world. I gauge this history through a taxonomy, compiling around 500 stories from nonhuman vantage points to mark trends in publication frequency, as well as number and types of perspectives extracted from the data. A trope and genre analysis follows, along with the hallmarks for what constitutes a nonhuman narrative. Finally, this knowledge is adapted to a framework in the form of a booklet in how to construct a nonhuman perspective based on its cognitive and sensory understanding of the world.
ContributorsLigon, Brandon (Author) / Broglio, Ron (Thesis director) / Paine, Garth (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Music, Dance and Theatre (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
This dissertation is an account of the strategies that I employed in the compositionof three of my recent pieces: Situación #3, for flute (bass flute), clarinet (bass clarinet), piano, percussion, violin, cello, and electronics; Situación #2, for amplified acoustic guitar and two performers; and Between transparency and the invisible, for orchestra and electronics.
The first chapter, devoted to Situación #3 discusses the re-interpretation of memories and visual records with musical means. The second chapter focuses on Situación #2 and the issues of physicality and collaboration that originated the piece. The third chapter addresses Between transparency and the invisible and how it was informed by my experience contemplating visual art.
ContributorsZárate Flores, Carlos Angel (Author) / Navarro, Fernanda A (Thesis advisor) / Bolaños, Gabriel J (Committee member) / Paine, Garth (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
For about a decade, I have thought of composing as a form of sonic gardening. The processes are very similar in that I cultivate ecosystems of interrelated parts, whether in sound or in the soil. My interests in creating sonic ecosystems and in learning more about environmental issues motivated me to research soil health and the rhizosphere, the microbiome around a plant's root system. For my dissertation project I have composed a piece titled The Rhizosphere inspired by the processes and behaviors found in the rhizosphere for percussion sextet of about 8 minutes in duration. This piece was commissioned by the Arizona Contemporary Music Ensemble, with a performance date of April 21, 2022. In this document, I discuss issues relating to soil and sustainability, provide a survey of relevant sound art, and describe processes and features of the rhizosphere. I share how I mapped different aspects of the rhizosphere to various sonic parameters and processes in my composition. I then consider The Rhizosphere as it relates to other pieces in my portfolio, specifically works inspired by nature or environmental issues. During my doctoral studies I have been inspired by and sought to depict plants (Dandelion) and desert (Desertification and Desert Rain God), among others.
ContributorsBrackney, Laura (Author) / Navarro, Fernanda (Thesis advisor) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Bolanos, Gabriel (Committee member) / Paine, Garth (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Increased awareness and technological solutions will not solve the global ecological crises of climate change and mass extinction by themselves. A fundamental shift is needed in how we view ourselves and our relationships with all life to avoid further degradation of the biosphere and ensure a more equitable future. A crucial part of such a shift means expanding the range of species that fall under human consideration. Viewing non-human life, including plants, as intrinsically rather than instrumentally valuable can be transformative to how we, as a species, think about and enact practices that encourage sustainable development. By highlighting the intelligence and communication abilities of plant life through artistic work, a strong counter-narrative can be developed against the dominant utilitarian view of plants as merely a resource for human cultivation and consumption. This dissertation explores plant intelligence and communication as models for music composition and networked sound installations. It is comprised of two complementary components, a sound installation, Unheard Voices, and the following document that explores the relevant artistic precedents, ecological, philosophical, and practice-based research that was conducted to facilitate the creation of the installation project. Focusing this research are the questions: 1) How can plant intelligence in communication, as outlined by plant neurobiologists and ecologists, serve as a model for creating sound installations? 2) How can such art pieces help viewers reflect on humanity’s interconnection to nature and reconsider plants as sentient, communicative, and intrinsically rather than instrumentally valuable?
ContributorsArne, Devin (Author) / Paine, Garth (Thesis advisor) / Feisst, Sabine (Committee member) / Broglio, Ronald (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021