Reading time: 1 min
Surface Friction is a constellated essay that explores a range of ideas around the notion of surfaces in relation to sounds, their making and their reception. (1)The focus on surface in this module should not be construed as conflicting with my notion of tomography as an authorial position that highlights interiority. I am not suggesting that the listening experience occurs on the surface, rather the making of sounds involves engagement with material surfaces. Simultaneously, it also explores the notion of surfaces as it applies to language and the critique that postmodernism offers only surfaces (Hebdige in King, 1994, p. 269). (2) As I was concluding this research I came across the 2003 Surface Colloquium exploring surface across literature, media, sound and architecture, organised by e-literature writer Teri Hoskin, illustrating the strong interest in the theme at the turn of the 21st century. These ideas are explored through a number of short texts or lexias, the term originally used by Roland Barthes in S/Z (2002) and adopted by e-literature creators to describe individual blocks of linked text (Landow, 1992, pp. 3–4). These creative researched writings are not intended to definitively argue, or reach conclusions, rather they engage in associations and speculations. These musings can be read in any order so that rather than conforming to a linear argument, they combine and gather coherence through resonance and reverberation. The constellated essay form explores how ideas congregate, reinforce, and sometimes even negate each other, opening up a space for active, associative contemplation for the reader. Over half the entries include audio material, adding another “texture” and literal reverberation to the discussion. These sounds are not simply aural accompaniment or exemplification but offer another aspect of my authorial voice. In the centre of the navigational map are Sounds and Words, which offer the same content, but with different sensory and conceptual expressions experimenting with how one modality may “prime” the understanding of another. If unsure of where to start, I'd suggest choosing either of these two lexias.
(1) The focus on surface in this module should not be construed as conflicting with my notion of tomography as an authorial position that highlights interiority. I am not suggesting that the listening experience occurs on the surface, rather the making of sounds involves engagement with material surfaces.
(2) As I was concluding this research I came across the 2003 Surface Colloquium exploring surface across literature, media, sound and architecture, organised by e-literature writer Teri Hoskin, illustrating the strong interest in the theme at the turn of the 21st century.
Barthes, R. (2002). S/Z (R. Miller, Trans.). Blackwell.
Hoskin, T. (2003). Surface colloquium. http://ensemble.va.com.au/surface_col/archive.html
King, N. (1994). My life without Steve: Postmodernism, fictocriticism and the paraliterary. Southern Review, 27(3), 261–275.
Landow, G. P. (1992). Hypertext: The convergence of contemporary critical theory and technology. Johns Hopkins University Press.