Transcript The Auditory Unconscious Slides

The Auditory Unconscious
With this, Benjamin introduces the concept of the
optical unconscious.
The camera, in his optical example
brings things to us so directly that it communicates to us
in a way that we don’t perceive consciously, but goes directly to our
Auratic perception
Contemplative
Technological perception
Distracted
Rather than having a sure and steady perspective from which
we can contemplate as one can a painting, our attention is
pulled this way and that leaving our optical unconscious to
work on possible associations.
The optical unconscious refers to the image going
through the eye, past the conscious brain and
into an unconscious that reverberates in the senses.
This sensual reverberation he calls, ‘tactility’.
This optical tactility one can think of as touching by seeing,
optically grabbing hold of something that is physically out of reach.
As a child does when he/she looks at things he/she can’t get to.
:
Auratic Art
Contemplation
Optical
Conscious attention
Mechanically Repro
Distraction
Tactile
Habit
optical unconscious
Walter Benjamin (1892-1940, German)
Concept
‘optical unconscious’
Social phenomenon:
reproducibility of artworks, loss of experience,
ascent of representation, artisanal labour replaced
with mechanical labour
Aura vs techno
Auratic works of art
Technologically reproduced
artworks
Here and now
Bears its history and context
there and then
where, when?
You have to suss out.
Always a copy
mass produced
transitoriness, repeatability
Authenticity
Unique
Permanence
Russolo
Machine Gun
Pre-modern Modern
Now
Artisanal
Labour
Mechanical Labour
electronic labour
Boredom,
storytelling
Noisy Machines
Quiet, hidden labour
Performed Music Futurism, Russolo,
valorisation of machine
Pianos, voices,
movies, records
Painting, etc
Aura
Auditory Unconscious
?
Image always has a place
Sound must be placed
Sound with film gives us:
Acousmetre (Choin) sound which is heard but its
source not seen.
The Voice (not just words as text)
Material presence of the voice.
Material absence of the voice (muteness, for example)
Hierarchises all sound. (like the face does visually)
Partial acousmetre: (M) shadow
Acousmatic voice:
Must have a stake in the image (but not be seen)
As long as the voice isn’t seen it is usually malevolent.
It is everywhere, like god, all knowing, seeing.
Unmasked, harmless.
Comes from nowhere:
The voice of the dead, or dying.
The Mute in cinema (usually men and servants):
No mutes in silent (deaf) cinema
Seen but doesn’t voice
Carries the secret.
It is the acousmetre personified.
The Woman’s Scream
As if all that is hidden, unknown, unspeakable,
the dark side of the acousmetre is forced out
in the woman’s scream.
‘nothing is too far out or elaborate if it will lead to
a successful scream’.’
Ololyga: sound of either intense pleasure or pain
Vs sophrosyme: prudence, soundness of mind, moderation,
temperence, self control.
Screams, shouts, noise Vs logos, the logic of the word