Impossible Sounds for Impossible Times

Impossible times call for impossible sounds.

How do we collectively voice our responses to the impossible states – large and small – of the world today? How do we translate the experiences, feelings, frustrations, fears and disbeliefs we struggle with into something to be heard, shared, related to and negotiated with the people around us? What do such impossible sounds sound like?

Based on Research and Waves’ long experience in organizing record releases and events that bring together a wide spectrum of sonic perspectives from the arts, academia, and more, this workshop explores principles of sound-making and mixing as a collective undertaking.

Although collectivity is often pictured as a harmonious coming together, sharing and appreciating of each others’ perspectives, the realities of collective efforts are often shaped by personal and systemic dissonances. In sound, such dissonances might appear in the form of conflicting frequencies, disconnected rhythms, and overwhelming noise.

In the two-part workshop we ask: Can we embrace dissonance collectively and understand it as a necessary, nurturing, artistic force?