Noise, Water, Meat

A History of Sound in the Arts

By Douglas Kahn | Publisher: MIT Press

About the book

An examination of the role of sound in twentieth-century arts.

This interdisciplinary history and theory of sound in the arts reads the twentieth century by listening to it—to the emphatic and exceptional sounds of modernism and those on the cusp of postmodernism, recorded sound, noise, silence, the fluid sounds of immersion and dripping, and the meat voices of viruses, screams, and bestial cries. Focusing on Europe in the first half of the century and the United States in the postwar years, Douglas Kahn explores aural activities in literature, music, visual arts, theater, and film. Placing aurality at the center of the history of the arts, he revisits key artistic questions, listening to the sounds that drown out the politics and poetics that generated them. Artists discussed include Antonin Artaud, George Brecht, William Burroughs, John Cage, Sergei Eisenstein, Fluxus, Allan Kaprow, Michael McClure, Yoko Ono, Jackson Pollock, Luigi Russolo, and Dziga Vertov.

Editions of Noise, Water, Meat

Hardcover
ISBN 9780262112437
Paperback
ISBN 9780262611725
EBook
ISBN 9780262252393
EBook
ISBN 9780262276672
EBook
ISBN 9780262311625

Read an Excerpt

An examination of the role of sound in twentieth-century arts.

This interdisciplinary history and theory of sound in the arts reads the twentieth century by listening to it—to the emphatic and exceptional sounds of modernism and those on the cusp of postmodernism, recorded sound, noise, silence, the fluid sounds of immersion and dripping, and the meat voices of viruses, screams, and bestial cries. Focusing on Europe in the first half of the century and the United States in the postwar years, Douglas Kahn explores aural activities in literature, music, visual arts, theater, and film. Placing aurality at the center of the history of the arts, he revisits key artistic questions, listening to the sounds that drown out the politics and poetics that generated them. Artists discussed include Antonin Artaud, George Brecht, William Burroughs, John Cage, Sergei Eisenstein, Fluxus, Allan Kaprow, Michael McClure, Yoko Ono, Jackson Pollock, Luigi Russolo, and Dziga Vertov.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Noise, Water, Meat about?

An examination of the role of sound in twentieth-century arts.

This interdisciplinary history and theory of sound in the arts reads the twentieth century by listening to it—to the emphatic and exceptional sounds of modernism and those on the cusp of postmodernism, recorded sound, noise, silence, the fluid sounds of immersion and dripping, and the meat voices of viruses, screams, and bestial cries. Focusing on Europe in the first half of the century and the United States in the postwar years, Douglas Kahn explores aural activities in literature, music, visual arts, theater, and film. Placing aurality at the center of the history of the arts, he revisits key artistic questions, listening to the sounds that drown out the politics and poetics that generated them. Artists discussed include Antonin Artaud, George Brecht, William Burroughs, John Cage, Sergei Eisenstein, Fluxus, Allan Kaprow, Michael McClure, Yoko Ono, Jackson Pollock, Luigi Russolo, and Dziga Vertov.

What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Noise, Water, Meat?

The Arts > Design, Industrial and commercial arts, illustration

Where can I read a sample of Noise, Water, Meat?

You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780262112437

Who is/are the Author/s of the book Noise, Water, Meat?

Douglas Kahn

Who is the Publisher of the book Noise, Water, Meat?

MIT Press

What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?

Noise, Water, Meat is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780262112437) and paperback(ISBN 9780262611725) and ebook(ISBN 9780262252393) and ebook(ISBN 9780262276672) and ebook(ISBN 9780262311625)

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