Why a blog/online?
Who is reading this blog? Who is interested in this work?
How do I use this blog?
Why Text and not Sound?
Why Silence?
Isn't this plagiarism? Why don't I write my own material?
Where do I get all this material from?
How do I select books? Do I discriminate?
How do I select silences?
Do I read all the novels I quote?
Is this work really continuous?
When have I/do I perform? Why performance?
How can You contribute? Why should You contribute?
What else can You do?
Why a blog/online?
To reach a larger audience. Whilst performances of OS are immediate, intense, of a short duration, and at a specific location and importantly depend entirely on the invitation to perform, the blog in comparison can be accessed from anywhere and at anytime, independently of me and anyone else. Performances of OS focus on the relationship of looking and listening. In contrast, the blog suits the context of the material. Blogs are for reading, privately, silently. Furthermore, I wanted to create an online work that appropriates 'social media', and a Google blog is vastly accessible, ergonomic effective and very easy to build and contribute to regularly and maintain in addition to my other projects.
Who is reading this blog? Who is interested in this work?
A lot of people, globally, apparently. Unsurprisingly, the great majority are from the English-reading/speaking nations, the UK and the US, but the blog gets hits from readers all over the world presumably through online translations. Each month OS gets on average between 200-300 hits which is surprising when considering the project has only been active for 9 months, that all marketing to speak of is by either word of mouth or from search engine referrals, and that the content is so specific.
In answer to the second question, anyone and everyone! Though I suspect its people that are mainly interested in literature. There's probably a few people that are interested in sound too, but generally its an even split between visitors referred to my site through online searches or from my personal website or other sites that my work features on like Last FM, BandCamp or YouTube.
How do I use this blog?
I suggest you either browse by month, or alternatively enter words into the search bar along the line of your interest. Each post is titled to give an indication of the kind of silence, usually as a single verb or noun. If you are a repeat visitor it may be more prudent to 'follow' OS, or alternatively sign up for the new email digest option.
Why Text and not Sound?
For plenty of reasons! My critical essay goes into this a bit more, but essentially I collect texts which I use in my creative work, and whilst doing this sometime last year I hazarded upon a text about a silence and it struck me that perhaps others might exist in other novels. If so, I should collect these too and maybe then something might develop.
The accumulation of materials, not just texts but any materials, is often the basis of much of my work, and OS is no different. OS sprang from thinking about listening and looking, and how senses aren't separate, but unified. Having worked with sound for over 15 years, I reached a point where I found, in part through this accumulation of texts, that I wanted to investigate the antitheses of sound; in silence. There is a huge and ever-growing plethora of sound/music online, and plenty of sound works which explore and/or make use of silence. Rather than dilute things further I was keen to investigate it from a different perspective, and contribute to this dialogue through work and action rather than (paradoxically?) with more noise or more words (I mean theory).
I wanted the reader to be implicit in the work, so that the way in which the process, that of reading (a silent activity), was part of participating with my work. This was very important because much of my work involves interaction and is multi-layered. I was keen that OS should exist in different forms and that it contain metaphors, 'silent signs' if you will, that challenge how we engage with silence, and in so doing, also Sound. Whilst sound to an extent affects us in an abstract way that we don't fully understand, words/text in contrast convey distinct and meaningful information that everyone understands. Approaching silence from this perspective appeared to be the most direct way to engage others with the material and let them ask their own questions.
Why Silence?
Further to the previous question and answer (see above), again for a great many reasons. Firstly, I would say: Why Not? An online compendium of quotes from books could be compiled from any perspective or with a certain focal point, for example sex, death, a single word, etc., and indeed, I wouldn't be at all surprised if they didn't already exist and if not, I would therefore encourage others to do so! I explore ideas in my work by examining contrasts. In order to continue exploring Sound, how we listen and engage with it, it is pertinent to me to examine in contrast its basis, its foundations, that of Silence. The OED definition describes silence as either an absence of sound or an absence of language, two contrasting definitions in one, and yet as I found in accumulating texts on silence to say that there is an absence is somewhat misleading if not paradoxical. Lastly, I would add that in reality silence is becoming scarce, that in contrast noise is becoming ever more present, and that more and more for many silence is a luxury that we could all have a little more of, and so I hope OS goes some way in remedying the shortage!
Isn't this plagiarism? Why don't I write my own material?
No. This blog is presented as a compendium of silence. We are all familiar with compendiums. They're readily available at bookshops, particularly around Christmas, though I know not why, and cover everything from the nations favourite poem, to humorous anecdotes or quotes from Oscar Wilde. OS is little different other than its focus is on silences. I think compendiums of this sort will become more commonplace in future not least in response to the 'Literary Inundation' we find ourselves in. Its not plagiarism because I credit the author, and would never claim I wrote any of these sources, not least because that's besides the point. I have a great love for literature and if anything OS performs a degree of unbiased marketing presenting a snapshot of an authors' work more convincing than any blurb the publisher might print on the cover.
In answer to the second question, I infrequently do. Examples exist in my work, for example Observations (2005), and more recently Time Piece (2011), and the critical essay on OS published by Five Years and included here.
Where do I get all this material from?
On the whole I borrow novels from my local library. On the odd occasion I buy particular works if they are not readily available or cannot be ordered, or very rarely I am given books as gifts. I suspect that due to an earlier phase of my work involving cannibalising books that friends are loathed to lend me books! My own collection of books is tiny, and is an even mix of theory and literature.
How do I select books? Do I discriminate?
I choose books that I want to read! Whilst I contribute to OS, I am also working on other projects that utilise texts, and also simply enjoy reading. Literary theory, too, goes a long way to inform art theory, so I think its important to read, and read often. I read books recommended to me, those mentioned in forewords and bibliographies in other books. I read novels by authors I'm unfamiliar with and books that explore themes and ideas that may inform my practice. I also enjoy contrasts, so when in the library and collecting a months reading (approx. 4-5 novels) I often choose either authors that vary in style, genre, history and ethnic origin. On the whole, I also choose books with up to a maximum of 400 pages so as to keep the contrasts fresh in my mind. There are some exceptions where books are longer than this rule of thumb, where I read two or three books at the same time, with theory for example, but I avoid huge tomes unless its something very special.
How do I select silences?
If whilst reading a book I come across a passage which mentions silence I bookmark the page. When I finish reading the book I go back to the bookmarks (if any) and re-read the passage. If the text sufficiently details a kind of silence then the bookmark remains, but if not, then i remove it. It is not simply sufficient for the word silence to be mentioned but that the passage describes a situation/feeling etc. Having read 2 or 3 books, and with some time to spare, I return to the bookmarks and type them up in the blog. It is very important that OS is well-rounded but also well-considered. I have to reject some contributions from participants because they just contain the word silence and little else and that makes for very dull reading. Whilst I'm keen for the blog to grow the emphasis is on quality not quantity.
Do I read all the novels I quote?
Yes, although there are one or two exceptions. These exceptions are usually abandoned due to external circumstances like the library recalling the book because it was reserved, or because despite patience and persistence I will not commit time to books that are tedious or repetitive. Life's too short.
Is this work really continuous?
At present, yes. Currently the plan is to continue adding found texts until I have 365 instances of silence, effectively one per day for a whole year. When I reach this point I'll reassess the project, mainly through examining statistics of visits to the blog during a months absence from adding to it, and then consider future outcomes. I'm always interested in developing my work into other media too, though have no plans to do so. However, there really is no reason why the project should not continue, and certainly at present not through lack of material nor interest for that matter.
When have I/do I perform? Why performance?
To date I've only performed OS thrice. Twice solo and once in collaboration with Mark Anthony Pearce, as part of So Much For Free School at Bethnal Green Library, London in June 2010. I frequently send proposals to perform again, and want to do so more in future and more often. The blog by comparison appears far more popular! Perhaps for reasons I mention above? Should anyone be interested in booking me to perform, I would direct them firstly to my website or YouTube where they can get more information and a clip of a previous performance and then to contact me directly to discuss requirements etc.
How can You contribute? Why should You contribute?
You can contribute to OS in a number of different and combinations of ways:
1. Use social media to connect and spread the word! Use Facebook, Twitter or your own blog for instance.
2. Comment on OS, on a particular post here, or elsewhere online. Share your feedback and I can link to your site.
3. Send your own contributions to the blog, instances of silence that you have found in books you read. I credit every contributor.
4. Send a voice recording of one of the posts, your favourite for example. I'm always looking for voice recordings to use in the performances of OS. If, as above you wish to contribute both a text and a recording, so much the better!
5. Book me to perform!
Why contribute? Well, if you like this blog then you can shape its content. Participation is an important element to my work, but through experience I've learnt that audiences/individuals moreover prefer certain specific and personal degrees of interaction. Contributions to OS are generally slight in degree. For example, many of the voice recordings for performances of OS are made by contributors that never see/hear the performance so they avoid any embarrassment of hearing their own voice (a common complaint), and remain anonymous.
What else can You do?
Plenty. Use your library and bookshop. Invest in quiet time for You. Read voraciously and critically. Engage with Sound in Art. Think. And Think again. Actively Listen. Check out the wealth of Sound and Silence out there. Start your search engines...And Use your imagination.
Seth Guy, April 2011.
