Activated Spaces
Undergraduate Honors Thesis, 2003
For my honors thesis at Wesleyan University, I decided to explore the dimensions and interaction between acoustical, political, and physical spaces through the creation of of sound art.
I wrote and performed concerts and installations that challenged and articulated the underlying power dynamics of their physical and social contexts. I also spearheaded community sound projects in conjunction with local and national political movements, in an attempt to create political sound art that dovetailed well with its political context and served as a useful organizing tool.
In the written component of my thesis, accessible from this site, I analyzed the complexity of making successful political sound art, assessing the various pieces I composed during the year, and embracing the multiplicity of potentially rewarding approaches to engaging with political and social themes from the perspective of a sound artist.
I received Departmental High Honors for "Activated Spaces," and also received the Gwen Livingston Pokora Prize for music composition for the work I created in conjunction with my thesis.
My thesis advisor was Professor Ron J. Kuivila. My work also benefited from the insights of Professor Rob Rosenthal, Professor Neely Bruce, Micah Silver, Simca Lena Horwitz, Laura Neuman, Beau Martin, Heather Wieler, Curtis Yee, Anne Wellmer, Dan St. Clair, Laura Peranteau, Joanne Alcantara, Allysia Guy, Stephanie / Jones, Matt Bauder, Sarra Ibrahim, Yuliya Salkovskaya, Ed Tomney, Nick Tranchina, Mark, Linda, Jarett, and Jenna Pearlman Karlsberg