Embracing the Temporal Deterioration of Digital Audio: A Manifesto

Most of today’s media output, be it audio or video, is produced and stored in the digital domain. Although digital data are adorned by the myth of lossless transmission and migration, everyday experience does prove the existence of degradation and, ultimately, data loss in various forms. This pertains to the physical nature of storage media and playback devices as well as to media formats and software in the context of their technological infrastructure. We have recently launched the project of artistic research ‘Rotting sounds – Embracing the temporal deterioration of digital audio’, funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). Since degradation cannot be avoided by principle, we therein propose alternative perspectives on the nature and the implications of deterioration in theory and artistic practice, specifically for the domain of digital audio. This manifesto shall represent an introduction to our endeavour, as much as it shall form a guideline for us carrying out the research.

Content

Author and article information

Contributors

Thomas Grill

Till Bovermann

Almut Schilling

Conference

Publication date: May 2018

Publication date (Print): May 2018

Pages: 1-4

Affiliations

[1 ] University of Music and Performing Arts

Anton-von-Webern-Platz 1

1030 Vienna, Austria

[2 ] University of Applied Arts

Oskar Kokoschka-Platz 2

1010 Vienna, Austria

[3 ] Academy of Fine Arts

Augasse 2-6

1090 Vienna, Austria

Article

DOI: 10.14236/ewic/EVAC18.22

SO-VID: 60b4efbf-bb9c-4a4a-9b24-484a0ff6d470

License:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Conference name: Politics of the Machines - Art and After

Conference acronym: EVA Copenhagen

Conference number: 7

Conference location: Aalborg University, Copenhagen, Denmark

Conference date: 15 - 17 May 2018

Conference sponsor: Electronic Workshops in Computing (eWiC)

Conference theme: Digital arts and culture

History

Product

1477-9358 BCS Learning & Development

Self URI (article page): https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14236/ewic/EVAC18.22

Self URI (journal page): https://ewic.bcs.org/

References

A BianchiD CaivanoF LanubileG Visaggio 2001 “Evaluating Software Degradation Through Entropy” Proceedings of the 7th International Software Metrics Symposium 210 19
Bill Brown 2010 Critical Terms for Media Studies W.J.TMark MitchellB.N Hansen 49 63 The University of Chicago Press
MD BryantM.M KhonsariF.F Ling 2008 “On the Thermodynamics of Degradation” Proceedings of the Royal Society of London A 464 2001 14
K Cascone 2000 “The Aesthetics of Failure: Post-Digital Tendencies in Contemporary Computer Music” Computer Music Journal 24 4 12 18
P Cilliers 1998 Complexity and Postmodernism: Understanding Complex Systems Routledge
HN Fowler 1970 Plato: Cratylus, Parmenides, Greater Hippias, Lesser Hippias 4 Harvard University Press
T GrillT BovermannA Schilling 2018 “Rotting Sounds – Embracing the Temporal Deterioration of Digital Audio” https://rottingsounds.org June 15 2018
Mark Guttenbrunner 2014 Establishing and Verifying Authentic Performances of Digital Objects: A Framework and Process for Evaluating Digital Preservation Actions PhD thesis, Technische Universität Wien
G HertzJ Parikka 2012 “Zombie Media: Circuit Bending Media Archaeology into an Art Method” Leonardo 45 5 424 30
Stephen Jones 2015 “Digital Light” Cubitt SeanPalmer DanielTkacz Nathaniel 83 101 London, UK Open Humanities Press
A.R Kenney 2003 “Digital Preservation Management: Implementing Short-Term Strategies for Long-Term Problems” http://www.dpworkshop.org/dpmeng/eng_index.html June 15 2018
MG Kirschenbaum 2009 “Digital Materiality: Preserving Access to Computers as Complete Environments” Proceedings of iPRES 2009 105 12
JL Lebowitz 1993 “Boltzmann’s Entropy and Time’s Arrow” Physics Today 46 9 32 38
GN Lewis 1930 “The Symmetry of Time in Physics” Science 71 1930 569 76
L Manovich 2001 The Language of New Media MIT Press
M McLuhanE McLuhan 1992 Laws of Media: The New Science University of Toronto Press
CE Shannon 1948 “A Mathematical Theory of Communication” The Bell System Technical Journal 27 623 56
H Skowranek 2007 “Should We Reproduce the Beauty of Decay? A Museumsleben in the work of Dieter Roth” Tate Papers 8
L Sydell 2014 “How Long Do CDs Last? It Depends, but Definitely Not Forever” Available at http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2014/08/18/340716269/how-long-do-cds-last-it-depends-but-definitely-not-forever June 15 2018
M Thompson 2014 Beyond Unwanted Sound: Noise, Affect and Aesthetic Moralism PhD thesis Newcastle University
M Wark 2004 A Hacker Manifesto President and Fellows of Harvard College
Wikipedia contributors 2018a “Doctrine of Development” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hegelianism&oldid=814728426#Doctrine_of_d evelopment June 15 2018
Wikipedia contributors 2018b “Planned Obsolescence” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Planned_obsolescence&oldid=843710202 June 15 2018
RB Woodward 2011 “Planned Obsolescence” Available at http://www.artnews.com/2011/10/18/planned-obsolescence June 15 2018

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] A BianchiD CaivanoF LanubileG Visaggio 2001 “Evaluating Software Degradation Through Entropy” Proceedings of the 7th International Software Metrics Symposium 210 19

[2] Bill Brown 2010 Critical Terms for Media Studies W.J.TMark MitchellB.N Hansen 49 63 The University of Chicago Press

[3] MD BryantM.M KhonsariF.F Ling 2008 “On the Thermodynamics of Degradation” Proceedings of the Royal Society of London A 464 2001 14

[4] K Cascone 2000 “The Aesthetics of Failure: Post-Digital Tendencies in Contemporary Computer Music” Computer Music Journal 24 4 12 18

[5] P Cilliers 1998 Complexity and Postmodernism: Understanding Complex Systems Routledge

[6] HN Fowler 1970 Plato: Cratylus, Parmenides, Greater Hippias, Lesser Hippias 4 Harvard University Press

[7] T GrillT BovermannA Schilling 2018 “Rotting Sounds – Embracing the Temporal Deterioration of Digital Audio” https://rottingsounds.org June 15 2018

[8] Mark Guttenbrunner 2014 Establishing and Verifying Authentic Performances of Digital Objects: A Framework and Process for Evaluating Digital Preservation Actions PhD thesis, Technische Universität Wien

[9] G HertzJ Parikka 2012 “Zombie Media: Circuit Bending Media Archaeology into an Art Method” Leonardo 45 5 424 30

[10] Stephen Jones 2015 “Digital Light” Cubitt SeanPalmer DanielTkacz Nathaniel 83 101 London, UK Open Humanities Press

[11] A.R Kenney 2003 “Digital Preservation Management: Implementing Short-Term Strategies for Long-Term Problems” http://www.dpworkshop.org/dpmeng/eng_index.html June 15 2018

[12] MG Kirschenbaum 2009 “Digital Materiality: Preserving Access to Computers as Complete Environments” Proceedings of iPRES 2009 105 12

[13] JL Lebowitz 1993 “Boltzmann’s Entropy and Time’s Arrow” Physics Today 46 9 32 38

[14] GN Lewis 1930 “The Symmetry of Time in Physics” Science 71 1930 569 76

[15] L Manovich 2001 The Language of New Media MIT Press

[16] M McLuhanE McLuhan 1992 Laws of Media: The New Science University of Toronto Press

[17] CE Shannon 1948 “A Mathematical Theory of Communication” The Bell System Technical Journal 27 623 56

[18] H Skowranek 2007 “Should We Reproduce the Beauty of Decay? A Museumsleben in the work of Dieter Roth” Tate Papers 8

[19] L Sydell 2014 “How Long Do CDs Last? It Depends, but Definitely Not Forever” Available at http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2014/08/18/340716269/how-long-do-cds-last-it-depends-but-definitely-not-forever June 15 2018

[20] M Thompson 2014 Beyond Unwanted Sound: Noise, Affect and Aesthetic Moralism PhD thesis Newcastle University

[21] M Wark 2004 A Hacker Manifesto President and Fellows of Harvard College

[22] Wikipedia contributors 2018a “Doctrine of Development” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hegelianism&oldid=814728426#Doctrine_of_d evelopment June 15 2018

[23] Wikipedia contributors 2018b “Planned Obsolescence” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Planned_obsolescence&oldid=843710202 June 15 2018

[24] RB Woodward 2011 “Planned Obsolescence” Available at http://www.artnews.com/2011/10/18/planned-obsolescence June 15 2018

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