#1 - Sound: A Concept
A theory act is a rhetorical, artistic method of discussing issues of theory in non-theoretical ways. Positioned against the conventional written paper, it does not talk about a certain subject matter, but rather “act it.” It is carried out through divergent and complementary modes of presentation and representation, and thus it is experimental in character.
A theory act is based on the assumption that in art the acquisition of knowledge is subjected to a rhetorical form of ambiguity. This form can contribute to bridging diverse sensory and affective modes of knowledge generated within aesthetic experience and discourse. Theory is therefore felt, experienced and produced in temporal processes.
Sound: A Concept incorporates (1) an aural presentation on the concepts of "concept" and “sound-as-a-concept,” (2) a sonic happening of prerecorded sounds, played back through the speakers, along with my own voice lecturing, and (3) a rhetorical, visual ekphrasis (by using ekphrasis, in short, one tries to add an additional dimension of understanding to an existing work of art by way of expression in a different medium) where certain imaginary sound situations are visually unfolded via the projection of a text.
My fundamental argument is that, like sounds, concepts (as opposed, in this context, to "terms") are the result of factual discourses in public which in essence constantly evolve. Thus in this theory act, sounds become concepts and theory becomes a concrete act.
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