Final Project: Ghost Kitchen
Gabriele Carotti-Sha
The purpose of this project was to explore two ideas.
First, that of structure out of spontaneity: what noticeable coincidences emerge from the mix of disparate sound files, each obtained via improvisation, and what effect the pattern of coincidences may have on interpretation.
The second is the idea of acoustic metaphor. As sound is decoupled from a visual context, a new wave of interpretations may follow, pertaining purely to the acoustic stimulus. Consequently, this project was also an attempt to explore the spontaneous generation of narratives. For example, in this piece, one narrative sees the musician, the only melodic voice, performing his art in a kitchen environment. The kitchen itself does not mind the music, and each element goes about its domestic business. The small coincidences in error on the musician's part and punctuation given by the kitchen elements may emerge as part of a musical structure - each element not as independent, but as a response to the other. The piece terminates with a few straggling notes after too many distractions.
The techniques used consist principally in digital sampling for time reversal, the use of ChucK implemented UGENs for reverb and texture, and panning. The original piece is intended for quad speakers, but a binaural rendition was recorded using ChucK classes developed at CCRMA.
Ghost Kitchen:
Binaural stereo wav file
ChucK file:
ChucK code
Sound files:
Ambient noise
Cutting
More cutting
Sink drops
Knife sharpening
Pots
Utensils
Washing
Whisk
Another whisk