Prior to starting this project, I thought about whether remixing was truly a form of creativity. To me, creativity has to come from within, thus one could be inspired by external sources to create something, but the materials should be made by oneself and the idea organically or spontaneously conceived. However, through the course of this project I have begun to adopt a more fluid definition of creativity, to include the most accessible form of digital creation—the remix.
According to Lankshear and Knobel (2008), remixing refers to
“taking cultural artefacts and combining and manipulating them into a new kind
of creative blend”. Even though the source material came from elsewhere, the
act of putting them together to convey a particular message is one that engages
the 4 aspects of creativity and unlocks limitless imaginative potential. In
fact some remixes can prove to be more complex and aesthetically mature than
the original works, as suggested by Lankshear and Knobel that remixers have “in
mind the aesthetics, appreciation, form and composition dimensions of remix
practices”. The effectiveness of the art form subsequently depends on its
“fertility” or the number of times it is reproduced in further remixes, much
like how artwork through history lasts by appreciation from millions and
inevitable reproduction in similar forms. From a big-picture perspective,
remixing too can be considered a form of art.
With this new understanding, I decided to spend the next few days making the soundtrack that will go with my video by remixing loops on Soundation. It was a process of trial and error, as I attempted to put sounds of different genres together, such as putting Indian-inspired drum beats like "Dholak" (a traditional two-handed drum) with Western acoustic guitar tunes. Due to the different tempos and vibes of each loop, not all combinations sounded harmonious together. However, Soundation gave me the flexibility to adjust the tempo and pitch of the loops so that they might fit with each other. Soundation is a great example of digital affordance, because any amateur with basic knowledge of music (tempo/rhythm and pitch/tone) can use it. Despite this I discovered that I should not adjust every loop's tempo/pitch, as doing so can ruin the effect I intended, such as a slowed-down version of "Congo" beats that I initially hoped would be a good lead up to the fight scene. The need to exercise discretion highlights the artistic merit of remixing which relates to some form of innate musicality and a deep thought process when relating sounds to the story.
The process of making the music also made me reflect on the
lecture we had about sound art, which highlighted how sounds could
strongly complement a story, creating a mood or atmosphere that makes the
audience feel a sense of connection with the story. For instance, the forest scene in my video was accompanied by a mellow sound whilst the scene with the volcano had a heavier undertone.
Screenshot of my Soundation studio. The loops are on the right, and the audio channels on the left. I can layer the different channels and adjust their volumes, or use the scissors tool on the top left corner to crop the loops, and the move tool to rearrange the order of my selected loops.
