Writing the Field Recording - by Stephen Benson & Will Montgomery

About the Book

The 11 essays collected here take the recent explosion of interest in field recording as the point of departure for an investigation of the sounded field in music and its relationship to literature and writing.

Book Synopsis

Intervenes in contemporary debates about the relationship between literature and field recording
A field recording is any audio recording made outside of the studio. Such recordings have lately become important to contemporary musicians, sound artists and environmentalists. However, less attention has been given to the relation of sound, as manifested in the theory and practice of the field recording, to writing. The 11 essays collected here take the recent explosion of interest in field recording as the point of departure for an investigation of the sounded field in music and its relationship to literature and writing. Including seminal pieces on field thinking by John Berger and Lisa Robertson, Writing the Field Recording analyses contemporary text scores, histories, composer statements, critical literature, poetry and nature writing in the context of sound studies. Drawing on expertise from a range of backgrounds, including composers, musicians, poets and critics, the collection presents an inter-disciplinary exploration of the various registers in which the field recording is written, such as the essayistic, the creatively exploratory, the experimental and the philosophical alongside critical reflections on artistic practice.
Key Features
Focuses on sound in relation to poetry, poetics and nature / landscape writingIncludes contributions from published poets Lisa Robertson, Carol Watts and Jonathan SkinnerIncludes the classic essay, 'Field', by John BergerAccompanying sound recordings made accessible via the Resources tab on the Edinburgh University Press website

From the Back Cover

'What is the connection between a text, a score, an audio recording and a plot of earth and sky - a site, location or field? Writing the Field Recording considers these questions and relationships from myriad angles. These thought-provoking essays situate the burgeoning practice of field recording historically, artistically, philosophically and scientifically, and, in the process, vastly expand and deepen the notion of site-specificity.' Christoph Cox, Hampshire College Intervenes in contemporary debates about the relationship between literature and field recording A field recording is any audio recording made outside of the studio. Such recordings have lately become important to contemporary musicians, sound artists and environmentalists. However, less attention has been given to the relation of sound, as manifested in the theory and practice of the field recording, to writing. The eleven essays collected here take the recent explosion of interest in field recording as the point of departure for an investigation of the sounded field in music and its relationship to literature and writing. Including seminal pieces on field thinking by John Berger and Lisa Robertson, Writing the Field Recording analyses contemporary text scores, histories, composer statements, critical literature, poetry and nature writing in the context of sound studies. Drawing on expertise from a range of backgrounds, including composers, musicians, poets and critics, the collection presents an inter-disciplinary exploration of the various registers in which the field recording is written, such as the essayistic, the creatively exploratory, the experimental and the philosophical alongside critical reflections on artistic practice. Stephen Benson is Senior Lecturer in the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. Will Montgomery is Senior Lecturer in the Department of English at Royal Holloway, University of London. Cover image: Successive Rows of Horizontal, Straight Lines from Top to Bottom, and Vertical, Straight Lines from Left to Right, 1972, Sol LeWitt (c) The Estate of Sol LeWitt/DACS 2018 Cover design: [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-0669-7 Barcode

Review Quotes

What is the connection between a text, a score, an audio recording, and a plot of earth and sky - a site, location, or field? Writing the Field Recording considers these questions and relationships from myriad angles. These thought-provoking essays situate the burgeoning practice of field recording historically, artistically, philosophically, and scientifically, and, in the process, vastly expand and deepen the notion of site-specificity.-- "Christoph Cox, Hampshire College"

About the Author

Stephen Benson is Senior Lecturer in the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia.

Will Montgomery is Reader in Contemporary Poetry and Poetics at Royal Holloway, University of London.