Zilai Zhu
Becoming Instrument : The Somatic Texture of Sound

MRes

Summary
Introduction

Summary

The following thesis is a 12851-word document on the arts and humanities pathway project undertaken at Master of Research of The Royal College of Art between September 2022 and July 2023.

Based upon the finding of my thesis published in 2022, “Breathing: an inner agency” which addresses the deviation of interdisciplinary perception and how the deviation is aiding an individual transcendence between sensing thresholds. This thesis utilises research in ancient musical instruments and rituals as a window to unfold the music material culture as a theoretical context; the main body of the text is constructed under the research question, How does practice in contemporary art reflect the sound of resurgent instruments in the digital streaming era?

The first half will analyse the various conceptions of the development of music anthropology; acoustic theory converges with individual perception, with different case studies upon installation, time-based media and sculpture weave throughout the text, It investigates how the dynamic interplay between sound and spatiality can shape or enhance the experience, examines the ways in which contemporary artists like Zimoun, Anish Kapoor, Andrei Tarkovsky, Janet Cardiff, etc., employ sound in their works with the use of spatial reverberation design, sonic mnemonics, and kinetic installations to craft environments that fully immerse the audience, and reflect on whether there has been an appropriation of the concept of ‘nature'.

The second half of the thesis is a derivative exploration of dance and performance in the competitive form. It showcases musicality and aims to deconstruct the concept of "sound-as-itself," categorising sound as a more intimate medium. A psychoacoustic survey and its results are also attached as a method of qualitative research. The conclusion serves as an aperture, and a researcher's portfolio is included with the submission.

Introduction

My research could not exist without the count of my own breathing.

When I stumbled into the Cité de la Musique in Paris, where the musical instrument collection strikes a balance between instrumentation and artistry, highly functional but deliciously decorative as well. There is something untouchable and picturesque of these ancient instruments that have lost their sound and are kept in a glass vacuum for conservation purposes. At the same time, you can listen to every sound archived on an audio device issued by the museum. This situation as well-captured imagery that is adhered to in my own practice as well, the architecture of this museum said what I wanted to say. Film director Zhang Lu said his work would always begin by imagining a space, although I found his final pieces tends to become situations rather than scenarios. It was the same method for my practice.

The presence of musical instruments is experiencing a shrinkage in contemporary everyday encounters. To write a matured polyphonic track, you may only need a laptop. Almost everything we hear, including live performances, has been virtually processed and embellished. At the same time, I would venture to define music as the most contemporary art form. My research is in hopes to become an instrument.