Faculty of Fine Arts Assistant Professor, Dr. Mary Mazurek, has recently published her first book, Aesthetic Noise: The Philosophy of Intentional Listening.
Through a framework of philosophical filtering, Aesthetic Noise looks at the complex nature of noise and considers how it can produce profound experiences and understandings when engaged with aesthetically.
Aesthetic Noise explores noise as an art material, and ultimately how it can become a tool for activism and expanded creative possibilities. It demonstrates that, by engaging multiple philosophies in concert, the value of aesthetic noise is amplified, thus allowing the listener to better appreciate noise and its possibilities.
Mary is a GRAMMY-nominated recording engineer, interdisciplinary artist, educator and author. Her recording credits include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Yo-Yo Ma, Kronos Quartet, Michael Feinstein, Howard Levy, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the New York Philharmonic. In addition to her audio career, Mary is an interdisciplinary artist whose sound/image-based work has been exhibited in Chicago, New York, Mexico and Berlin.
What is the significance of the book in the context of larger understandings of noise and sound?
Aesthetic Noise: The Philosophy of Intentional Listening challenges the assumption that noise is always a technical problem or something that is unwanted or to be avoided.
As a GRAMMY-Nominated recording engineer, I found myself both repelled and fascinated by noise, and I wanted to find out why. I also wanted to explore the significance of noise when it was used as an artistic material.
Through philosophy and artistic examples, I found that noise could produce profound experiences and understandings well beyond its common perception.
How did your research work inform the writing of the book?
This book stems from my dissertation work at IDSVA. I was exposed to a significant amount of philosophy and visual art, and I wondered how this might apply to sound and noise art.
Sound studies, which my book is part of, is an emerging field in need of more critical discourse. Lacking specific source material, I attempted to synthesize philosophies that examined topics such as literature, visual art, and psychoanalysis with noise and the art and music made with this material.
This book comes from approximately ten years of research toward my doctorate. I had come to ULethbridge with a newly-minted PhD and a book contract with Routledge.
After signing the contract, I went about the solitary task of editing and reformatting it for publication. This process took me approximately another year and a half. I was very pleased that my editor only made minor adjustments to my revised text.
How is the monograph being used in teaching and research?
I am already using the book in my course Aesthetic Noise here at ULethbridge. Though my intention in using it is to provide a springboard for students to develop their own ideas and works.
I hope that the book will become a resource for students of sound studies and philosophy, as well as for professional sound designers, artists, musicians, and composers.