Noise Matters: Towards an Ontology of Noise

Description

Everyone knows what noise is. Or do they? Can we in fact say that one man's noise is another teenager's music? Is noise in fact only an auditory phenomenon or does it extend far beyond this realm? If our common definitions of noise are necessarily subjective and noise is not just unpleasant sound, then it merits a closer look (or listen). Greg Hainge sets out to define noise in this way, to find within it a series of operations common across its multiple manifestations that allow us to apprehend it as something other than a highly subjective term that tells us very little. Examining a wide range of texts, including Sartre's novel Nausea and David Lynch's iconic films Eraserhead and Inland Empire, Hainge investigates some of the Twentieth Century's most infamous noisemongers to suggest that they're not that noisy after all; and it finds true noise in some surprising places. The result is a thrilling and illuminating study of sound and culture. FC Half title Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Manifesto Turn it up Noise matters What noise has been What noise might be: Towards an ontology of noise Where noise will (and will not) be found PART 1 1 The (Not So) Noisy Elephants in the Room Sound Fury Signifying Nothing 2 Noisea Haiku Nausea and noise Where Nausea’s noise is not Black noise Vinyl noise Grey noise 3 Noise, Horror, Death Do you see what I see? Scream Poltergeist Death White Noise The Ring Abject? PART 2 4 On the Difficulties of Attending to Noise On failing to see noise On failing to get rid of noise On failing to identify noise On noise failing to remain noise 5 On the Difficulties of Listening to Noise Punctum Grain V/Nois/ce Concrete Against the grain PART 3 6 On Noise and Film. Planet, Rabbit, Lynch Eraserhead INLAND EMPIRE Noisy interlude 1 Metarabbit Digital noise Plus ça change Noisy interlude 2 Resolution? 7 On Noise and Photography. Forest, Fuzz, Ruff nm 07.1 nm 07.2 nm 07.3 nm 07.4 nm 07.5 nm 07.6 8 On Noise and Music. Concrete (reprise), Woolly Mammoth Noise Musique Concrete (reprise) Bridge The woolly mammoth in the room Noise music Conclusion Bibliography Index