Murmur/Mutter/Yell 1.0 at 11 Rivington, New York, NY 2021
In a 34:20-minute vocal composition, Murmur/Mutter/Yell shuttles through the implications of our private data mined every time we click “Agree”. Ripe for manipulation, we are the raw material for 21st century colonization.
Sixty-two programmed Wave Field Synthesis speakers place sound precisely in 3-dimensional space, creating a dreamlike conversation between the conscious & subconscious, as our minds tune into the libretto about artificial intelligence colonizing our data, our futures, us.
Jaffé shares the auditory, perceptual possibilities of Wave Field Synthesis, so participants can experience its uncanny physicality of sounds placed in 3-D space. Walking around the space is encouraged, as sounds are brought directly to you. Vocals are programmed to move across the width and depth of the speakers’ field.
Murmur/Mutter/Yell features 3 vocalists singing Jaffé’s libretto. Recording sessions took place in New York and Berlin. Softwares employed to create the work are Logic Pro, MaxMSP, Reaper and Dante.
Michelle Jaffé at the New York recording studio with vocalists Kyoko Kitamura and Chris DiMeglio, 2021
Vocalist Joanna Dudley recording in the Berlin studio, 2021
Reaper software positioning composition in 3D space.
MaxMSP software to route composition to 62 WFS speaker array.
Murmur/Mutter/Yell 1.0, LES, Lower East Side Presentation, 2019–2021
In a 34:20-minute vocal composition, Murmur/Mutter/Yell shuttles through the implications of our private data being mined every time we click “Agree”. Ripe for manipulation, we are the raw material for 21st century colonization. Sixty-two programmed Wave Field Synthesis speakers place sound precisely in 3-dimensional space, creating a dreamlike conversation between the conscious & subconscious, as our minds tune into the libretto about artificial intelligence colonizing our data, our futures, us.
Jaffé created the libretto, composed from phrases that have grown up around the Internet. The text employs language of brand marketing optimization, language that creates an end-run around an unsuspecting user. “If it’s free, you’re the product”, “Networked, Personalized, Just for You”, “Behavioral Underwriting” informs us we are already inside the Matrix, tomorrow’s lunch.
Too trusting, we cede our rights away every time we click “Agree”. Search engine bots exploit our personal data as raw material for profit. Algorithms manipulate our behavior. We are fodder for corporate, political & criminal exploitation. Our loss of privacy is someone else’s financial gain.
Jaffé works with sound to expand sculptural experience, as a gestalt to forge new neural connections, by engaging mind, body & limbic brain simultaneously. Active listening brings awareness to the invisible web invading our homes and feeds.
Credits
Michelle Jaffé
Murmur/Mutter/Yell 1.0, LES, Lower East Side Presentation, 2019–2021
Concept, Libretto, Vocal Direction, Composition, Sound Choreography
62 Wave Field Synthesis speakers place sound precisely in 3D space
LED lights, computer, audio interface, felt (sound mitigation), softwares: Logic Pro X, MaxMSP, Reaper, Dante
9'h x 18.75'w x 20'd
34:20-minute composition
Code Design: Bobby McElver
Vocalists: Joanna Dudley, Kyoko Kitamura, Chris DiMeglio
New York State Council on the Arts New Media grant
Queens Council on the Arts grant
New York Foundation for the Arts fiscal sponsorship