sketchbook no. 5

booth, helen, and i went to the phil elverum performance last night at the white stag building downtown. elverum had been an "arist in residence" for the university of oregon in the white stag building this past year, and he had created an album for and "about" the white stag building. before elvrum performed, another sound artist showcased a sound and film project before there was a brief question period with the artists. listening to the strange, long-haired, idealistic hippie freak who presented the first piece of art talk about collecting sound from waterfalls in the columbia river gorge and then elverum talk about collecting sounds from the white stag building, i became fascinated with the idea of collecting sounds. all the sounds that no one else gets to hear unless they're intimate with a place. those sounds that are specific to a place and not cable of being reproduced.

and then broodthaers started to influence my thoughts. you know i love broodthaers. in mind mind i can foresee sound exhibitions or "museums." convention folding tables set up in the middle of a building or a field or a huge factory; tables set up with cassette players with microphones, something like what i would have used in grade school. and behind the players, cassette cases listed with labels in cursive script dates and perhaps subject matter. this would be a catalogue of all the sounds that comprise a place. i like the idea that after the exhibition closed, the cassettes could be neatly catalogued in a library.