Prelude to a reading.

Exigence of the encounter: how do I respond to what I encounter, “building in encounter-possibilities” (Sirc 15)?

Temporal Liner Notes:

Blog writing where “passion” or “love of” are not the motivating forces of the composition (though “interest” sparks the composing process). Experiments in new media composing is the motivation. I encounter texts through new media. I respond accordingly. These albums are albums I have encountered at some point in different ways, but I do not listen to this music today. I am not responding as fan or in appreciation of an aesthetic. I am responding in general to an idea or point I have encountered.

Escape

Some Enchanted Evening

Ridin’ The Storm Out

As a series of assignments:

• Pick a record you have listened to, once owned, or have some other relationship with that does not have to be based on taste.
• Using the year of the record’s release, research other events - personal, historical, public - also from that year.
• At the point of pattern formation (where you see a reoccurring idea, image, point, concept, word), juxtapose the album with the various moments your research produces.
• Write a series of temporal liner notes that show the pattern.

Liner notes may be composed in a blog space (daily entries lend themselves to shorter compositions joined by united theme) or on paper. Project could easily be divided into three sequenced tasks/assignments:

• Identification of albums and their importance
• Gathering of research material
• Overall juxtaposition and delivery of liner notes

Assignment informed by encounter. Pattern formation (McLuhan, Ulmer). Juxtaposition (McLuhan, Ulmer). Temporality (Gilyard). A writing “along the bias” (Brodkey). Noise over settled thesis (Davis). The creative or imaginary (Walker, Corder, Bishop). Popular culture as model for writing or “to recognize the greatness in our country’s popular materials” (Ray, Sirc). “Moving through moments in the hopes of finding an understanding” (Sirc). Imaginary in place of “the fit” as response (Vatz). Critique as textual response (Harris). Image/Text/Blog (Yancey, George).

Overall outcomes (in addition to what our class readings teach me):

• Exigence (what to respond to)
• Invention (how to respond)
• Research (gathering of material for response)
• Arrangement and organization (putting material together)
• Delivery (presenting material to an audience)

Another kind of musical project with similar inspiration:

The syllabus: 1020.doc

Some key pedagogical features:

• Total involvement
• Pattern formation
• Expanded perception (categories blur)
• Extension of self (voice, but also thought)
• Playing R-O-L-E-S
• A time/space for crossing boundaries/barriers
• When two or more things are put into juxtaposition, the results are startling and effective (post, link, comment, response)
• Small world networks (the global village - a tough place to live because we are totally involved)
• Moving inward as an enclosed expert (centripetal); or moving outward as a networked agent (centrifugal)
• A different type of dwelling place (ethos as network).  Living mythically and in depth.