Thursday, October 15, 2009

Vocalising the Post-Human: Philip Brophy

The voice is corrupted by being human. The evolutionist assumption that ‘voice’ inevitably implicates a human producer limits the potential breadth of its definition. (Philip Brophy)

Interesting statement. I immediately think of voice as 'sound' produced by insects, animals, the elements, machines, industry: the crash of waves, high wind through trees, thunder, hum of an air-conditioner, dog howling, clock ticking, distant siren, traffic across the Bolte Bridge, leaves rustling, the trickle of water across stones - a gush that falls suddenly over an embankment, the hiss of steam.
I suspect that Brophy is referring to the electronic voice, one that positions the human as post-human through its negotiations with digital and electronic transformations.

No comments:

Post a Comment