The term "Audio Rorschach" derives from "Rorschach Audio" - the title of a research artwork, conceived in 1998, and initiated and conducted by Joe Banks (founder of the sound art group Disinformation), which considers investigations into allegedly supernatural "Electronic Voice Phenomenon" in the light of anecdotal reports and experimental studies of related aspects of auditory perception. Credulous interpretations of EVP are surprisingly commonplace in the fields of parapsychology, electronic music and contemporary art, and "Rorschach Audio" considers the spiritualistic attribution of "stray" radio voices to stem from the illusory misinterpretation of ambiguous acoustic sense-data, and EVP recordings themselves to therefore be illusions of sound (see auditory illusion).

"Rorschach Audio" offers the primary hypothesis that an understanding of the relevant aspects of psychoacoustics provides a complete explanation for most EVP recordings, and (equally importantly) a secondary hypothesis that an informed understanding of these illusions is as important to the (theoretical and aesthetic) understanding of the emergent field of sound art as studies of optical illusions have historically been to the understanding of visual arts. "Rorschach Audio" argues for improved public understanding of scientific psychology, and for improved understanding of the relevance of mainstream scientific method to the working practices of contemporary art <ref> [Joe Banks "Rorschach Audio: Art and Illusion for Sound", Strange Attractor Journal 1, pp. 124-159, Strange Attractor Press, 2004]</ref> <ref> [Joe Banks "Rorschach Audio: Ghost Voices and Perceptual Creativity"
Leonardo Music Journal 11, pp. 77-83, The MIT Press, 2001]</ref> <ref> [Joe Banks "Rorschach Audio: A Lecture at The Royal Society of British Sculptors", Diffusion 8, pp. 2-6, Sonic Arts Network, 2000]</ref> <ref> [Joe Banks "Rorschach Audio" the "Ghost Orchid" CD sleevenotes, PARC / Ash International, 1999]</ref>.

As an art project "Audio Rorschach" materials have been presented as a research exhibit in one group exhibition - at The Foundry (London), and in 9 solo exhibitions by the sound art group Disinformation - at Fabrica (Brighton), The Huddersfield Art Gallery, The Ashcroft Arts Centre (Fareham), Quay Arts (Newport, Isle of Wight), South Hill Park (Bracknell), The Mac (Birmingham), Q Arts (Derby), Saltburn Artists Projects (Teeside) and Wrexham Arts Centre. "Rorschach Audio" lecture-demonstrations, performances etc have also been given at Goldsmiths College (London), FACT centre (Liverpool), MUU (Helsinki), The Royal British Society of Sculptors (London), The Broadway, Nottingham (for the Nottingham Trent University Fine Art Department), Q Arts (Derby), Fabrica (Brighton), Hull Time Based Arts, the UKISC "Sound Practice" conference (at Dartington College of Arts), Beursschouwburg (Brussels) and The Art Institute of Chicago.

Biographical information

Disinformation is a research, installation and sound art project, which, since 1995, pioneered the use of electromagnetic (radio) noise from live mains electricity, lightning, laboratory equipment, industrial, metro, railway and IT hardware etc, geomagnetic storms and the sun etc, as the raw material of musical and fine-art publications, DJ and concert performances, exhibits and events (the name Disinformation is used in the spirit of what Ludwig Wittgenstein referred to as the "Liar Paradox"). The research into (mostly Very Low Frequency band) radio science that was required to realise early Disinformation LPs and CDs etc provided the technical experience necessary to explain the source of the stray radio signals that form the subject matter of EVP research. Since this time, Disinformation has also evolved into a widely exhibited visual arts project. From April 2003 to March 2006, the author of "Rorschach Audio" was appointed Visiting Fellow in the School of Informatics, City University, London.

References

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Documentation of "Rorschach Audio" also appears in Art Monthly, issue 252, page 19, Dec 2001, in David Toop "Haunted Weather" pp. 48-49, Serpent's Tail, 2004, and in The Wire issue 258, page unknown, August 2005.

External links

MIT Press Journals

MUU Helsinki

Strange Attractor Journal