Christopher Small: Musicking: The Means of Performing and Listening (1998)

Extending the inquiry of his early groundbreaking books, Christopher Small strikes at the heart of traditional studies of Western music by asserting that music is not a thing, but rather an activity. In this new book, Small outlines a theory of what he terms “musicking,” a verb that encompasses all musical activity from composing to performing to listening to a Walkman to singing in the shower.

Using Gregory Bateson’s philosophy of mind and a Geertzian thick description of a typical concert in a typical symphony hall, Small demonstrates how musicking forms a ritual through which all the participants explore and celebrate the relationships that constitute their social identity. This engaging and deftly written trip through the concert hall will have readers rethinking every aspect of their musical worlds.

Publisher    Wesleyan University Press, 1998
ISBN    0819522570, 9780819522573
Length    230 pages

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Readings For Artworkers, No. 1: Culture, Not Profit (2009)

This is the first Volume of the Journal of Free / Slow University of Warsaw and a recap on first year of its activity. Internal diversity of the Volume corresponds to the mode of operation of this para-institution, which experiments with various avenues of knowledge production and exchange. The present and the first Volume is a recap on the 212 working days of the Free/Slow University of Warsaw during the first year of its activity. Internal diversity of the Volume corresponds to the mode of operation of our para-institution, which experiments with various avenues of knowledge production and exchange.

The subject of the first edition of the Free/Slow University of Warsaw was “culture not for profit.” The initiative referred to the tradition of free education, with a focus on establishing an environment that would enable critical reflection not only on culture, but also on its social, political and economic background. The participants made an attempt at a theoretical and practical research of the conditions of knowledge and culture production in the late capitalism, an analysis of the life conditions of activists, artists and cultural operators as well as at exerting an impact on the cultural policy and participating in debates on the current and the future shape of our societies.

Publication is available in Polish in printed form and online in English.

READINGS FOR ARTWORKERS VOL.1: CULTURE, NOT PROFIT. theorists, activists and artists about producing and functioning of culture
Edited by: Katarzyna Chmielewska, Kuba Szreder, Tomasz Żukowski
Authors: Jakob Jakobsen, Gerald Raunig, Marion von Osten, Peter Spillmann, Teresa Święćkowska, Martin Kaltwasser, Rebecca Gordon Nesbitt, Ewa Majewska, NetzNetz, Adrienne Goehler, Katarzyna Chmielewska, Michał Kozłowski, Tomasz Żukowski, Michał Herer
Publisher: Fundacja Bęc Zmiana, 2009
ISBN 978-83-929527-6-3
Published under Creative Commons, Attribution, Non Commercial, Share Alike, 3.0

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Stuart Sim: Manifesto for silence: confronting the politics and culture of noise (2007)

Silence has played a crucial role in human history in important areas of our existence such as religion and the arts. Yet we live in an increasingly noisy society in which silence is under perpetual assault from the 24/7 lifestyle. The business world cynically exploits noise as part of its marketing strategy; the military deploys noise as a weapon. Without question, noise is a political issue on a global scale.This book mounts a strong argument for silence, arguing that we need more rather than less of it in our lives. The alternative is an environment scarred even further by noise, so often the forgotten pollutant. Stuart Sim explores why silence matters, where it matters – in religion, health, the arts, thought – and why we’ll suffer if space is not made for it. The confrontation between the politics of noise and the politics of silence is an issue on which we cannot stay neutral. A defence of silence is a defence of our humanity, as well as of a beleaguered environment.Key Features:*An in-depth analysis of one of the main cultural conflicts of our time: noise versus silence. *Appeals across the reading spectrum, from the academic to the general reader. *Explores the critical role played by silence in cultural history and its continuing relevance to us now. *Provides a critique of the marketing strategies of the business world from a new perspective. *Puts the conflict between noise and silence in our world into sharp political focus. *Demonstrates why and where silence matters in our lives, and why we should seek to protect it.

Publisher    Edinburgh University Press, 2007
ISBN    0748625917, 9780748625918
Length    215 pages

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