Is sound an art form?

Chris Tsutsui · 10-16-2003, 07:49 PM

I know that music is classified under fine arts, but what about the people that design speakers and accessories, etc.

Are they strictly engineers doing specific designs for a purpose? Or should they be considered artists like the musicians that play the music?

I was just wondering this seeing how many companies are out there boasting their "unique" sonic qualities, and how their "sound" is better. When you look at the threads and reviews, you find there is no "best" system out there as they depend a lot on taste as well as other factors.

This leads me to believe that the designers could be considered artists that are simply expressing their work through sound. Amp designers must hand pick their caps and wires and understand the tradeoffs to achieve the finished result. There's also trial and error involved because of how complicated the path is from a CD to our ears.

These are just some thoughts as I design a 2nd inverted gainclone, and am struggling to find the right combination of "sculpture" (definitely art related), and sound.

Lew Crippen · 10-17-2003, 08:09 AM

I don’t think that Guarari or Stradivarius are considered artists nor would they have considered themselves artists.

Master craftsmen to be sure.

For me art has to communicate meaning—it says something about the world in which we live, or allows us to view things in a different manner.

A great violin or a great speaker may well help in the presentation of art, but it is not art itself, nor is its design and manufacture.

Randy Tennison · 10-17-2003, 08:20 AM

A speaker is a tool which relates art. You would not consider the person making a paint brush an artist, even though the item he manufactures makes art. A television is not an art object, although it can display art to the masses.

Dave Poehlman · 10-17-2003, 01:53 PM

Quote:

a great speaker may well help in the presentation of art, but it is not art itself, nor is its design and manufacture.

I don't know if I agree with this statement. I submit the following evidence:

Sure it performs a function.. and perhaps that function isn't artistic, but within its design lies art.

Vince Maskeeper · 10-17-2003, 01:58 PM

But the mass production of multiple identical items means it's a craft, not an art.

-Vince

**HTF Ads**

MarkHastings · 10-17-2003, 04:38 PM

Ooooo, tought call. I can see how the deisgn of the speaker cabinet (as in Dave's photo) can be considered a form of art, but Vince makes a good argument about it being a 'craft', as in a woodworker who creates things out of wood.

There seems to be a fine line between 'craft' and 'artist' though:

Craft: Skill in doing or making something, as in the arts; proficiency.

Artist: One, such as a painter, sculptor, or writer, who is able by virtue of imagination and talent or skill to create works of aesthetic value, especially in the fine arts.

I don't think there's an exact answer, but it seems we equate a 'craftsman' to items that can be creative, but are basically 'useful' (i.e. Speakers, Cars, Tables, etc.)

An 'artist' is someone who creates something to be enjoyed through the senses and is not necessarily considered 'functional'.

Well, that's my view point.

Lew Crippen · 10-17-2003, 05:14 PM

And while Dave makes a point as to the cabinet, that was not the point that Chris was addressing at the start of the thread about ‘sonic qualities’.

Nor was it my point as to production and manufacture, though I can see how my statement could be construed otherwise.

I think Vince’s observation is right on target.

Michelangelo was an artist who created a work of art ‘David’. If that stature gets reproduced a whole lot of times, the work of art will still be in Florence, not in your backyard.

Works of art like The Thinker have had multiple castings. Each casting done as the artist intended and under his control. There are no more copies than Rodin intended that may be considered ‘art’.

Bill Cowmeadow · 10-18-2003, 11:11 AM

quote:
__________________________
But the mass production of multiple identical items means it's a craft, not an art.
__________________________
This would mean fine artist prints are not art.

To me, anything that is displayed to evoke a response is a form of art. I don't consider music art, I consider it entertainment.

Dome Vongvises · 10-18-2003, 01:19 PM

Quote:

For me art has to communicate meaning—it says something about the world in which we live, or allows us to view things in a different manner.

You know, Lew, the first thing I thought of was stoplights when you mentioned that.

Stoplights communicate meaning. Green tells us to go. Yellow means caution. Red means stop.

There's a sociological implication to all of this. It communicates to us that our society has been conditioned to accept certain responses without questioning them. We accept without thiking. Should we rebel and free ourselves of this imprisonment and strive to be higher beings of critical thought? Should we become a state of individuals or should we be this one mass called society.
.
.
.
.
.

I'm just kidding, folks. I just wanted to see how silly I could get.

So to answer the original question, I really don't know.

Lew Crippen · 10-18-2003, 01:32 PM

Quote:

This would mean fine artist prints are not art.

Indeed—check out the difference between an original, a limited edition print, and unlimit