Background Noise: Perspectives on Sound Art

by Brandon LaBelle

"Follows the development of sound as an artistic medium and illustrates how sound is put to use within modes of composition, installation, and performance"--

Genres: Music, Art, Nonfiction, Theory

316 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2006

About the author

Brandon LaBelle is Professor in New Media in the Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design at the University of Bergen. He is the author of Lexicon of the Mouth: Poetics and Politics of Voice and the Oral Imaginary, Diary of an Imaginary Egyptian, Acoustic Territories: Sound Culture and Everyday Life, and Background Noise: Perspectives on Sound Art.

Reviews

[S. Alberto ঌ⁻⁷ (always yearning)]

If you’re doing a presentation on sound art performance or sound art situations—LaBelle is the guy. This book is basically canon in the sound studies world, and it absolutely delivered when I needed something solid and reliable to help me prep for presenting our seminar reading to the rest of the lecture group.

Background Noise does exactly what it says it will: it gives context, depth, and a strong foundation for thinking about sound art not just as an aesthetic practice, but as a spatial, cultural, and political one. LaBelle breaks down key movements, artists, and philosophies, and even though the text can get dense at times, it’s still approachable if you’re willing to stay tuned in (pun intended).

Four stars because while it’s foundational, some parts could have been a bit more streamlined—but honestly? I can’t even be mad. It gave me the vocabulary, the references, and the confidence to present like I knew what I was talking about. A must-read if you’re entering the sound art discourse. 🎧📚

[Dawn]

A fantastic book on sound and the arts that is very in-depth and extensive. If I remember correctly it's very John Cage and American composer/artist heavy which may put some off. For myself, growing up and wanting to understand more about experimental music and sound art this was invaluable so it holds a dear place in my mind.

[Matthew Butler]

A comprehensive yet accessible tour through the aesthetic category of "sound art". The throughline here is, of course, Cage and the idea of all of sound as a unifying force. More broadly, the book concerns sonic expression in art, ecology, music, information, nature, and people. An excellent introduction to the topic but extensive in its scope and erudite in its focus.

[Seth]

A great book that helps to tie together the still nebulous (and more exciting because of it) art practice known most broadly as sound art. Focuses a lot on site specificity and architecture and performance in discussing a variety of sound art projects as relational art/media. Really interesting and well researched.

[Jsun]

nice history of sound art. interesting archeology of thinking and listening. I've read it through once now I return to it occasionally to get my facts right and scratch my chin on the dense language.

[Penny]

don't stop.
get it.
get it.

[Cambra]

body body body body body

[Crimeny!]

NOISE! what/where/how/when is it made/perceived/interpreted?
super duper, so far...