Figures in Air

In this volume, theorist and sound artist Micah Silver addresses the impact of sound on human behavior and social space. Silvers research ranges from Yves Kleins Air Architecture to La Monte Youngs Dream House, and culminates in a discussion of historically significant sound systems, from discos, Monterey and Woodstock to the GRM studio, and their physical and experiential impacts, such as the Grateful Deads famous Wall of Sound custom PA. Disambiguating sound from audio, Silver defines sound as the domain of physics in order to examine its phenomenology in the world, and audio as a process that employs technology to construct temporary social architectures made of air. Micah Silver is an artist and curator who studied music at Wesleyan and in MITs Art, Culture, and Technology program. His installation and performance work has been produced by Mass MoCA, ISSUE Project Room, Palais de Tokyo in Paris and OK Zentrum, among other venues in the US and internationally.