An oblique view of Sumi_: done

Still from documentation. After one-and-a-half years of re-thinking, re-conceptualising and re-everything...

It's finished.

Tastier stuff to follow later.

Dysfunction

Speaking to sound artist Robin Minard on a rainy evening in February this year, he explained to me that writing a Masters thesis is one of the most gut wrenching and difficult experiences you can ever put yourself through from an intellectual perspective. Writing an Honours thesis was hard enough in that surreal final month of October 05 - it felt at times like a bad one night stand that kept happening over and over again. Writing a Masters thesis for the past two years has felt more like a drawn out dysfunctional relationship - you love each other, the sex is alright, but more often than not there are disagreements and you feel the necessity to start throwing things at each other.

Analogies aside, it's a question of commitment and dysfunction when it comes to the masters thingo.

The good news is that thing are beginning to work themselves out, the amended research paper is progressing and should be in front of my supervisors before weeks end. Robin's been back in town for a couple of days after his extensive research tour of the north country and finally has some gaps in his schedule to discuss the mentorship. Confidence is gradually coming back after a frustrating period of indecisiveness and non-activity, a couple of meetings/brain picking sessions over the next couple of days with Robin should prove vital.

The amended research paper will be posted here soon, all things mentorship-centric will be posted as per usual.

Exciting times ahead.

Masters Research Paper

Yesterday I gave my Masters research paper presentation for the post graduate forum. A major milestone in terms of the research project in general it went suprisingly well, it wasn't a brilliant presentation in a few respects but it was generally well received. Next stop is the finished works and thesis due in late 2008.

I'm now nursing a mild (and well earned) hangover.

Further blog updates

The Masters research blog Still and Moving Lines has been updated a little.

[10.5.07] Masters presentation

So today I gave a presentation of my Masters research to the Music Technology forum at EMU. I think it went down reasonably well with everybody in the room - undergrad students, a couple of the teaching staff and one of the 'EMU groupies'. Whilst there was a temptation to rely upon my Masters proposal as the sole content, this would have bored a majority of the newbies to tears, so instead I decided to dedicate the first half to the research outline and elaborate on some areas of the research methodology; specifically that of examining 'focused listening' and the aesthetic of Alvin Lucier. The second half I think was more fun for all concerned as I compared Lucier's I Am Sitting In A Room with my own creative work-in-progress Tpot_(x) (formerly Tpot_1, but these kind of things always undergo changes.) All up it was about a hour or so with about fifteen minutes tacked on top of that for general questions, queries and observations.

I will update the research blog in the next week or so.

[23.4.07] Tpot 1 audio and analysis

Masters research update at Still and Moving Lines, click here to read.

[19.4.07] Research update [link]

I have finally posted something regarding my post grad research on the Still and Moving Lines blog. Click here to digest.

[3.4.07] Another bloody blog...

Well, I thought it would be neccesary to provide a seperate page for posts with relevance to my Masters research topic.

http://stillandmovinglines.blogspot.com/

I'll still post the odd Masters-centric thing here at the Soniferous Garden, but for those of you who are more obsessive types, you can get your fix at the above URL.

Cheers,

TLR