An Update on Provocations

An Update on Provocations

In March of this year, Soundbox put out its call for provocations. After sifting through a variety of excellent proposals (and making a few tough decisions!), we chose 12 provocations to work with. A published web collection will document each of these provocations in sound, video, text, sketches and source code, so that others might be inspired to amplify their own scholarship, and think beyond what counts as “scholarship” more generally.

We’re excited by the range of critical and conceptual depth of these provocations. Here’s a sampling of what’s in store for the collection:

  • Members of the colectivo caliban from the Virginia Commonwealth University give voice to alternative historical perspectives on Monument Avenue, a series of Confederate monuments in downtown Richmond, Virginia.
  • Scholar Myron Beasley and artist Robert Peterson produce an experimental soundscape, featuring field recordings of Krik! Krak! performances taken on the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the weeks before and after the catastrophic 2010 earthquake.
  • Composer Kenneth Stewart embeds the history of electronic signal processing into a custom-built guitar, outfitted with microcontrollers that enable new forms of sonic interaction.

We’ll be featuring the work and thoughts of our provocateurs throughout the rest of the year, as their projects progress. Thank you to everyone who submitted a proposal!