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An investigation into participant experiences of sound installations through practice and reflection
Thesis (MMus)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867614135334731776 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Du Plessis, Annemie Johanna |
| author2 | Schonken, P. A. |
| author_browse | Du Plessis, Annemie Johanna Schonken, P. A. |
| author_facet | Schonken, P. A. Du Plessis, Annemie Johanna |
| author_sort | Du Plessis, Annemie Johanna |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MMus)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132146 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:47:13.687Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132146 An investigation into participant experiences of sound installations through practice and reflection Du Plessis, Annemie Johanna Schonken, P. A. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Music. Sound art -- Analysis, appreciation Auditory perception -- Psychological aspects Sound installations (Art) Sound -- Psychological aspects Grounded theory UCTD Thesis (MMus)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. du Plessis, A. J. 2025. An investigation into participant experiences of sound installations through practice and reflection. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/f8e2bc9a-360a-4044-8c2c-e34fe3b87e83 ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Sound installation art has largely been under-theorised. The primary objective of this research was therefore to explore how participants experienced sound installations. I conducted several sound installation events including Wood and Water, Sound Roots, and Shadow Voices, which formed the basis for this study’s investigation into sound installation art experiences. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were used to collect rich, descriptive data from the participants. By applying an inductive qualitative methodology that was rooted in grounded theory, the study generated theoretical insights into participant experiences. While these experiences were inherently subjective, my analysis of the data revealed common themes in the accounts of the participants. The data was categorised and interpreted in the context of existing literature, to derive meaningful themes and patterns that informed the study’s conclusions. There were three key themes that emerged from the analysis, namely the process of experiencing, immersion, and the perception of time. Participants described a range of experiences, that entailed thoughts, feelings, sensations and emotions. This revealed the multi-faceted nature of sound installation experiences, which are often underpinned by cognitive processes that rely on individual expectations and prior knowledge. The findings suggest that an increased exposure to sound art and an associated vocabulary can enhance participating individuals’ understanding and rational sense-making of this evolving art form. This study reveals the ability of sound and sound art to stimulate automatic sensations, memories and emotions that are often complex. The participants’ experiences indicated the critical role that the amount and complexity of sensory information, together with a connection to the narrative of the installation, can play in the ability to become immersed in a sound installation. This feedback from participants highlighted the need for a balance between complexity and coherence. The study also reveals how sound installations can affect participants' sense of time. Sound installations may offer individuals a heightened awareness of the present moment that may feel longer in duration. While participants often referenced the past, sound installation art can also stimulate creative thinking that is associated with thinking about the future. Although the experiences during sound installations can at times seem unfamiliar and therefore uncomfortable to individuals participating in such events, they stand a chance to benefit psychologically and emotionally from this art form. By recognising the multi-faceted nature of experiencing and possibilities to mediate these, this research can furthermore enable artists to create more captivating and impactful sound installations. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Klankinstallasie-kuns is oorwegend onderteoretiseer. Die primêre doel van hierdie navorsing was dus om te verken hoe deelnemers klankinstallasies ervaar het. Ek het verskeie klankinstallasie geleenthede gehou, insluitend Wood and Water, Sound Roots, en Shadow Voices, wat die basis gevorm het vir hierdie studie se ondersoek na klankinstallasie-kuns ervarings. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude en vraelyste is gebruik om ryk, beskrywende data van die deelnemers te versamel. Deur 'n induktiewe kwalitatiewe metodologie toe te pas wat in grounded theory geanker is, het die studie teoretiese insigte in deelnemers se ervarings gegenereer. Terwyl hierdie ervarings inherent subjektief was, het my analise van die data algemene temas in die deelnemers se verslae onthul. Die data is gekategoriseer en geïnterpreteer in die konteks van bestaande literatuur, om betekenisvolle temas en patrone af te lei wat gelei het tot die studie se bevindinge. Daar was drie sleuteltemas wat uit die analise na vore gekom het, naamlik die proses van ervaarnig, onderdompeling, en die persepsie van tyd. Deelnemers het 'n reeks ervarings beskryf wat gedagtes, gevoelens, sensasies en emosies ingesluit het. Dit het die veelvlakkige aard van klankinstallasie- ervarings onthul, wat dikwels onderlê word deur kognitiewe prosesse wat op individuele verwagtinge en vooraf kennis staatmaak. Die bevindinge dui daarop dat 'n verhoogde blootstelling aan klankkuns en 'n geassosieerde woordeskat die deelnemers se begrip en rasionele interpretasie van hierdie ontwikkelende kunsvorm kan verbeter. Hierdie studie onthul die vermoë van klank en klankkuns om outomatiese sensasies, herinneringe en emosies te stimuleer wat dikwels kompleks is. Die deelnemers se ervarings het die kritieke rol aangedui wat die hoeveelheid en kompleksiteit van sensoriese inligting, saam met 'n verbintenis tot die narratief van die installasie, kan speel in die vermoë om ondergedompel te raak in 'n klankinstallasie. Hierdie terugvoer van deelnemers het die behoefte aan 'n balans tussen kompleksiteit en samehang beklemtoon. Die studie onthul ook hoe klankinstallasies deelnemers se tydsbesef kan beïnvloed. Klankinstallasies kan individue 'n verhoogde bewustheid van die huidige oomblik bied wat langer kan voel in duur. Terwyl deelnemers dikwels na die verlede verwys het, kan klankinstallasie-kuns ook kreatiewe denkprosesse stimuleer wat geassosieer word met gedagtes oor die toekoms. Alhoewel die ervarings tydens klankinstallasies soms onbekend en dus ongemaklik kan voorkom vir individue wat aan sulke geleenthede deelneem, het hulle 'n kans om psigologies en emosioneel baat te vind by hierdie kunsvorm. Deur die veelvlakkige aard van ervarings en die moontlikhede om dit te bemiddel, kan hierdie navorsing verder kunstenaars in staat stel om meer boeiende en impakvolle klankinstallasies te skep. Masters 2025-05-27T13:53:16Z 2025-05-27T13:53:16Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132146 Stellenbosch University ix, 113 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Sound art -- Analysis, appreciation Auditory perception -- Psychological aspects Sound installations (Art) Sound -- Psychological aspects Grounded theory UCTD Du Plessis, Annemie Johanna An investigation into participant experiences of sound installations through practice and reflection |
| title | An investigation into participant experiences of sound installations through practice and reflection |
| title_full | An investigation into participant experiences of sound installations through practice and reflection |
| title_fullStr | An investigation into participant experiences of sound installations through practice and reflection |
| title_full_unstemmed | An investigation into participant experiences of sound installations through practice and reflection |
| title_short | An investigation into participant experiences of sound installations through practice and reflection |
| title_sort | investigation into participant experiences of sound installations through practice and reflection |
| topic | Sound art -- Analysis, appreciation Auditory perception -- Psychological aspects Sound installations (Art) Sound -- Psychological aspects Grounded theory UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132146 |
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