Bloomsbury Academic Half Sound, Half Philosophy: Aesthetics, Politics, and History of China's Sound Art

Review Half Sound, Half Philosophy is the first major study of Chinese sound art and its affinity to ancient Qi-philosophy, an organic, holistic and enchanted worldview that stands in marked contrast to the commercialism and individualization of post-Mao China. Erudite and being attuned to the subtle play of resonances and the subliminal in the acoustics of Qi, Wang's book is destined to become a classic of sound art scholarship and sound studies more broadly. Veit Erlmann, Professor of Ethnomusicology and Anthropology, University of Texas, Austin, USA, and editor of Sound Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal If sound is qi, resonating, Chinese sound art animated by qi lives in the resonances that arise in the mutating, overlapping atmospheres of state power plays and works of artistic resistance. In this stunning book, Jing Wang audits pieces that mobilize clock hearts, crowd shouts, cybernetic dissonance, and strategic silence to jolt us into an active attention to how violence and defiance are made and born in the ambient sounds of everyday life. Stefan Helmreich, Elting E. Morison Professor of Anthropology, MIT, USA In this book, WANG Jing offers the reader the unique opportunity to investigate sonic creativity within but mainly outside of academe in China ranging from sound art to experimental and electroacoustic music to DIY culture and electronic instrument building. The historical discussion covers much ground but is not restricted to a multi-strand survey. Key to her approach is the investigation of Chinese cultural and philosophical elements that permeate this substantial body of creative work demonstrating beyond any doubt that experimentalism with sound in China is hardly a simple reflection of developments from other, mainly western countries but is instead largely deeply rooted in Chinese traditions, some ancient, related to sound, to qi and much more. Leigh Landy, Director, Institute for Sonic Creativity, De Montfort University, UK Product Description From the late 1990s until today, Chinas sound practice has been developing in an increasingly globalized social-economic-aesthetic environment, receiving attentions and investments from the art world, music industry and cultural institutes, along with an ambiguous attitude from the public about its legitimate artistic and academic status. While sound gains its increasing philosophical and artistic importance in the West, it has always been an important aesthetic and philosophical thread in Chinese history. The book examines sound practices in China, in their historical, technological, cultural and artistic contexts, from the 1990s through the present. Particularly, the book engages with artists, musicians, and their ideas, works and influences and offers a new perspective on understanding of China today. About the Author Jing Wang is Associate Professor in the College of Media and International Culture at Zhejiang University. Her current research focuses on sound studies, sensory studies, performance studies, and anthropological methods. Artistically, Jing works with field-recordings. She is an active organizer of sound events and talks in the city of Hangzhou. In January 2015, she founded The Sound Lab at College of Media and International Culture at Zhejiang University.