Silence

What is silence?
- A sound that is “with a loudness lower than 20db, the threshold for human beings

The Impact of Silence

• ● Candle light vigils
• ● “Moments of Silence”
• ● Taps into our inner stream of thoughts, emotions, memories and ideas
• ● Helps us make meaning out of our experiences and reflect on our own mental and emotional states
• ● Everyday silences have a greater effect on us than you realize (awkward ​silences, silence during an argument, etc)

Some Common Associations with Silence

• ● Plentitude and contemplation
• ○ “Quietness brings out a transformation of self.” (183)
• ● Sinister dimension
• ○ A means of torture
• ○ Insecurity in the unknown
• ○ Isolation and identity loss
• ○ Emotional manipulation
• ● Political domination
• ○ Opposite of having a “voice”
• ○ Equal to nonparticipation
• ○ “Political, symbolic, and interpretive strategy to respond to situations of conflict in contrast with imposed forms of silencing through coercion.” (184)

Examples of Silence as a Persuasive Tool

• ● Silence could be the loudest form of protest
• ● “Silence is the opposite of ‘having a voice,’ where voice is rendered as a sign of identity and presence of the subject...” (183)
• ● 1968 Black Power Olympic Protest
• ● Emma Gonzalez Parkland Speech “6:20”
• ● 1917 silent parade in New York to protest a Lynching

Creative Silence

• ● “Silence is a creative tool, a formal resource that has the potential of questioning the binary logic of apparent opposites by dissolving one into the other (presence as absence, emptiness as plenitude, quietness as expressivity, silence as an intensity of life).
• ● John Cage - anechoic chamber (page 184)
• ● “How silence is understood depends in good measure on how the relationship between the listener and his or her surroundings are conceptualized.” (185)
• ● John Cage - 4’33
• ● Helped lead to development of soundscape compositions
• ● Silence gives room for sound to prevail

Questions:

• ● Do you believe there is such thing as silence? Just because a human can’t hear it, doesn’t mean it’s silent.
• ● Does silence bring you joy? Discomfort? Pain? Insecurity? Etc.?
• ● Do humans need a certain amount of silence in their life?
• ● What is more impactful, silence or loudness?
• ● John Cage 4’33. Is it really a silent piece? Or something that changes every night?
• ● Would movies/films be the same with NO sound?
• ● Do you believe that people's reactions and the way they handle silence has changed over generations