The Alan Sondheim Mail Archive

Sleepytime

http://www.alansondheim.org/sleepytime.mp4

Flotsam is floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo. Jetsam is part of a
ship, its equipment, or its cargo that is purposefully cast overboard or
jettisoned to lighten the load in time of distress and that sinks or is
washed ashore. Lagan is cargo that is lying on the bottom of the ocean,
sometimes marked by a buoy, which can be reclaimed. Derelict is cargo that
is also on the bottom of the ocean, but which no one has any hope of
reclaiming. (Wikipedia)

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:

   Ligan \Li"gan\ (l[imac]"g[ait]n), n. [Cf. L. ligare to bind, to
      tie, ligamen band, bandage, E. ligament, or ligsam.] (Law)
      Goods sunk in the sea, with a buoy attached in order that
      they may be found again. See {Jetsam} and {Flotsam}. [Written
      also {lagan}.] --Blackstone.

is worrisome is not only the personality made from corporate flotsam and 
flood, flotsam and jetsam, debris from the sea of selves: who's speaking, 
collages of flotsam. big blue arrows trailed down hir feminine legs, 
jetsam, but the widening gap of haves and havenots bend deeper into the 
keys themselves, jetsam on an indeterminate sleeptime mission to everyone.

Coupled and Resonating Crystal Radio Circuitry with Analog Recording


http://www.alansondheim.org/install3.mp3
http://www.alansondheim.org/install4.mp3

"install3, a remarkable soundwork in which voices flot through the
(metaphoric) ether, representing the universal radiations of the virtual"

In the installation, two crystal radios (one loose coupler with double
diodes replacing the crystal, and one with honeycomb coil and single air
condenser plus single diode) are coupled together, along with a variometer
and early aerial air condenser. The coupling is designed to detune the
broadcast band, so that the maximum number of stations are piled on each
other. The resulting output is fed to high impedance earphones in parallel
with a guitar (low impedance) amplifier. Line out from the amp is fed into
a Marantz pro single-channel cassette recorder with automatic level
control set. The tape was digitized with Audacity; the result is install3,
a remarkable soundwork in which voices float through the (metaphoric)
ether. install3 represents the universal radiations of the virtual, from a
single location, Eyebeam.

install4 was recorded through the Eyebeam window with a small digital
recorder pressed against the glass. The resulting file was edited and
processed in CoolEdit. I find it an interesting anomaly.