What are the possibilities of the sonic laboratory?

This research is informed by my work as a curator working with sonic arts and DIY technology. It considers the historical and contemporary concepts and practices of the sonic laboratory, investigating the origins of laboratory terminology and examining various typologies. From there, it closely considers artists' practices in laboratory models of academic and artistic labs dedicated to the research and development of sound. Finally, it explores the potential of sonic laboratories through planetary listening and field recording to challenge the conventional and hegemonic practices of specific laboratories and identify the sonic laboratory's transformative potential. For this critical investigation of the laboratory, I draw on Bruno Latour's text, Laboratory Life: The Construction of Scientific Facts, which states, "Scientific activity is not 'about nature,' it is a fierce fight to construct reality. The laboratory is the workplace and the set of productive forces, which makes construction possible" (Latour and Woolgar, 1986, p.243). This transformative potential of the laboratory motivates my research. It reinforces my interest as a curator in the relationships between sound, art, science, and technology in different interdisciplinary fields, as viewed through the laboratory's focus. The research reveals that most conventional laboratories perpetuate the "military-industrial complex" (Beck and Bishop, 2020, p.1). This hegemonic structure becomes problematic because it derives from colonial practices in which models that exclude otherness predominate. In response, my research suggests that sonic laboratories can offer an alternative to those hegemonically constituted laboratories. Therefore, this thesis explores the potential to open possibilities within laboratory conventions from sonic laboratory practices. To this end, my overview of different types of sonic laboratories (through sound artists in laboratory residences, academic labs, and field recording labs) tries to chart and arrive at an alternative, what I will call the hybrid lab, a lab that becomes multiple, complex, diverse, and inclusive. This hybrid laboratory challenges hegemonies, allowing the sonic laboratory's potential to develop in broader contexts of knowledge production.

Author dc:creator

• Plana Gracia, Laura

• Sound Arts & Design

Statement dc:rights

• cc_by_nc_nd

Language dc:language

en

Identifier

Plana Gracia, Laura <https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/view/creators/Plana_Gracia=3ALaura=3A=3A.html> (2026) What are the possibilities of the sonic laboratory? PhD thesis, University of the Arts London.

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk:27102