Music Box as a medium
My personal theory
Within the frame of my artistic practice, of using music boxes as a major medium in my artworks, in this post (or perhaps set of posts), I am going to try and unfold my personal view and somehow “theory” on music boxes, regarding their role and agency in artworks.
So, a bit of history reference first. Music boxes were initially originated in the early 18th century, mostly by craftsmen watchmakers. They started making them using the so called snuff boxes. These were usually pocket size container boxes, often carved with impressive ornaments, that could fit in a coat’s pocket. They were used back on those days to store a small amount of tobacco, while keeping it fresh. Music boxes were powered by clockwork mechanisms and were made of metallic parts. Through the golden years of automata and beyond, they underwent many interesting and diverse variations, both mechanical and manual.
Nowadays, music box’s conventional affordances are considered within the music composition domain and especially film scoring. Therein, it is also identified as being mainly a sound that carries nostalgic, childish, esoteric, magical, dreamy, peaceful, toylike(etc.) qualities, which is something that many people will agree. This is how it was introduced to me, when I first started sampling it and using it, while I was making a leaving as a composer, a few years ago. And I can say that I loved it. It was also the first “tool” from my previous years as a music composer, that I borrowed and brought to my computational arts practice.
In my personal view and in a way vague “theory” on the music box as a medium, I see a very unique and remarkable “vehicle”. An analog mechanism with an organic feel that resembles the early computers operating with card papers. In respect to its above mentioned and commonly accepted sonic affordances, it carries some of the affordances from its clockwork mechanism, which may be less obvious. The overall winding that is evident and easily perceivable both audibly and visually, adds a time quality, where at moments, the listener, captivated by its childlike sound, may sense that he is experiencing an introspective process. This can be felt as something from our past is being called or that a recollection journey to our childhood is currently in progress.
The establishment of this connection with the child within us, is what makes us emotionally responsive.
From this state, being in a close connection with the “warmth of the wound”, we may become considerably open and absorptive to the message that this magical vehicle-medium may carry.
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I may not sound that “computational” saying all that stuff right now, but I have more to say on top of it and I feel it may ring some bells to some of you.
Eric Berne, a Canadian psychiatrist, developed in the mid 20th century the so called transactional analysis, a psychoanalytic theory and therapy method, as well as a phenomenological approach and supplement on Freud’s philosophical ideas. In simple words, the individual’s ego state is determined by the triad child-parent-adult, where the first two derive from our past and the latter pops out, oblivious, in the present. Every person depending on the quality of childhood she/he has experienced, is carrying in the present, some behavioural patterns, assigned to the first two of this triad and are often conflicting each other. The consequence of the above may be that, while on their particular state of conflict, the child and parental states are blocking the present’s state of the adult (3rd ego state), preventing it from moving on with her/his life in the desired way.
What is proposed from Berne’s TA method as a resolution to the aforementioned “life-block”,
apart from establishing a connection and recognising each state, is returning to the past in order to make some kind of peace with those inner pieces of ours and conciliate them.
Under this condition, they may be both “happy” and secure to join the adult state in the present, grab their hands together and freely proceed in unison with their life.
I am mentioning all that, because based on my personal experience, this is how I realised those less obvious music box affordances that I shared above. I have been through this self analytical journey, where I had the chance to experience and suggest the association that I have described.
Moreover, music box’s affordances of going back to childhood and establishing a connection with the child within, may seem to meet Berne’s proposal for resolution in a way. Perhaps, resolution could be suggested as another affordance of this magical medium.
