Sound Games for a Group

Sound Games for a Group is a project that invites participants to collaboratively interpret prompts about making and recording sound. The work takes the form of a set of cards. On each card there is a short, playful set of instructions that the group must decide how to interpret. The group then creates an approximate 2-minute long recording for each card before moving on to the next.

Above: Handwritten cards with prompts. See below for card text.

The format of the games is designed to inspire connection and group creativity. With open-ended prompts, the participants share authorship of each activity rather than simply follow instructions. The activities are scalable to different levels of experience with sound, and groups are invited to let their imaginations run wild. For example, a group of sound artists may experiment with interesting microphone placement or points of audition to augment the interpretation of a prompt. It is my hope that some groups will push the limits of interpretation while others use the games as a low-stakes entry into experimental sound practices. The project’s simple structure is designed for flexibility so that groups of any size and with access to a range of audio equipment can participate. These exercises can also be used as a pedagogical tool to teach listening, teamwork, negotiation, sound work, and creative practice methods to students of any age and background.

A second level of this project includes gathering and sharing the sound recordings created by each group. Groups are invited to upload their recordings to a aggregate playlists for each activity, which will be hosted and maintained online. As the collection of audio files grows, each playlist becomes a study of the diverse interpretations for each prompt, providing source material for research avenues into the ingenuity of group creativity.

Additionally, these collections will serve as commemorative audio archives, documenting gatherings of specific groups of people in a specific place and time, hopefully stretching across the world. Both nostalgic and exploratory, Sound Games for a Group is a communal praxis project that creates temporary community around sound creation. Through experimentation, negotiation, and play, participants will enjoy a unique shared experience while creating new sound works.

This game is free and meant to be shared freely. Contact me for a printable PDF of the cards. Or make your own using the text below.

Card Text

Introduction
Sound Games for a Group
- Interpret each game together as a group.
- Reveal cards in order. Take turns reading cards aloud.
- Take your time making plans together.
- Record approximately 2 minutes of audio per game.
- Relish these sound documents of time, place, and gathering.
- Laughter is up to you.
- There are no other rules except for the ones you make yourselves.

Tech
You can use any available microphones and recorders to capture sound. If there is group interest in playing with sound in more depth, you can choose specific microphones, polar patterns, and placement techniques for each game. But a simple one-mic setup or phone recording will do.

Warm Up
Create a group greeting.

1. Round and Round
Circle the microphone and pass around an evolving message.

2. Procession
Approach the microphone making sound. Pass it. Return.

3. Reflections
Point the microphone at a blank wall. What can you reflect?

4. Breathe
Take turns breathing.

5. Chatter
Everyone pick a sound effect in secret. Press record. Reveal your sounds by improvising a sound effect conversation.

Closing
Perform a ritual to end the games.

Archive
Submit your recordings to the ARCHIVE

Group 1
Johanna, Carlos, Sally, Sam
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
2024-12-30
Process

Recordings