Project Done by: Ariella Trotsenko, Janice Fong and Mariana Gurevich
In our creative assignment, sound was not the only thing that transformed throughout the piece. We did a sound sculpture in devotion to Gregor Samsa of The Metamorphosis, who transforms physically throughout the novella. The sounds are based on our audio imagery while reading the novella, as well as similar sounds found in the ballet we watched at the Joyce Theater. We decided to use The Metamorphosis as inspiration because of its variety of scenes, each one with unique sounds that can be interpreted by the audience. Our creative project demonstrates how we interpreted Gregor’s transformation.
Our sculpture begins with a repetitive sound that is sad to represent Gregor’s daily, monotonous life. Somehow, mysteriously, he wakes up to his alarm as a cockroach. The sounds of suspicion are to represent his family’s fear, yet curiosity and anticipation, before opening the door the morning of his transformation. Then, we continue with a sound that is filled with pumping and excitement. This is just to show the energy that Gregor puts in to find his way around as a cockroach. He has a lot of difficulty getting used to his new body, and even though it is sad that he cannot function regularly because of his new physique, he is trying very hard.
The screams, as we hear throughout the novella and in the ballet, are of the family’s and charwoman’s. It’s frightening to see a giant cockroach! Then, techno music comes in just to illustrate Gregor’s constant scrambling around. This in turn makes us feel sad and uncomfortable for him, just as it makes him feel when someone comes in screaming. We then proceed by including suspenseful, war-like music which is similar to the one played at the ballet and displays Gregor’s thought process when he was deciding whether or not to commit suicide, so the rest of his family can be happier and alleviated of him as a burden.
Reflective music closes our assignment and illustrates how the family is able to cope with his death so easily. There doesn’t seem to be much sadness within them, so the music is just to illustrate that they have moved on. Through this sound transformation, we were able to review the main points of the novella within 90 seconds.
In this manner, we have on a larger scale examined the changes that occur in family dynamics when a tragedy or unexpected event occurs. For instance, these variations to a family’s day to day life may bring on screaming, sadness, and confusion. As demonstrated by our sound sculpture, there is a lot to cover when illustrating the transformation of a family’s life based on an unexpected occurrence, and thus we depict the many layers that can come with any new turn of events.
Works Cited
The Horrorist. One Night in New York City (Remix by Chris Liebing). Chris Liebing, 2001. YouTube. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.
Turfa. Smash It Up. N.d. YouTube. Web. 03 Oct. 2013.
Clint Mansell. Requiem for a Dream (Soundtrack). Eric Watson, Palmer West, 2000.YouTube. Web. 02 Oct. 2013.
Harry Gregson-Williams. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Soundtrack). Mike Elizondo, 2015. YouTube. Web. 03 Oct. 2013.
Band of Horses. The Funeral. Phil Ek, 2006. YouTube. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.
First off, I loved the transformation point. The combination of what I thought was the jaws theme sound and the alarm clock was just perfect. I think that it clearly established what you were trying to convey. I would add that it sets a tone that seems as if Gregor is also curious and suspicious of his new physique and surroundings. The screams were also a great addition that really worked to highlight the reaction of his family.
I would also add that the upbeat music just after the transformation really portrayed the movement of Gregor. When listening to the music I was really able to visualize Gregor moving around the walls just before the climactic scream of his family.
Your group did a terrific job in telling a forty-page long short story through a two-minute long sound sculpture. I liked how you started with an alarm clock to show how time plays an imperative role in the story from the onset. The percussion instruments added to the mood that was created in Kafka’s novella. Also, I liked how your sound sculpture retained an air of unpredictability despite the fact that we have read Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” and should therefore be able to anticipate the next sound. (For instance, I didn’t expect to hear a scream after a relatively soft sound piece.) In addition, your group did a commendable job in showing the unsettling transformation after Gregor’s demise. After 1:42, I thought that you were trying to convey the notion of a new day and a new beginning. Overall, I really enjoyed learning about your interpretation of “Metamorphosis” through sound.
You did a great job with the sound sculpture! I think the sounds and music you used were very fitting with the circumstances we observed in both the story and the ballet. I loved the screams because they made the piece more climactic and easy to visualize. I also liked the reflective music you used at the end. It wasn’t very sad and it clearly portrayed the family’s reaction upon Gregor’s death.