A talk about the unexplored potential of a genre of sound studies and sound art described as Sonic Fiction*.

Science fiction tells stories of future or parallel worlds, often re-defined by new technologies; but what if we use sound as a medium to explore these concepts?
Amina is researching emerging speech and sound technologies to understand their future implications on society and ways of life. By understanding the mechanics and components of voice it enables us to both reproduce it synthetically, via digital code, but also comprehend it as a material to be shaped and sculpted to create new expressive possibilities in vocal formation and communication. The stories we tell are limited to the capacity we have to describe them - through the language and linguistics we use. Amina is working to expand the space between speech and sound for the potential to tell new and unversed stories. Through trying to broaden our vocal capabilities and aural perception does it give us an opportunity to disperse metanarratives and give way for more diverse ways of living? Equally, by blurring the space between speech and sound and collapsing existing patterns of speech can we find the essence of voice? - Pure vocal sonic signals awaiting conscious rendering and realisation.

This presentation will present past, present and future examples of Sonic Technology, particularly its implications on voice, and give examples of how we might extrapolate their potentials to create Sonic Fictions for creatively and collectively imagining our Sonic Futures.

* Originally a term defined by Kodwo Eshun, but limited in describing an afrofuturist viewpoint.