Originally trained as a poet, Pejk Malinovski considers himself to be a composer of documentary-based interviews, uniquely creating montages that operate outside of traditional narrative structure. His audio pieces often result from cutting many different sources together: audio clips from movies; children reading and interpreting stanzas of poetry; music created for specific geographies.
Although both language-based, the comparison between sound work and written work is worth considering. Perhaps the control of time is a fundamental distinction between the two. When reading, individuals have an easier ability to set the pace at which they engage the material. They may skim and only read headings, or flip back and re-read a paragraph not immediately understood, or even take extended breaks between chapters. This change in ‘timing’ occurs with the same sense in which the work is consumed: visually. To stop reading, or to reread, happens with our eyes. However with audio, the manipulation of timing cannot occur by telling our ears to stop listening, or to re-listen. The track continues on despite our mental thought. Thus, the manipulation or interruption of an audio piece requires action. Pausing a track happens with our fingers, pressing the fast forward button distorts the sounds and they come illegible. The ability to self-navigate through an audio track is not impossible, but it is a deliberate action. In this way, the creator of an audio track has significant control over how a listener consumes the pace of the piece.
Perhaps this control over the sequencing of the story is necessary when considering the lack of control regarding in what context the piece is heard. It may be in a quiet living room on speakers, or through earbuds on a crowded bus, or in passing while riding in a taxi, listening to the driver’s radio. How and where we consume creative content—whether it be auditory, static visuals, motion-based, or text—is increasingly out of the creators control. Everything is on the Internet and the Internet is everywhere.
Malinovski discussed his approach to establishing a place within his sound pieces, describing them site-specific responses. Through this specificity, whether it be the living complex for elderly actors in New Jersey or explicitly Poetry, Texas, the narrative is grounded geographically. By providing a physical context within the narratives, perhaps the physical context of the listeners is less relevant. They themselves are not in the story, but are hearing about characters as they relate to the established place. It is a world not to get lost in, but to observe and consider.
Follow-up questions for Malinovski:
- In pieces for radio, what is your expectation for how or where they are heard? Is it something that factors into the work, or do you take the position that they should be heard anywhere?