The Order of Sounds

This study of the subtlety, complexity, and variety of modes of hearing maps out a "sonorous archipelago"--a heterogeneous set of shifting sonic territories shaped by the vicissitudes of desire and discourse.

Operating at high theoretical altitude, in The Order of Sounds, François Bonnet sets himself a Herculean task: nothing less than the retheorisation of sound as such.—Drew Daniels, THE WIRE—
To the theoretical propensities imprinted on the domain of sound by a rational order, François J. Bonnet opposes a veritable thinking of disorder, a “sonorous archipelago” rather than a “theory of sound.” This unprecedented and salutary enterprise outlines a new path for a future “acoulogy.” —Pierre-Yves Macé, Filigrane—

Bonnet's writing, dense, full of unexpected turns and remarks, is intelligent and meticulous. —Daniel Contarelli, CRITIQUE D'ART—

Autorentext

François J. Bonnet is a composer, visual artist, recording artist (as Kassel Jaeger), Director of Groupe de Recherches Musicales of the National Audiovisual Institute (INA-GRM) in Paris, and part-time Lecturer at the Université de Paris 1.

Robin Mackay is a philosopher, Director of the UK arts organization Urbanomic, and Associate Researcher at Goldsmiths University of London.