ABSTRACT
Absconditi Viscus (or Hidden Entries) is a series of sound compositions based on the history of Birmingham School of Art during the First World War. Sound artist Justin Wiggan explored the concept of historical sonic information that although lost could still potentially permeate the archival record and the fabric of the school building. Each sound piece has also been synchronised with brainwave frequencies in order to stimulate a listener’s brain activity in an attempt to connect them with the time period, the physical building and the emotional impact of the war. This creative, experimental – and potentially controversial – assertion of phonic excavations and sonic mining as method challenges us to rethink both affect and the archival record in relation to the history of education.
