Project Final
In-Process
First Draft of MKE Soundscape
Influences
Robert Longo
André Ramos-Woodard
Finished Work
Summery - The MKE soundscape explores the relationship between local artists and the community that they are part of through the narratives of their Journey. What I accomplished through my project was capturing that sound in a way that my viewers can experience story storytelling from the lens of black storytellers. From my reading “the voice not only projects what is internal but also places us in the midst of webs of relations both physical and ideological.” I believe that through the visual I also accomplished showcasing how Milwaukee has shaped my community. The sounds that make up the backing track showcase the MKE neighborhood soundscape. Influenced by Robert Longo's soundscape, this piece explores how narratives from locals highlight the black experience through out all of MKE. When I first started this project the question I was trying to answer is How does the soundscape of Milwaukee reflect and shape the Black experience?, from the artists narratives I believe I gained insight into the relationships that define Black experience's but also just how relational they can be.
Artist Statement
My work entitled Emotions 1,2,3 and MKE Soundscape are video installations that use soundscape composition to highlight the black experience including overt and covert racism.In my pieces, I use found footage layered with cityscapes which I then personify with a unique soundtrack of nature, voices, and city ambiance. The viewers are seeing familiar images such as lightshouses and houses but the sounds that they are hearing create an early likeness as they do not relate to visual cues. As viewers engage with the dissonances I have created in the relationship between what is being seen and the disconnect by what is being heard. As viewers take in what’s being shown, it offers a way to connect to different memories that they can react to in real time. The tension between what is seen and heard invites the viewer to think deeper about what is going on in the community and what is bubbling beneath the surface. The tension in the work is synonymous with tension in the community. The viewer is asked to explore their personal biases through the microaggressions and overt racism depicted in the images and sounds of the pieces.
Bibliography
Lochhead, Judith, et al. Sound and Affect. University of Chicago Press, 23 Apr. 2021. This research is about soundscapes and what it means in regards as sonic vibrations and waves that produce melodies or languages. I relates to my artwork because I am heavily focused on crafting my own soundscapes based on my own personal experiences as an African American. It is important to understand what defines a soundscape and how that term is being used in direct correlation of my project Graw, Isabelle. Robert Longo. 2014. This research is about how the visual representation of waves vs the soundscape that was created. This relates to my artwork because it was through my first visit to Robert Longo visually piece Untitled that inspired me to create my own soundscapes. This first piece directly inspired my craft as an artist. Lamar, Kendrick. To Pimp a Butterfly. Aftermath Entertainment, 2015. This research is a Hip-hop album which relates to the soundscape I am trying to create. It's important to the research because you can experience a soundscape narrative that is crafted through story telling. andré ramos-woodard. “André Ramos-Woodard.” André Ramos-Woodard, 2019, www.andreramoswoodard.com/about. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025. https://www.andreramoswoodard.com/about The research is about the artist André Ramos-Woodard and how his black experience relates to me as an artist. This directly relates to the narratives I am crafting from my own black experiences. It is important to the understanding of the project, so that you can see and hear the stories of racism that I experienced and how that has crafted my artwork.
Conclusion
The MKE soundscape explores the relationship between local artists and the community that they are part of through the narratives of their Journey. What I accomplished through my project was capturing that sound in a way that my viewers can experience story storytelling from the lens of black storytellers. From my reading “the voice not only projects what is internal but also places us in the midst of webs of relations both physical and ideological.” I believe that through the visual I also accomplished showcasing how Milwaukee has shaped my community. The most important concept that I present to the viewers is how different experiences and stories that make up Milwaukee often have away of tracing similar paths. From the narratives I explored I was able to walk away with a new understanding. I believe the experience is going to open up new viewpoints. When I started to ask the question how does the soundscape of Milwaukee reflect and shape the black experience the answers I got from the perspective of the locals, and their narratives told a story that went beyond my question. To affirm my question, I looked at chapter 142 of the book sound and effect voice music world which says, “Just as the eyes are windows into the soul the voice reveals the entire depths of a person's moral character.” In looking at moral character the narratives that I was able to explore told stories that weaved throughout their communities here. Towards the end of the narrative talks about hardships in Milwaukee and dealing with problems facing the black community, with that open dialogue it sort of leaves it open-ended.
2024 Art
"Things I can't Do"
"Barcode Elephant"
"The Sun Child"
501 - Art
Robert Longo: American artist and filmmaker - inspiration
Emotions 1 : Duration 3 minutes and 37 seconds - Dimensions 1080 X 1920
NOVA24 | Photo + Film Festival : https://www.novatwentyfour.com/2025schedule/somethings-not-quite-right-pink-flamingo
Emotions 1 was featured in the NOVA 24 | Photo + Film Festival "Something’s Not Quite Right”.
Emotions 2 : Duration 3 minutes and 55 seconds - Dimensions 1080 X 1920
Emotions 3 : Duration 1 minutes and 34 seconds - Dimensions 1080 X 1920
Emotions 4 : in progress
BA :A Soundscape of the African American experience. : Found footage, Video, Recorded Audio
WHAT: It is going to be a collection of abstract videos that show the stories of where I have been in the world and my experience in each space.
WHY: It’s important how we view the world, and from my own lens I can paint the perspective of how the world interacts both visually and auditory with stories of color.
Research Question: How do the everyday sounds of African Americans in Milwaukee reflect community, identify, and solidarity?
and how does Milwaukee hip-hop function as a contemporary soundscape for that community?
Project Presentation:
How does the soundscape of Milwaukee, including local hip-hop, reflect and shape the African American experience?
A Soundscape of the Milwaukee African American experience.
What: it’s is going to be soundscape and collection of videos that show the narrative of my African American experience in Milwaukee.
Why: My intent for this project is to communicate through sight and sound my lens of Milwaukee as an African American man and a child of an immigrant parent. This project Is important to me because it helps me illustrate for the first time with my art the experiences of racism that have happened to me directly. This project fils a gap in my discipline as I use new editing strategies to tell my narrative.
Research: My research will include insights and definitions from the book sound and affect voice, music,World by Judith Lockheed, Eduardo Mendieta and Stephen Decatur Smith, as well as
Scholarly journals about Hip-hop’s influence on the cultural landscape. I will also use personal narratives from myself, family, and other African Americans from the community.
How: I will be filming different locations and landmarks that have influenced my creativity or directly impacted my narrative. I will also be recording sounds and composing music to build the soundscape. Through Logic I will be manipulating the sound and music. The footage will be edited in Premiere and After Effects where the footage and sound will be composited to tell my story.
Conclusions: I hope through my artwork I can effectively communicate the narrative that has shaped my artistic journey. Through the footage and soundscape I want people to feel my experiences. It is important for people to take away from my work that representation matters in the art community and beyond. Through the work I want people to contemplate how their words and actions matter to people of color.
Project Proposal:
How does the soundscape of Milwaukee, including local hip-hop, reflect and shape the African American experience?
A Soundscape of the Milwaukee African American experience.
What: it’s is going to be soundscape and collection of videos that show the narrative of my African American experience in Milwaukee.
Why: My intent for this project is to communicate through sight and sound my lens of Milwaukee as an African American man and a child of an immigrant parent. This project Is important to me because it helps me illustrate for the first time with my art the experiences of racism that have happened to me directly. This project fils a gap in my discipline as I use new editing strategies to tell my narrative.
Research: My research will include insights and definitions from the book sound and affect voice, music,World by Judith Lockheed, Eduardo Mendieta and Stephen Decatur Smith, as well as
Scholarly journals about Hip-hop’s influence on the cultural landscape. I will also use personal narratives from myself, family, and other African Americans from the community.
How: I will be filming different locations and landmarks that have influenced my creativity or directly impacted my narrative. I will also be recording sounds and composing music to build the soundscape. Through Logic I will be manipulating the sound and music. The footage will be edited in Premiere and After Effects where the footage and sound will be composited to tell my story.
Conclusions: I hope through my artwork I can effectively communicate the narrative that has shaped my artistic journey. Through the footage and soundscape I want people to feel my experiences. It is important for people to take away from my work that representation matters in the art community and beyond. Through the work I want people to contemplate how their words and actions matter to people of color.
Materials: to complete the artwork I would need a list of filming locations, access to sound recording equipment and a permission form to use participant’s narratives in my project>
Supporting course: None but I have all the materials needed to accomplish this project as well as a support group of artists to workshop ideas.
Timeline :
Week 6 – Sketch storyboard for filming process
Week 7 – Tuesday begin filming and recording audio at first location, Wednesday filming at second location, Friday third and fourth location if needed.
Week 8/9 – First draft ready to be shown.
Week 10 – Finishing touches on project.
Week 11 – project completed.
Mid-Semester Project
MKE Sounds
How does the soundscape of Milwaukee reflect and shape the African American experience?
What: it’s is going to be soundscape and collection of videos that show the narrative of my African American experience in Milwaukee.
What I have discover through my research is that different areas of Milwaukee have a unique tone to them which acts as a musically evoked memory. Through this I can begin to create the narrative that I am establishing through this creative project. Through the text Musical Affect, Autobiographical Memory, and Collective Individuation by Christopher Haworth I am exploring the relationship between sound, place and how it unlocks a realm of creativity.
Workflow and Revisions
In refining my project I developed a new technique to lighten my steps for the soundscape so that my outside involvement wasn’t picked up as frequently. I also interviewed artists from the community and got a fresh perspective of how their experience in Milwaukee related to some of the things I experienced.From listening to my classmate Zachary who mentioned I needed to figure out what type of stories would carry the sound scape. From exploring that I have begun to dive into the narrative and how it relates to the Imagery going into the visual aspect of the sound scape. For Instances Giannis mural takes me back to a traumatic experience. When I was walking down the street with one of my homies, it was game six of the finals and we were on the way to watch the game. The crowd was vast and hype, when all of a sudden some one started shooting and there were people running in all directions. The narrative that goes along with this experiences is going to drive the soundscape as one of the main storylines. Because of associations like this I can create a compelling soundscape from Milwaukee and how it relates to my experiences. In taking the critique I received Naw Kaw about how I need to have more fluidity and how I can use that in tightening up the narrative. I developed a pattern for how I explore that space starting from a central point and listening to interesting sounds, also heading towards the cityscape. Reflecting on some of the other feedback that I received from my parents was how I can articulate the stories I am trying to narrate about my experience from Milwaukee, and what is the relation to my community.