RadioPlateaux

The Sonic Arts BA & Masters courses at Middlesex University in London began in the mid 90’s amidst a flourish of anti-elitism, boundary breaking exploration and love of uncategorisable sonic experimentation through the dedication of a small group of educators and researchers that seemed to want to do something other than just provide another commercial platform disguised as ‘vocational education’.  The establishment of the Sonic Arts program, within the realm of the Lansdown Center for Electronic Arts, rather than being swallowed within a traditional music department, enabled a broader, more open, even perhaps utopian approach to the often closed doors of music and technology educational institutions.  The emphasis was on thinking beyond borders, it was actually considered more beneficial if no knowledge of traditional notation was held by prospective students, as their minds would not already be consigned to the strict halls of tonality.  Even so, the learning curve was steep, but fully rewarding, not at all cynical, and opened worlds that have not been exhausted to this day as we, as lucky former students, continue on this journey, playing, making, listening, researching, working in and through sound.  So it is with a sense of real unbelievability to hear that the whole Sonic Arts department at Middlesex University is to be closed down, no new places are being offered for either the BA or the MA. 

In the current climate, this department, along with many other arts and humanities course in UK higher education are being deprived of funding and shut down, while cash is being invested in maths, science, medicine and of course, business.  It’s always the arts that get the chop first, but it’s also always the arts that can actually expand the ways in which we think, which is why in an age of increasing surveillance, decreasing civil liberties, and McDonalisation, it’s worth fighting to keep access to different ways of thinking, expressing and becoming.   Have a look here for past works from sonic arts students, and if you’ve ever enjoyed listening to the likes autechre, oliveros or shaeffer, then please join this facebook page, to show your support.  And if you felt like writing in support of the department, it might be good to write to the following person (who is head of the School of Arts & Education, Prof Ed Esche) his email is e.esche@mdx.ac.uk.
Other people you might like to contact include Phil Healey (head of Art & Design) : p.healey@mdx.ac.uk and Prof. Jon Bird, the director of programmes: j.x.bird@mdx.ac.uk.