Concept Comparison: Schafer, Fripp, and mine

Since my invitational exhibition this past January, my entire artistic focus has shifted toward multi-sensory projects. While there may be various reasons behind this change, but if I were to jot down one that comes to mind, it would be a Buddhist idea about a sort of 'non-recursive problem.' The eye cannot see itself.

The idea that each sense and organ, each sensory faculty, is not 'essentially' or 'originally' that thing, or created for that purpose. This is an attempt to break away from cause-and-effect thinking, that is, looking at the world through a causal framework. Instead, it signifies an attempt to adopt a coherent approach that integrates broader elements, rather than relying upon foundationalist assumptions. It was from this perspective that I began exploring the combination of visual and auditory media.

So, I would like to introduce my work flow and its references and share my next works and ideas.

The table below compares the three concepts – Schafer's Soundscape, Fripp's Time-based Sound Structure, and the Octahedral Improvisation Model – by their key elements. It is organized into a table to provide an at-a-glance view of how each concept deals with the relationship between sound and space/time.

Item	R. Murray Schafer (Acoustic Ecology)	Robert Fripp (Soundscapes)	BHANG Youngmoon (Sculptural Soundscape)
Core Definition	Overall real acoustic environment where humans live	Intended sound structure composed of looping	Created sound space based on visual/geometric models
Focus	Acoustic ecology, socio-environmental awareness	Deepened sound experience of emotion, meditation, and time flow	Auditory realization of three-dimensionality and color, improvisation and spatialization
Keynote Sounds	Unconscious background sounds (nature, city noise)	Shaping background sounds as drones, loops, textures	Repetitive background of drones/loops – Temporal base centered on octahedron
Sound Signals	Clear warning/communication sounds (sirens, etc.)	Solos, improvisational phrases appearing over loops	Melody, rhythmic patterns – Emphasis on spatial viewpoint
Soundmarks	Unique sounds of regional identity (church bells, etc.)	Fripp's unique voicing, distortion, and sustaining techniques	My loop/voicing style – Auditory signature of the creator
Hi-Fi / Lo-Fi	Distinction of sound clarity based on signal-to-noise ratio	Multi-layered loop structure – Lo-Fi tendency + clear tone	Adjusting auditory distance with looping density, pitch intervals, rhythmic density, etc.
Time Perception	Ecologically capturing the current sound	Auditory temporality that composes the flow of time itself	ϕ–θ structure and loop rotation – Integration of spatio-temporal structure
Spatial Perception	Location, sense of distance, perspective of sound source	Diffusion and density of sound – Interiorization of space	Auditory spatial drawing expressed with rhythmic and pitch intervals, dynamics, etc.
Art View	Cultivating socio-ecological auditory sensitivity	Inducing mental/conscious immersion through music	Visual-auditory-spatial integrated music as an art system
Listener Role	Being who recognizes sound and reflects on the relationship with the environment	Meditative participant, listener who stays in the space of emotion	Explorer, improvisational listener who circulates the space (traveler on the ϕ–θ path)

First, Soundscape deals with the environmental sounds of the real world and recognizes sound space from a listening perspective. Schafer's concept is primarily an analytical and descriptive approach, viewing sound as a component of the existing environment. For example, classifying sounds as keynote, signal, and soundmark, and evaluating the environment as Hi-Fi/Lo-Fi, is a framework for interpreting received sounds.

On the other hand, Fripp's approach is about constructing a sound structure in time from the perspective of the creator/performer. He uses technology (tape loops) to build up sound layers in real time, as if constructing an acoustic architecture, and ultimately creates an artificial sound environment (drone soundscape). This is an active and process-oriented artistic act, where the flow of time itself becomes the backbone of the piece.

Finally, the Octahedral Model(the concept of mine) deals with sound from a structural thinking perspective. Based on an abstract geometric structure, it develops a piece by placing musical components in space and exploring them improvisationally.

Here, the visual structure and the auditory result are closely connected, and the musician treats space as if sculpting with sound.

The similarities and differences of these three approaches can be summarized as follows:

1. Similarities: All three concepts understand sound in relation to the environment or structure.

   1. Schafer connects the physical environment (ecology) with sound, Fripp connects the technical system (loop device) with temporal structure, and the my model connects the mathematical structure (polyhedron) with musical vocabulary.

   2. All are in agreement in that they seek new ways of listening/creating, moving away from existing traditional musical idioms.

   3. Schafer expanded everyday environmental sounds into the realm of music, Fripp combined instrumental performance with tape technology, and the my model used spatial perception as a compositional tool.

2. Differences: The objects and methods of approach are different.

   1. Soundscape focuses on analysis/preservation of the real world, while Fripp's sound structure focuses on one-off sounds generated through live performance. On the other hand, the Octahedral Model is an idea that develops improvisation in a virtual conceptual space, blurring the boundaries between traditional composition and improvisation.

   2. The concept of space is also different: for Soundscape, space is a physical place, for Fripp, space is the layering of time, and in the Octahedral Model, it is an abstract sculptural space.

   3. Soundscape can be seen as a framework for receiving sound, Fripp's technique as a system for forming sound, and the Octahedral Model as a map for organizing sound.

As this comparison shows, the ways in which sound is understood and used spatially vary from artist to artist. Next, based on these concepts, we will explore the possibilities of linking with visual arts and spatial arts, and propose practical methodologies that artists can use in real-world settings.