Curated Exhibit Project: Final Submission. Edwin Contreras

Curated Exhibit Project: Manuscript Cultures

Overview:

            This Exhibit was constructed together to commemorate some of the technologies that we have that helped us use our arguably second most important sense: sound. As we know it, and throughout history, we know that visual representation was the main source of communication, as this was easier for one person to depict. However, there are people that, like me, are visually impaired. It did not help that getting your vision corrected at the time of some of these technologies would have been outrageously expensive, which is one of the reasons I felt it would be important to highlight some of the techs that would allow for sound to be used as a method of communication.

            The people behind some of these inventions were people that wanted more than just visual representation: they wanted bring reality through different forms of media at once. Seeing that also most of the inventions that brought sounds were also a remix of the one before it, it is clear to see that everyone around wanted to have sound to be just as important as visuals.

           

Curatorial Statement

            To explore the timeline of inventions that allowed us to enjoy the audible experience that we take for granted today. As explained, the importance of having audio today helps bring visuals to life. With the help of audio, or even with audio alone, we can hear the human side behind the content, whether it be a radio show, a movie or even a book, as more people are now subscribing to programs that read the book to you, sound helps bring life to everything.

            It is for this reason that I have chosen to depict this exhibit in a manor of a timeline; a walk down history to show the significance of how one invention led to many others. I have structured these curations in chronological order based on where in history they were made. I have also taken it a step further, as the curations are also color coded. This is to give highlight towards where in history would some of us would find some sort of familiarity to some of the inventions made. There are plenty as well that many of us will not know, which is where I use a white background to show importance to them.

            For each of these artifacts, I will demonstrate where in the timeline they sit, how their functions work, why they were invented, and in what manor would they have been used. With each of these artifacts, there were different cultural demands for such inventions, so it is important to also explore them in detail was well.

            Alongside this informative description of these artifacts, I have also put together an art gallery of the techs, so that the audience would have a better understand of the tech of the time. Some are even hard to understand with words alone, so I correlated by number which the artifact in the text is for the artifact in the art gallery to ensure that there is no confusion. It also helps the audience understand some of the downfalls that may have plagued these techs.

            Without skipping a beat, I hope you enjoy your experience with the exhibit!

#1 The Telephone

It would be a near injustice to not discuss one of the main forms of communication to date: the telephone. Created by Alexander Graham Bell, this invention was in the works since 1871 and was not made public until 1876 the direction that this telegram took was an interesting one. Indeed, the original idea behind the telephone was to create a harmonic telegraph, that would otherwise be used to transmit multiple messages over wire at the same time. This would change, as he became more interested in sending human voice over the wire instead. The origins of this marvel started with just a mouthpiece that would then get transcribed into wire and be electrically sent through the wire to the receiving end, thus making the phone call capable. It was through this that the major conglomerate American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) was made. In today’s usage, it has become more a portable and easier to use as oppose to its predecessor, but this artifact allowed for those advancements, and made it clear that the telephone was an important invention.

#2 The Phonograph Cylinder

            Following the works of the telephone, the then assistant to its creation was Thomas Edison, who a year later would create the phonograph cylinder in 1877. This device was important, as it allowed for the recording and reproducing of sound, making it the first of its kind. The functionality was quite complex, as it used a spring motor to deliver power to the machine, and a needle would imprint “scratches” onto a wax cylinder depending on the sound that was being made to record. Once you recorded your piece, you could play it back on the same device with another needle that would run across the wax cylinder’s imprint, read it, and replicate sound as such. There were a wide variety of uses for this tech, from use in movies, to having music at a picnic, to livening up your home with music. This opened the door for media to use sound in their makings.

#3 The Gramophone Record

            Continuing with the grooves were the invention of the Gramophone Record. This is not to be confused with the modern-day vinyl record; however, they are very similar. At the time of its creation, we were just off the heels of the Phonograph Cylinder, and in similar manor, we wanted to create and play music in a more compact and easily portable way. In 1887, Emil Berliner created the Gramophone and Gramophone, would go on to surpass the cylinder. In similar fashion as well, the groves on the discs were imprinted to reflect the sound once a needle was passed over it, and in doing so would vibrate the needle into the diaphragm of the Gramophone and into the horn, producing the desired sound. This tech was also used for in-house entertainment, as this allowed users to pick and choose what music they would like to listen to with the change of a needle position.

 

#4 The Telegraphone

            The Telegraphone was patented on 1898 by Valdemar Poulsen, a Danish Telephone engineer, and what sets his work apart was the use of wires instead of the wax cylinder that would have been otherwise used in previous iterations. While similar in design, this artifact used magnetism and electricity instead of scratches to play sound. The sound was recorded using wave lengths that would magnetize the metal wire. Once magnetized, the same spool could be routed through the apparatus and played because another magnetized wire. It would shift tones due to the magnetism of the wire and resonate to a diaphragm that would make the sound. Later uses include broadcast shows onto radio, while only seeing limited use. That being said, it was one of the first techs used for broadcasting as well. While this did make recording and transport easier, there was the issue of the wires losing magnetism over periods of time. But for its time being, it was considered revolutionary.

#5 The Kinetoscope

            The Kinetoscope, created also by Thomas Edison on 1892, was where the unity between motion pictures and sound became one. This device was special, as it allows shutters to display a visual, and hearing apparatuses that looked like stethoscope from doctors, allowed the audience to not only see a little clip, but to also hear the clip. This was monumental, as cinemas and theaters resorted to using music in the background, with moments in between the films to showcase dialog that the audience would have to read. There were limitations, as only one viewer was allowed to use the device at a time, because the motion picture would be viewed through a peephole on the machine. The film was passed through the machine, which contained stills that would not be seen in motion until it rapidly passed through the lenses. The sound was included with the use of his previously created Phonograph Cylinder, thus creating motion pictures with sound, the first of its kind.

#6 The Radio (AM)

            For audiophiles like myself, music is everything, and being able to listen to music wherever I am is possibly the best thing that came to fruition out of all the inventions. The AM radio did just that. AM stood Amplitude Modulation, created by Lee de Forest and Reginald Fessenden. Their work was more in the amplifying of radio signals for antennas to pick up, which focused their work to make it so that they can broadcast verbal transmissions. The first transmission took place in 1906, but not getting commercialized until the 1920s. The first transmission was accomplished when Fessenden used an Alternator and rotary spark-gap transmitter that sent a message that would be heard over hundreds of miles from his transmission point. This would later have extensive use in the later years with more refinement to the technology, allowing people with the right equipment to be allowed to hear broadcast shows, music, the news, weather and more. This would be a staple in entertainment at the time and is still in wide use even today!

#7 Reel-to-Reel Recording System

            Originating from Germany during the 1920s was the Reel-to-Reel audio recorder. This would look like movie projectors of the time in cinemas. Created by Ludwig Blattener, he used the tech in wire recording, and innovated it by using steel tapes instead of wire. While a bit mechanically inept, this was the form that most of Germany used before the start of the second World War. It was especially popular after the war when he brought the tape to the United States and garnered the interest of many famous artists since the sound quality would prove to be of the highest caliber. With this technology, the use of steel tapes would be magnetized as opposed to the wire to record sound, but the change in material is what created amazing sounds. This increase in quality would set the bar high for future techs to achieve.

#8 Vinyl Records

            Vinyl records are called as such because of the materials used to create them, which was  Polyvinyl. Created in 1930 by RCA Victor, this gave the audience a chance at a more compact disc record as oppose to wires, tapes or even the previous iteration of the Gramophone record. The greatest implementation that these records gave was its ability to hold long sessions on one disc. At the time before Vinyl records, people had to resort to listening to only minutes at a time before they had to change tracks, spools, tapes, or records before they can continue listening to music. Vinyl records changed that by allowing users to listen to upwards of 40 minutes or more on one track! Revolutionary by its own right, It was not successful on the first take because of how expensive the equipment would be at the time of its inception. None the less, it was a matter of time before the vinyl records would take speed, and even in today’s market is out selling even CD’s!

#9 Compact Cassettes

            With the introduction of vinyl records, people sought out for a more portable version of music. This was the case when in 1962 created the compact cassette tape by the Phillips company. Some of use can remember these marvel as it was in wide use especially throughout the 90s. The technology of the tape took inspiration from the magnetic wires, as the cassettes were two small spools that contained magnetic coated film inside. These would be used to magnetically record and play sound through a cassette player. Other than the portability, these cassette also gave anyone the ability to record sound on to them, as the tech needed to record before cassettes were bulky and difficult to use. With cassette tapes, a simple machine and press of a button, and you can record any content that you desired. This allowed users to create what are known as “mixtapes”, where you can record different songs from different sources and have a complete and unique mix of music in on central location.

#10 Compact Discs

            In comes the day of the digital age, where information are binary and computerize, Compact Discs (CDs) were created to fit the situation. Created in 1983 by Sony and Phillips, these CDs allowed information to be stored on them to be played on computers and CD players. Programs, software and the such were also capable of being stored on these CDs, but the most important part in the sound. Music and sound were “burned” on blank CDs with a laser. The burns would use binary to code what exactly was being programed, where a CD player or computer would read the binary information and play the sounds on them. This allowed one of the highest quality of sound to be enjoyed by audiences, whether it is on speakers, or through the advent of a headphone. Many people of the time had collections of these because of how easy it was to record sound on them, carry them on long rides, and the equipment needed to play and record CDs were cheaper than most of the competition, making other forms of recording obsolete, but not forgotten or unused.

#11 iPods

       Last but certainly not least is the iPod. iPod were devices that allowed MP3 files to be stored and listened at a moments notice. As mentioned before, everything was becoming digital, even the music and sound effects, being stored on the very popular format of MP3 (Music Player 3). Apple sought to take advantage of this by creating the iPod in 2001. This paved the way for many more MP3 players as this allowed anyone to store music in one simple, easy to use device. The sound quality was unrivaled since Apple themselves ensured that the music that people would store would be of the highest quality. On top of this, people would be able to store upwards of about 500 songs in one device, ready to listen, and allows the user to play whichever song they desired. As mentioned, the popularity made many companies focus on creating knock offs that would rival against the iPod, as well as make audible equipment that would make the listening quality even better.

Conclusion

            Throughout this exhibit, we explored many different artifacts that helped shaped the world of audio. Without having some of the hiccups from the past, we would not learn of the mistakes and have the wonders that we enjoy today. The extent of it continues as well, as the advent of the internet allows us to stream music wirelessly, cellphones that allow us to listen to calls hands-free, Bluetooth capabilities that helps us listen without cords, cables, wires or such! The world continues to innovate, so listen in on the next big thing!

 

Citations

History.com Editors. (2009, November 9). Alexander Graham Bell. History.com. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/alexander-graham-bell

History of the cylinder phonograph  :  history of edison sound recordings  :  articles and essays  :  inventing entertainment: The early motion pictures and sound recordings of the Edison Companies  :  digital collections  :  library of Congress. The Library of Congress. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://www.loc.gov/collections/edison-company-motion-pictures-and-sound-recordings/articles-and-essays/history-of-edison-sound-recordings/history-of-the-cylinder-phonograph/

Sabrina Schönhart, A. M. (n.d.). Telegraphone. Telegraphon. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from http://cs-exhibitions.uni-klu.ac.at/index.php?id=220

Google. (n.d.). For the record: Emil Berliner and the Gramophone - Google Arts & Culture. Google. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://artsandculture.google.com/story/for-the-record-emil-berliner-and-the-gramophone-museum-for-communication-nuremberg/awUBd0WvqVFpLg?hl=en

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Kinetoscope. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/technology/Kinetoscope

The history of Amplitude Modulation. Bright Hub Engineering. (2011, October 30). Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://www.brighthubengineering.com/consumer-appliances-electronics/126317-the-engineering-history-of-am-radio/

Kelley, A., About the Author Amy is the Global Digital Content Marketing Editor at GES. With a strong background in content marketing, Amy is the Global Digital Content Marketing Editor at GES. With a strong background in content marketing, & Kelley, M. C. by A. (2020, February 16). Evolution of sound – audio technology past, present, and future. Evolution of Sound | Audio Technology Past, Present, and Future | Audio Visual. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://insights.ges.com/us-blog/evolution-of-sound-audio-technology-past-present-and-future#:~:text=The%20Acoustic%20Era%20to%201925&text=Throughout%20the%201870s%20and%2080s,by%20Oliver%20Lodge%20in%201898.

Audio timeline. Audio timeline | Yale University Library. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://web.library.yale.edu/cataloging/music/audiotimeline

Greenblatt, D. (2020, December 14). The history of reel-to-reel audio tape recording. DiJiFi. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://www.dijifi.com/blog/the-history-of-reel-to-reel-audio-tape-recording

Citations (Cont.)

Smith, D. (2020, July 1). What was the first vinyl record? Medium. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://medium.com/@david_smith1/what-was-the-first-vinyl-record-f4724f5648f6

History of the cassette tape. Legacybox. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://legacybox.com/blogs/analog/history-of-the-cassette-tape#:~:text=The%20Cassette%20Tape%2C%20or%20Compact,in%20November%20of%20next%20year.

Waniata, R. (2018, February 7). Remembering the rise (and final fall) of the late, Great compact disc. Digital Trends. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://www.digitaltrends.com/features/the-history-of-the-cds-rise-and-fall/

Griffith, E. (2021, October 22). A visual history of the Apple ipod. PCMAG. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://www.pcmag.com/news/a-visual-history-of-apple-ipods