Douglas Kahn

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Douglas Kahn (born 1951 in Bremerton, Washington, USA) is aclaimed for his historical and theoretical writings on the use of sound in the avant-garde experimental arts, noise music and the history and theory of media art. His writings have been influential in the scholarly area of sound studies and the practical area of sound art. He was a former editor of Leonardo Music Journal [1] and has written in The Wire , The Guardian , October (magazine), Art & Text, InterCommunication, Music Today Biannual, Musicworks, Parachute, Performing Arts Journal and Experimental Musical Instruments; among others, and in the books Critical Issues in Electronic Media, Radio Rethink, In the Spirit of Fluxus and Sound by Artists. [2] He lives in Katoomba, New South Wales, Australia.

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Academic background

Kahn was born and raised in Bremerton, Washington. He was in the first class of The Evergreen State College and graduated with a bachelor's degree; obtained a master's degree in ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University, where he studied with Alvin Lucier and Ron Kuivila; a Master of Fine Arts in Post-studio Arts at California Institute of the Arts where he studied with David Antin, Vito Acconci, John Baldessari, Yvonne Rainer, and James Tenney, and a PhD in art history and theory from University of Western Sydney under supervision of Helen Grace. [3]

Artistic background

Kahn created the audiotape cut-up Reagan Speaks For Himself [4] in 1980 using an interview conducted by Bill Moyers of Ronald Reagan when he was still a candidate for president. The first version was published on a Sub Pop audio cassette and the second version was published on a flexidisc in RAW magazine. The audiotape was used in a dance mix by the Fine Young Cannibals and sampled by Eric B. & Rakim in their song "Paid in Full (Coldcut Mix)". Kahn appears in the 1995 film Sonic Outlaws by San Francisco filmmaker Craig Baldwin.

Academic career

Kahn is Honorary Professor at Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney, [5] Professor Emeritus at University of New South Wales, [6] Australia, and Professor Emeritus at University of California, Davis, where he was the Founding Director of Technocultural Studies. He was a recipient of an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship from 2012 to 2016 and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2006. [7]

Book publications

References

  1. ISEA Douglas Kahn
  2. ISEA Douglas Kahn
  3. M.A. Theses in Ethnomusicology and Composition, Wesleyan University. Department of Music. Kahn, Jay Douglas, 1987. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  4. "Some Assembly Required".
  5. University of Sydney, Douglas Kahn
  6. University of New South Wales Emeritus Professor Douglas Kahn
  7. ""Guggenheim Scholar to Study Implications of 'Atmospheric Radio'"". University of California, Davis. 17 April 2006.
  8. Douglas Kahn
  9. Bradley, Fiona (26 May 2000). "Musical silence and schlupp". The Times Literary Supplement. p. 19.
  10. "Naturally, electromagnetic". RealTime (94). December 2008 – January 2009.