For this linking task, I have noted some similarities and differences between the processes for the curation of the Golden Record between Lisa Burnette and myself.
The first thing that I noticed when taking a look at Lisa’s curated record, was that I liked her choice of songs. After reading her reasoning for having selected those songs, I realized our processes were completely different. My process was three fold, in choosing a vast representation of songs from around the world, different time periods that the songs represented, and lastly the range of human emotion present in the songs. Lisa, on the other hand, simply chose the songs that were most appealing to her. That said, if I had followed the same method as her I would have chosen many of the same songs! I believe that having the same taste in music as someone else is one of the great simple pleasures in life, so maybe Lisa and I should get together to listen to some tunes.
I liked that Lisa listened to each of the songs in their entirety (admittedly not something I did myself), because it would give a much better picture as to what each of the songs were about than simply listening to Taylor’s (2019) Podcast episode on the album. It is amazing to me how much went into the curation of the record and how many songs its curators would have had to listen to in their entirety to bring the record to completion. Lisa’s note that John Lennon was originally approached to curate the album (Ferris, 2017) is very interesting, and in my mind would have completely changed the outcome of the record. Same as it would have been completely different if any of us in this ETEC 540 class would have been given the reins.
Ultimately I feel as though music is such a personal experience that the experience of selecting, making, and listening to music is such a different experience for everyone, as exemplified by this task. I would love to hear what the aliens have to say about the record if they ever get their hands on it.
References
Ferris, T. (2017, August 20). How the Voyager Golden Record Was Made. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/voyager-golden-record-40th-anniversary-timothy-ferris
Taylor, D. (Host). (2019, April). Voyager golden record [Audio podcast episode]. In Twenty thousand hertz. Defacto Sound.