Reading Rudolf Arnheim 1936 ‘In Praise of Blindness; Emancipation from the Body’


After reading Rudolf Arnheim 1936 ‘In Praise of Blindness; Emancipation from the Body’ in Radio (trans. Margaret Ludwig). London: Faber and Faber, pp. 133- 203. , I had a few epiphanies. This quotation emphasizes the unique experience offered by radio as a medium. He points out that radio, through the transmission of sound, creates a kind of psychic object that can be perceived in a way that is detached from the body, hence the term ‘blindness’ – the loss of perception of the material world in favor of a more abstract experience. In this world of mental objects, sound is the only presence, and is represented as a state of detachment from gesture, allowing the listener to become more absorbed in the world of sound itself. Radio expresses these mental objects in a variety of ways, from single vocals to complex, layered, digressive, and combined audio events. This diversity makes radio a highly expressive medium, capable of establishing rich and complex scenes and situations in the listener’s mental space. The sound of radio is not limited by time and space and can be layered and three-dimensional through appropriate sound design and audio technology, further enhancing the listener’s sense of immersion and participation in the virtual world. Radio seems to have become a tool of psychological liberation, freeing the listener from the constraints of everyday life and bodily senses to immerse in a more abstract and richer sound experience. This sound experience is not just a tool for entertainment or dissemination of information, but an art form that reaches out to the listener’s innermost emotions and imagination.


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