Aural Histories by Charles Hardy III

society, culture · EN-US

Oral history is too often thought of as an academic discipline. Charles Hardy III pushed that envelope, welcoming artistry into his own work and treating the sonic experience with the same rigor that he applies to spoken words. These he calls “sonic artifacts” and encourages oral historians and others to think of their interviews as “sound events.” The result is audio paintings and sculptures. We hear the stories of subjects peppered with local music, interview tracks weaving between each other, and non-narrated handoffs that playfully transport you into newscenes. In I Can Almost See the Lights of Home, Hardy’s style is particularly compelling. His creative partner Italian oral historian Alessandro Portelli discusses seeking the class struggle in Harlan County, Kentucky, and this struggle is reflected in the words, songs, and soundscapes of the interviewees’ Harlan County community. The tinny patter of rain hitting a roof and the chorus of crickets in the expansive woods he