The Lo-Fi Phenomenon – Analogue versus Digital in the Creative Process

This paper is written as a response to feedback and discussion following a presentation by the author at the 2009 Future Places Festival in Porto. The synopsis of the presentation was: “Phil Taylor will discuss the integration of constantly evolving digital media practices and applications within the creative environments of higher education, specifically focusing on moving image and video. How this medium is taught, how it is employed, and how it is perceived by both tutor and student, underpinned by the main question of what are the broader cultural implications of using contemporary digital media within the curriculum?” The term ‘Lo-Fi’ encapsulates a complex phenomenon within the many and varied working processes that are integral to the creative outcomes within art, design and music (the term itself is a derivation from the acronym ‘Hi-Fi’ meaning ‘High Fidelity’ in music production terminology). It is commonly used to define ‘low quality’ in aesthetic and aural references, and in comparison to digital processes, analogue equates to low quality.