What is the relationship between man and machine? What is an automobile without the influence of human interaction? After beginning my recordings of my car I began to realize the overwhelming influence that the body and the kinesthetic motion of the body has on the operation and design of the automobile. Interestingly, after 5 years of driving, this thought had never occurred to me; the act of driving quickly becomes an incognitive habit and therefore the car itself becomes an incognitive prosthetic of the body. With this thought in mind, how do we define the separation between man and machine? Does the brain send a signal that says, “apply pressure to middle pedal with right foot to brake” or does the brain send a signal that simply says “brake car.”
Modern efforts to separate acoustical transmission from engine to interior are being implicated on a standard basis. In the past ten years alone, interior noise levels at autobahn velocities have been reduced by 50% (Handbook of Automotive Engineering, Braess and Seiffert). However, below a certain noise level, it can be said that a car will suffer from a subjective loss of dynamic sound interaction and responsiveness. “In this regard, it is more than mere conjecture to say that an absolutely silent vehicle would also represent a soulless vehicle. I found this quote particularly interesting for the reiteration of the personification of the “soul of a vehicle.” For example, while I am driving, I often will not look at the speedometer or the RPM when I am need of shifting gears but rather will shift gears based upon the sound that I am hearing and recognizing out of habit. Therefore, does a level of interaction with the soul of the human define the soul of the vehicle; furthermore, are the sole of the human and the sole of the car in fact one and the same?
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