February 2022 – Page 3 – Sound Arts Year 2

Visiting Practioner Series – Yan Jun

This is Yan Jun’s bio.

Yan Jun, a musician and poet based in Beijing.
he works on experimental music and improvised music. he uses noise, field recording, body and concept as materials.
sometimes he goes to audience’s home for playing a plastic bag.
“i wish i was a piece of field recording.”

Yan Jun’s bio was interesting and humorous, it seems he doesn’t take himself entirely seriously as a lot of other realms in sound art are. I’m currently heavily into field recordings and I’m interested to see what his process of recording field recordings are? As well as playing in the audience’s homes? A plastic bag?

Plays John Cage

https://yanjun.bandcamp.com/album/plays-john-cage

I found this album on Yan Jun’s Bandcamp. It’s a reflection of John Cage’s work, 4:33. He performs 4:33 in different ways. For example, electric guitar in the elevator. In specific, I enjoyed electromagnetic wave of cd player. This piece captured with electro magnetic microphones displayed the hidden audio that isn’t usually noticed. Sometimes I believe we can forget that even our equipment emits sounds and it doesn’t just produce sound when being used. When it’s on standby, the circuits still receive electricity through them. This sort of project displays our hidden sonic world.

Yan Jun (self-titled)

This project isn’t untitled but self-titled. In similar regard to what Marcel Duchamp says, “title is invisible colour, for me be with no title is using invisible canvas.

I listened to a small extract of the piece as it’s fifty-four minutes long. The piece has an almost generative feeling to it. As if there is a contact mic positioned on Yan Jun’s skin. I’m curious to understand the process of making this project. Why did he do it? What does it mean to him?

Yan Jun – Speakers Have A Right To Die

In this article, Yan Jun, speaks about blowing speakers up intentionally. The reasons why for him are a few, firstly in China where he is from. A lot of the live performance circuit venues have fake speakers that don’t display music properly. They have the same casing as other speakers that are imitating but don’t have the same sound. Yan Jun specifically goes there to blow up these speakers so the owner of the venue has to purchase them. He also speaks about how accepting that speakers will die is a good process for artists to understand that nothing is perfect.

Post Lecture Reflection

Yan Jun begins by showing us his room and space he works in, he spoke about the minimalism of his studio and how important that is to him. He’s used his space for a few things, he organises gigs and performed in his space as well.

Yan Jun speaks on how he has two types of work. One very isolated and concentrated and the other with people. Music for him is something you connect yourself with other people. Music is with others, if not the people in the room then the environment. And this is his physical understanding of music.

He started from electronic music and field recording. Chinese translation of electronic music is, similar to people. They call electronic music people music in china. Since he started to make electronic music they say sit behind a laptop. Table music he finds it? Table music he reassures is what he calls it.

He shows us an example of table music he has made before. Cone speakers on a table, on a foam structure, on a large table with participants. He invited them to watch the speakers.

Since the middle 1990s – 2010s, there was a popular theory of electronic music/ sound art. Table music, calling sound as objects. This created a popular attitude to avoid anything other than sound. To focus on listening, and focus just on sound. No expression, no visual, no text. No sound. That was quite popular and he does agree he was influenced by this and after a while, he starts to change his work.

He shows an example of a performance he’s done in a gallery, a feedback solo performance in Shanghai 2021. In a room with a projection and a lamp. He’s dancing and waving his hands to control how the feedback reacts and changes in live time.

He’s free from the table now he says, he doesn’t sit on the table. He doesn’t touch the mixer or the instrument. It’s feedback, he touches the air. Feedback between speakers and microphone.

He goes on to explain that he won’t go into detail about his technical setup. As everyone should find their own. Feedback for him is a tool to connect to the room with equipment. He now creates self-made small electronic machines and there not perfect. It depends on the electricity he says if he plays it in Europe or other countries You have a different standard of voltage and electricity which is much more professional than in china.

He was aware of electronic faults in his work. Some places didn’t have grounding or have no ground. So it affects the sound. Noise always depends on the equipment.

Noise is a contemporary culture he says. He realised he lives in a country of noise. So he almost never plays electronic music in China anymore. And so he tried to play something different and use his body.

He then plays man jun gestures 1. Using his body to control feedback. In a dark room. Different electronic equipment comes on and off it sounds like typewriters, printers. In this piece, he explains he asked photographers to take photos of him. He does slow gestures. And the sounds are from the camera. His movement isn’t a gesture to act, or fixed but improvisational. Interesting that the sound doesn’t come from him. He just moves his body and lets them take photos. If he moves fast and gives them more things to shoot and they will take more photos and the “music” will become more intense. If he stands still they will take more time to frame the photo and take fewer shots. He is conducting in a different way than usual.

He states that he doesn’t agree with John cages idea that everything is music. But in his case, he has to live with this. His music has to share a room with other sounds. It’s either his neighbour or a roommate, so it changed his mind from the pure sound to the idea that sound lives with others.

He then shares a video of him doing table music, this was before he changed his style to his new performative work. He’s effecting feedback between a cone speaker and a parabolic dish with a microphone. He moves his hands to adjust pitch almost like a theremin.

He places a piezo mic underneath a speaker. And tries to influence the sound. He doesn’t move a lot. One day he realised, from the video he is showing us. When he watched it he realised, he looks like he was performing when he moves, so he decided to develop this performative element. It’s not only about sound, or listening he says. This is why we go to concerts, we want to meet people, hear the room. The air, the smell, the experience.

He speaks on how he sees himself as an artist, not a master of anything. He’s not a craftsman, he’s not a master of playing any instrument, software, voice. He says he tries to be good but he knows to be a master he has to give up something else. But he needs time and energy for something more important than mastering. To him it’s about how does he build a connection, in a small room, a big room, it’s the more important thing for him. Once you find this connection, you build it bigger and bigger. This for him is the meaning of art.

He explains towards the end about his interests in his artistic vision and how he’s constantly jumping and changing, he wanted to share with us this about his practice.

Throughout the Q&A we spoke on the opposite of being a virtuoso. The idea is that being a master isn’t what he wants to be. The idea of being great, rather than seeking this attained expectation of greatness wasn’t what he wanted to do. To him creating is a process of creative reflection, not a desire to become a master or better. As he explained it, to make the audience you perform in front of feel like losers.

I found his lecture really engaging, he had a very laid back demeanour and this allowed me to feel relaxed and take his words for what he truly feels. What spoke the most to me was the long Q&A we had, which mainly focused on the idea of not being a master. Enjoying the creative process, creating for yourself and not just being a master at something.

Seeing as we have an upcoming hand in towards the end of the second year I do feel that this is my current mindset. I don’t really have the interest in becoming a master, I want to enjoy the process. Which I have been for a long time. I’m unsure where I’m going in terms for the hand in but open to exploration is the first step.

Reflect on 2019 exhibition, work/description & catalogue

I’m going to read through the 2019 working/description & catalogue, mainly to gain some insight on previous uses of the gallery46 space in a white cube context and how I can potentially be influenced by others work or on their use of space.

Firstly I felt the description of the gallery in context to be very relatable towards our current group project. We didn’t collectively approach the gallery as a unison or a group vision. Rather instead we decided to create our own response to a white cube gallery context. And this is similar to the 2019 version of the LCC sound art exhibition. I found I agreed with the things written describing their work to also fit ours and in this, there is a similarity.

The one installation that stood out to me the most was ESTHER GAYLE – Bãri (Home). It’s about the combination of two nationalities. Something I can relate with immensely, it’s interesting to see how they speak about this. Speaking that they combine into one to form a union. It’s also using audiovisual work, which is something I’m considering using and have proposed on a few of my initial ideas. I do wish I could’ve seen it in person.

Reviewing Soundlands Artist Proposals

I didn’t get a chance to chat with my classmates about the proposals so I’m doing it alone to consider which one got chosen. This I hope will also give me insight into the process of a professional sound installation proposal and the depth it takes to be successful.

Firstly, Burchell Songsmith. I found Burchell’s proposal to be very in-depth. For a proposal, I can understand why this is important. She did a great job at explaining her idea, and also the reason why she thinks her idea is good for the commission. She also displays a great level of communication for the proposal and connects the community with their sonic environment. Burchell also has created the three main locations she wishes to engage within her submission and the reasons why she thinks it’s important, with a short history lesson on each section. She weighs in the positives and negatives of each situation and what her piece can do for each area. She also in contrast prepares some backup locations if the first three are not able to receive permission from the council to use. As well as this, she explains her process. Going in-depth about how she will create the sonic works that will go into her songsmiths and the way she will create them. She also presented an accurate professional cost list which explains the cost of the entire process, as well as a very organised calendar of the commission and how it will operate. I’m very impressed.

Secondly, Berger – Bangor Searches for a Microphone. The submission from Berger was no way near as good as the first presented. It still held all the information needed to understand what the idea was and where it would be positioned. But it lacked the critical analysis to really take it further an extra level and help the reader understand why it’s important to have this in the city, why is it going to be beneficial? How does this fit the brief and what are the benefits and negatives of this proposal? It didn’t create a back up which the first one did, which I feel is important. Installations can receive problems during the creation and if a backup plan isn’t present things can go terribly wrong. It didn’t feel as dedicated and because of this, I am guessing that the first proposal won the commission.

Reflection of, Inside The White Cube: Notes On The Gallery Space

The article began by speaking of the idea of a white cube gallery being Modernism, which I couldn’t agree with more. It speaks on the views of the mobile fifth-dimensional visitor. That sees the space before the art and not the other way around. I didn’t really think too much into the idea of a white cube gallery space and what this does for art, except offer a blank canvas of sorts. But thinking about how the space is perceived and consumed by the eyes of a visitor before the art is interesting. It does propose the idea of whether a white room is correct for the presentation of a piece of art and whether the whole room should be the art?

The article continues to speak on the ideas of themes and vibes of rooms and uses churches, courtrooms and the mystique of the experimental laboratory to be others. Again something I hadn’t thought too much off but definitely experienced internally myself and brought to my ideas for what to do in the space. Initially, my reactions were that I didn’t fit within these spaces or it wasn’t for “someone like me”. But it truly is a reflection of the space, not that I’m not welcome.

Another interesting line was.

Things become art in a space where powerful ideas about art focus on them

My interpretation is mainly that when you place art in these white cube environments, where the norm is to overthink perhaps and analyse a piece put in front of the fifth mobile visitor it is the focus of the piece. Not to live in time and space amongst where it might have perhaps been taken from. For example, a Banksy graffiti piece that is originally on the streets to be there temporarily, which is then taken and sold and displayed in a white cube gallery. Does the observer enter with powerful ideas about art that the initial piece didn’t choose to display?

Another thing was the laws within a gallery, no lights must come in. Only from the ceiling. No windows either. Nothing must interfere with the art on display. The walls are painted white and the floor is polished. The art is free to take its own life as such.

The only issue I would have with this as mentioned by the article is that the problem that occurs with this is that art exists in a kind of eternity of display. No time, no sense of place with where this work exists. Which for art can be important.

It also speaks about the idea of a body in a white cube context and how it feels almost uninviting and that, eyes and ideas are welcome but bodies interfere with the angles and thoughts of a gallery. I couldn’t agree more. I always feel uncomfortable in a gallery, like I need to be quiet and can’t touch or express my feelings inside. I’d be interested to see and plan an installation that embraces this and allows a visitor’s physical presence to be okay and welcoming.

Lastly on the placement of art. The article suggests that larger paintings rise to the top and are placed higher up due to them being easier to see from a distance. The best pictures stay in the middle zone; small pictures are at the bottom. This creates a relationship between the gaze of the eyes and where the art placement is. Something I will consider for my installation proposal and setup.

Four Works Of Sound Art

In contrast to the last four sound installation works, sound art in its broader form can fit in installations and other pieces or performances. I’m going to research further into aspects I’ve been looking into at the moment. Topics include identity within the fine art world, representing yourself within art. Heritage, culture and social class.

Madlib Medicine Show

Madlib is an unorthodox Hip Hop artist from the United States of America. He creates music/sounds that can’t really be boxed into one genre. They span from boom bap hip hop beats to lucid soundscapes with no drums. Although perhaps the canon of sound arts wouldn’t associate artists such as Madlib to be a sound artist but more an experimental artist I would argue the case that he is both. I have recently been indulging in his work and found it to be very vast. Ranging from Jazz under the name Yesterdays New Quintet where Madlib creates alter egos and plays every instrument in the production to the Medicine Show series. In particular what attracts me to this is the rough nature of the releases and episode Number two, Flight To Brazil.

Medicine show was a series of albums that Madlib released to start his own label. He released an album every month for initially what was supposed to be ten months. I found the discipline of creating constantly is something undermined in the creative world of artists, sometimes we wait for things to inspire us and give us reason to work rather than the work being the reason. To be creative is simply the reason some of us such as Madlib are on this planet for. For him it’s a constant process regardless of the monetisation and popularity of his work, this leads him to make hundreds of beats and obscure sounds and pieces.

Madlib Medicine Show #2 - Flight To Brazil | Madlib

In this series of albums, Medicine Show #2 Flight To Brazil stuck out to me due to his way of creating it, although titled as a mixtape I wouldn’t say it is. Perhaps an abstract sound art collage mixtape of music and aspects he associates with Brazil. Madlib creates a lush journey of the sonic adventure of Brazil. With travelogue audio describing which city the music comes from, as all the audio was bought from a trip around Brazil that Madlib did. He accurately showcases where in Brazil the music is from with the audio excerpts of a pilot speaking. It makes it feel like a sonic piece which in hip hop sometimes can be close but not quite there.

The music also isn’t just played like a standard DJ would. Madlib takes parts he enjoys and loops them up, skews them out of context to not be exactly just music being played. Sometimes it’s just an introduction of another song leading straight into another chorus of a different one. This leads to a more active listening experience than a usual mixtape allows, as you are more attentive as it can change at any moment. For me, this album really made me nostalgic about my upbringing in Brazil. A lot of the songs I recognised instantly took me back. The power of sounds and how immersive it is, does fascinate me.

Regarding my Installation, I feel this is something that really motivates me. The cannon in itself although I find it intensely interesting and captivating does create an issue for me. I don’t see myself in these other artists, perhaps bits here and there but my work outside of university is predominantly a reflection of my environment and emotions, situations and other aspects captured sonically and skewered to enter me and other people who live this existence. I want to showcase that in my installation and really bring people into my world. Although at first I felt shy and tempted to neglect the idea of presenting my work within an installation context I find myself motivated now to skewer my view and reclaim the space. A sonic piece with audio and sculptural elements to take over where I’m given. Lastly, the way he produced the album reminds me of an extended rap skit. Not really music but a sonification of his experience around Brazil.

The Informals II – Installation

My second choice of sound art work is an installation called The Informals II. Although I’ve previously spoken on four installations and why I chose them I chose another installation for this because of its importance within my planning and the context of my current ideas that are developing around building a sound installation.

The Informals II, was an audiovisual installation in Brighton at the Lighthouse. This is how they described the piece.

Inspired by the artists’ interest in improvisation, non-conformity and ways of living in the digital age, The Informals II explored the lives and stories of Brighton’s youths. In a time when the political climate is not representative of them, they use their music culture to challenge stigmas and stereotypes and to reclaim public spaces.

The installation brought together audiovisual documentary footage collected by the artists in Brighton. Moving images, text, and dialogue interlace, calling upon the audience to interact with, and create new narratives and meanings.

I wasn’t involved in this project as I had moved to London to start my Undergraduate degree so sadly I couldn’t be involved. But watching and attending the private viewing made me feel proud. Most of the people in this audiovisual piece are close friends of mine and when I lived in Brighton I would be amongst them most of my week. As well as Audio Active a music charity that helps young people to access workshops and equipment. For the first time, I was actually proud of the people I associate with myself in an art gallery. To be there as themselves and nothing else. It was definitely an important moment, and now I’m being offered an opportunity to present myself alone in a gallery it’s made me think of everyone else as well as myself that I can represent and reclaim the space offered. Initially, I had the idea of using my friend’s voices in the space. But since rewatching this and remembering the exhibition The Informals II I’ve thought about contrasting the sonic element to the audiovisual presented in this exhibition. I found the darkroom really made the mobile visitor focus on the audiovisual element. The darkness allows the mobile visitor to not look and try to find the speakers and so engage more with the visuals. As well the visuals projected massively on the entire wall also is very immersive. The room with no seats means it’s not a lounge back comfortable watch as other audiovisual work is. It’s not something to sit down and tuck yourself into a nice journey. It’s more an accurate and at times upsetting video to watch. I believe the artists and curators did a great job at representing my friends and allowing them this space to be reclaimed. To conclude I really enjoyed the way the audio reflected the visuals and the relationship they had together. The audio would sometimes not fit what was being shown visually but this created an artistic representation of each person shown. The Visual aspect actually enhanced the audio in this context as it gave a visual stimulation to the audio and almost gave a sense of authenticity to see who is behind the voice that is speaking. Instead of it being up for speculation and anonymity, it’s a reclaiming of the space, to show whoever it is in their rawest form.

Pierre Schaeffer – Étude pathétique

I chose this sound art piece due to the nature of the spliced up sounds. Music Concrète as pioneered by Pierre Schaeffer is an interesting art form that definitely has a connection with modern hip hop artforms. I found this piece in specific Etude Pathètique to capture my attention. I went on a research journey to find a more fine art based practitioner rather than touching the edges of music to see if there was any context towards my current decision making with my installation proposal. I found his use of cutting audio in this piece to reflect the Madlib Medicine Show in an almost identical way. The only difference is the equipment used and the intent behind it. I find this to be more of an open-ended approach without specifically creating meaning and just cutting audio up. An exploration into what’s possible.

I feel currently I want to create an audio piece using samples as this is what I find to fit my identity. As well as this I want to contrast the samples not just in a specific meaningful way but also aesthetically and artistically. To create something that sonically I enjoy which has come from this piece as an example.

Christian Marclay On Night Music

I watched this video of Christian Marclay live on Night Music, I have previously looked into his work for my first year on BA sound arts and found the physical element of his work captivating. The chopping and looping that he does with his turntables essentially do a lot of modern features on a DAW. Warping, time-stretching, pitching etc. He physically cuts the vinyls into shapes to create a new one that has different qualities.

I want to incorporate that into one of my proposals as well.

Visiting Practioner #11 Vivienne Griffin

Vivenne Griffin

Interview with Vivienne Griffin – [ SPACE ]

This is her bio.

Born in Dublin and living in London, Vivienne Griffin studied fine art at City University New York supported by a Fulbright Scholarship. Griffin is a recent recipient of an Oram Award, named after legendary producer and electronic musician Daphne Oram, the award celebrates innovation in sound and music. Most recent exhibitions are Manchester International Festival 2021, the AGM in Somerset House at St Mary le Strand 2021, for Montez Press Radio in NYC, Griffin is a PhD candidate at Queen’s University Belfast at the Sonic Arts Research Center. They are represented by Bureau, NYC. They are currently working on a video game that functions as a music interface and writing poetry. Their upcoming album Music For Dead People (or requiems) will be out in 2022.

Her bio makes me interested in the last section about creating a video game that functions as a music interface. I want to know more about this and perhaps see some of the gameplay. I also think her work could possibly influence my decision on my sound installation.

Burea Gallery

I found a link on her website that takes you to a gallery in new york she does exhibitions. It only has a photo and the date of the exhibition so I can’t completely analyse her work or understand it in its entire context.

This one in specific piqued my interest, to see a PA speaker and black and white clothing. I was interested in what the actual performance is? As I’ve volunteered to do a performance at Gallery 46 during our week-long exhibition I’m trying to find influences or ways of changing my usual ways. I managed to find a SoundCloud link to the audio at the performance.

I found the soundscapes layered with synthesisers really well produced, I was curious to see how this applied in a gallery white cube context. The idea of just audio and one PA as a sculptural element isn’t terrible but with just audio, the context sometimes can be taken away, especially if the gallery context is where the audio performance was designed to be heard. I suppose this does pose the thought of work that’s specific to one scenario and how appropriate that is. Not that it’s incorrect to do that, but perhaps if we can create work that still stands by itself and together also.

I also found the sculptural element of this installation really captivating, the space between the objects and the layout of the cables on the show is something I’m also considering during my installation. I find myself not too worried with the idea of perfectionism in my work and cables neatly tied up and show isn’t or perhaps won’t add to my work. If something is specifically done even thinking bout cable placement the added total effect is better. At least, in my opinion, it’s always the smaller things that when added up make an installation greater.

Music For Dead People

I found a SoundCloud link to Music For Dead People, I’m unsure if this is the same album that is spoken in her bio? Said to release in twenty twenty two, but has been available for over a year. Anyway, I took a listen and found she used her voice predominately in the piece, which was I assume transposed with a pedal or an effect that makes it sound like it’s layered with lots of of the same voice. There was an almost personal close feeling when listening, you can hear her up close to the microphone moving her lips in an almost ASMR matter which doesn’t really appeal to me and made me feel repulsed. Again I found a lot of her work was uploaded and not given context, so unless you attended the gallery or performance/exhibition you wouldn’t entirely understand it. Which I find a bit unfortunate, as it creates a barrier of entry to her work. Something I won’t be doing when creating a professional website.

Post-Lecture Reflection.

Vivienne began by speaking on the album. She said she has an album called Music for dead people that keeps changing dates, and this is mainly based on technology. The ideas keep changing for her album and she finds as more technology arrives on the market she wants to adjust what she’s made and refine the idea. Something I don’t personally do myself, I find my ideas to capture moments in time and specific feelings that come and go. If I don’t release something it might not have the same connection for myself in the future, but for others, it might.

She doesn’t use the term sound art, which has become almost a common theme towards most of the visiting practitioners, I even mentioned it in my audio paper, something I also find difficult to speak on my work as Sound Arts it was refreshing to hear another visiting practitioner to speak on a similar thought. She said she finds it too narrow and that a broader vocabulary will hopefully emerge than just using the term sound arts, she prefers sound practice initially or new noise. She doesn’t like the name of sound arts. The term sound arts doesn’t allow her to feel like she wants to situate herself within it.

For her main practice, she has two strands. Studio practice and workshops. In her studio physicality of language is what she embraces in her work. For example, She created a piece that was supposed to look like A4 printouts but was hand drawn with ink. Creating and shifting perceived perspective.

Sculpture work. As well as sound is also something she is interested in and actively works on. In some pieces of work, she creates work with broken English, as an Irish person she felt she didn’t have to embrace the correct grammar of the English language, as well her dyslexia gave her an abstract artistic view of English language which meant she didn’t feel to comply with the norms. I can relate to this, my dyslexia has given me the rapping ability to be different, I don’t quite write it perfectly or fit the boxes in terms of the norm in my scene. It’s totally difficult to accept yourself being terrible at something if you have a half-empty mindset. But I do find it similar to Wabi-Sabi philosophy of beauty in imperfection I think if everyone was similar and stuck to the same mindset with any artform it would become stagnant and nothing would change or progress.

She also speaks on how her art is a reflection of her thoughts, it’s a way of getting out of her head, she uses an example of when you wake up, you look around and realise where you are physically and mentally. Which is something she is interested in, that specific moment. And capturing it and using that mental state in her practice.

She started thinking about noise, in a non conventional sense. The term noise really expanded for her, not just audio but how we interact with the world. And engaging with noise, podcasts, gaming, waves etc to her are all noise, not just digital but analogue forms as well.

The Fake Haven project

This was her working with text, and using it in the artwork she was commissioned to do. The fake haven was the name. To begin she just started writing without trying to make sense. You could say an experimental poem she believe it was at first. The text began to kind of be around instructions.

Then it went to more poetry references and more language references and then at some point she used her process of automatic writing to convey her unconsciousness to consciousness.

Then Vivienne showed us a prototype of a game she has been working on, similar to a midi controller. The character in this game has a gun that shoots balls made in the unreal engine. The balls are fired and trigger sounds that have been created. From vocals to synthesisers. This made me think about media consumption such as video games in a different context I hadn’t perhaps made before. Although this was in beta and very rough it reminded me of other music creating games such as ps1 and ps2 music creator games that pioneered grime. This is in a different context and more based on a different experience that shapes the world you are within rather than conventional music creation on a different platform.

I found her lecture to really connect with me, more for the fact that I could relate with her processes of work and using your work as a release for certain aspects in your life. I’m currently doing my proposal and have included some things based on this lecture within it.