Whilst I was in Memphis I became a reporter for The Daily Helmsman newspaper for one semester. The University print newspaper had daily editions in both digital and print formats distributed across the city.
The Daily Helmsman
The Daily Helmsman
Sound art and installations, the different side to music
By Luke Chapman
As mentioned, I was asked to bring my own creation to the festival, it was titled “The independence of unity”. My piece was an installation representing peoples individuality, this was showcased through the randomisation of sounds, leading to two similar motions creating a completely variant outcome, thus signifying the differences between each user. The reception was fantastic for my first ever public showcase, with lots of interest shown from the audience. Quite a few people came along and experienced my work which was great to see. It was incredible to be a small part of introducing sound art and installations to a wider audience.
The artwork for "the independence of unity"
Not all sound installations need to have a meaning or purpose. One could create an installation just to admire the beautiful aspect of the creation of new sound and noise, however I believe that there is a given platform to installations which are readily accessible to all composers. The historical facts depict that sound art was first created in the 1910’s by a man called Luigi Russolo. From here, others started to experiment with sound, one notable early piece is the certainly “bespoke” piece 4’33” by John Cage. As time progressed, visual arts were then introduced to sound art, which allowed for exploration through the audio and visual spectrums. There is no single definition for sound art or sound installations due to the endless possibilities which can be explored by anyone and everyone. A sound installation could range from one person making noises with their mouth in any room, all the way to a dense and lonely forest in the German countryside, with no space in-between. The beauty of sound art is there are no bridges which cannot be crossed, and no mountains which cannot be conquered. An art installation gives the viewer control over the final outcome and engages such a wide audience in copious ways, the art form helps to create a visual media for sound which can otherwise not be understood or perceived by many. Sound art can define a space, help you escape, engage children and adults, keep you amused for hours, and send you on a long journey of exploration you never would have encountered. Sound installations and sound art are musical areas which are very little explored, but with something that can do so much, is it time that we engage it more, and help this area to flourish?
In remnants of Ramsgate’s festival of sound last weekend, I thought this would be a good time to investigate sound installations, and my experience of last weekend. The sound aspect of music is often not a very sought after topic, with many being inexperienced and miseducated on the area. For this reason, I believe that last weekends festival was a fantastic medium and platform for artists which feature in this field, giving a much needed spotlight to the lesser known area which is sound installations and sound art. The weekend featured various sound installations along with a sonic trail which I was honoured to be a part of. With an estimated 30,000 visitors over the course of the weekend, the festival played a key part in shining a light on a differing side of music which isn’t often exposed to the public.
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In a similar fashion to my piece, I believe that art and sound installations are usually created with a message or point in mind. They may be used as a vessel to deliver someones opinion or a political statement. This is one of the many reasons that I believe they are so crucial. Within my pieces and works, I always try to include some kind of statement or opinion. I believe that music is given such an important platform which should be utilised to try and make more of a difference in the world, no matter how small. Sound installations have the opportunity to spread easily around the world in new and unused spaces, some installations look to peculiar spaces to take hold of, and transform into a new world. This allows for a space to come alive with brand new meaning, creating something which a piece of music cannot. One crucial and beautiful difference between a sound installation and an art installation is the time aspect. A sound installation or sound sculpture often features a focal point of which sound is based from, this then means that a time dimension along with interaction is brought into context, as compared to someone admiring a still piece of three dimensional art. This is an important aspect which makes sound installations so engaging.