Isaac For Sound Arts

For me, the term sound art supports a broad and diverse range of sonic exploration, which of course uses sound as the median way of expressing ideas. To me sound arts includes such an endlessly wide field from visual arts and academical research, it can also be vastly experimental and emotional socially charged like Cathy Lanes ‘Am I Here?’. This piece is one of the first sound art performances that I had the chance to experience which included a wonderful spoken word experience backed with field recordings that played with the idea of conscious time and space, tying it with reality and memories. This for me encompasses the idea of sound arts and art with the use of audio to translate an emotional or engaging idea that’s relatable for the audience or observer. 

My initial interest into the sonic world started of course with a fascination for all kinds of music in general, especially extreme and complex electronic music. I think my first real introduction to the term Sound Arts was from my dad talking about an exhibition he attended at the Hayward Gallery which included works by Pan sonic, Brian Eno and other experimental musicians. Through photos of that event, I discovered my interest in physical, kinetic and mechanical ways of producing sound which I find extremely powerful due to their audio and visual multisensory effect. I also have a deep passion for birdsong, which for me stemmed from years of living in the countryside, I’ve always found birdsong to be fascinatingly complex and sonically interesting especially from a communication point of view. I think birdsong is an area that excites me to explore and research along with taking in as much knowledge as I’m able to and to explore a wide range of sound practices. I’m also interested in building an artistic way of thinking and seeing things so for me it is not just about having the opportunity to create but also to learn how to critique, share ideas and learn from others. Which for me is why I chose to study on this course.

Sonic Boom: The Art of Sound, Hayward Gallery, 2000

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