“C(h)oral Communities” are bulbous bottle forms with necks that bend and twist. Each bottle has a personality (through its gesture) that relates to animal life forms and human expression. They are in dialogue with each other, sometimes packed closely together, sometimes farther apart. Some bottles are in pairs, some are in groups, and some are off alone. Sounds emanate from larger vessels that surround the space. These “speakers” have ear-like openings that produce whale moans, wolf cries, and spoken word. The wolves’ piercing howl sets a haunting mood. Are they singing? Are they mourning? Whale moans create an underwater background with their guttural grunts bellowed on a lower register. The human voice reads poems, with meanings deeply rooted in questions of the individual/community, community/art, art/life, and life/death.
In this piece I am drawing inspiration from Janet Cardiff. I enjoy her use of directional and layered sound to create an ephemeral experience that shifts as you move through space. The way my work stands apart from Cardiff’s is that I am using the ceramic form to emit sound and engage with the space; whereas Cardiff often uses sound from speakers as her objects. The added element of the ceramic form creates a visual subject matter that influences the experience both in physics of sound and its emotive communication.
I am exploring the concept of relativistic time by working with materials that are both ephemeral and everlasting (sound and ceramics). Contrast is formed by bringing together materials with seemingly opposite spectrum of time. This contrast creates a confluence of time dilation. The work (like time) can never be experienced the same way twice. “C(h)oral Communities” is an exploration of the harmonic connection between humans, creatures and communication. I am interested in the sounds of communication from the animal world and how those frequencies blend with each other and with the human voice. I selected birds, wolves and whales for animal sounds because they are community driven creatures and each inhabits a different layer of earth: birds in the sky, wolves on land and whales under sea. Each layer has its own experience, its own ecosystem and its own soundscape.
I also chose three poems by Charles Bukowski to represent the human voice: Strongest of the Strange touches on the individuals place in the community. What leads someone to become outcast? What makes someone accepted in society? Roll the Dice, gives encouragement to “go all the way” in one’s life and work. The poem pushes us to try harder in our endeavors but acknowledges that rolling the dice may lead to losing it all in society. The laughing heart gives assurance that every human is unique, and beautiful for who they are. It empowers the listener to take control of their life and make the right choice for the right reasons.
When the sounds overlap in just the right way, the whale, wolf, bird and human become one voice. As you move through the installation try to experience different hearings. Take a moment, get on one knee, put your ear up to a “speaker” and listen.
In this piece I am drawing inspiration from Janet Cardiff. I enjoy her use of directional and layered sound to create an ephemeral experience that shifts as you move through space. The way my work stands apart from Cardiff’s is that I am using the ceramic form to emit sound and engage with the space; whereas Cardiff often uses sound from speakers as her objects. The added element of the ceramic form creates a visual subject matter that influences the experience both in physics of sound and its emotive communication.
I am exploring the concept of relativistic time by working with materials that are both ephemeral and everlasting (sound and ceramics). Contrast is formed by bringing together materials with seemingly opposite spectrum of time. This contrast creates a confluence of time dilation. The work (like time) can never be experienced the same way twice. “C(h)oral Communities” is an exploration of the harmonic connection between humans, creatures and communication. I am interested in the sounds of communication from the animal world and how those frequencies blend with each other and with the human voice. I selected birds, wolves and whales for animal sounds because they are community driven creatures and each inhabits a different layer of earth: birds in the sky, wolves on land and whales under sea. Each layer has its own experience, its own ecosystem and its own soundscape.
I also chose three poems by Charles Bukowski to represent the human voice: Strongest of the Strange touches on the individuals place in the community. What leads someone to become outcast? What makes someone accepted in society? Roll the Dice, gives encouragement to “go all the way” in one’s life and work. The poem pushes us to try harder in our endeavors but acknowledges that rolling the dice may lead to losing it all in society. The laughing heart gives assurance that every human is unique, and beautiful for who they are. It empowers the listener to take control of their life and make the right choice for the right reasons.
When the sounds overlap in just the right way, the whale, wolf, bird and human become one voice. As you move through the installation try to experience different hearings. Take a moment, get on one knee, put your ear up to a “speaker” and listen.
