ETHOS

I am a people watcher and that is why interaction is the focus and drive of my work. I feel over time physical interaction between people has significantly reduced. With Modern culture first closing down the doors of communal living, into our own personal worlds, everything at hands reach; personal computers; personal MP3 players; even to the extent of personal robotic pets. From there the doors began to reopen, but interaction as we knew it refreshed; a middle man is now required, ‘The Device’. I would agree that change and progress is important, but as I see it we are not gaining new skills, we are replacing. them. Physical interaction is comparatively rare to those of ‘the device’, and slowly we are loosing the ability to communicate to our previous level, creating age barriers of those before and after ‘the device’.


During the 3rd stage of ISD course I would like to design events which encourage physical interaction as I feel passionately about creating design for change, with my aims to bring back the community, whether that be through town planning or interventions which provoke a reaction and discussion. I am particularly keen on temporary structures and installations which pop up in busy places, as this opens them up for the ‘everyday’ person to see and often is a catalyst for discussion, inevitably flowing into the device interaction ; the news, networking and photo sharing internet sites, therefore creating a worldwide critic on just one persons vision.


I want to further my understanding of the context of space and abstraction of space, therefore allowing my work to become stronger and enable me to push my passion for creating discussion and physical interaction between young people.

Monday, 8 November 2010

Aural Intervention

Susan Philipsz was born in 1965 in Glasgow, and was nominated for the Turner Prize for presentations of her work Lowlands at the Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art and Long Gone in the group exhibition Mirrors at the Museo de Arte Contemporanea de Vigo, Spain. Philipsz uses her own voice to create uniquely evocative sound installations that play upon and extend the poetics of specific, often out-of-the-way spaces.

Susan Philipsz -  LOWLANDS 2008 / 2010 - Clyde Walkway, Glasgow
© The artist, courtesy Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art - Photo: Eoghan McTigue. 
The audio track taken from the Lowlands installation at Glasgow instillation for the Festival of Visual Art, was played into a white cube gallery at the Tate Modern for the Turner Prize 2010. Although I was not particularly overwhelmed by the track, after reading where it had originally played and watched the short film documentary on Suzan’s piece at the end of the exhibition, I became intrigued by here work as I could see parallels with our interests. 
When I returned home I researched her further and found these two short videos of her work in-situ - which I feel give the tracks more substance and are very successful in proving that the aural additions can change the purpose, reaction and therefore atmosphere of space.  
In Upon interview Suzan explained: 


“During my MA I began to think about working with Sound - I had always liked singing - and started to think about singing being quite a sculptural experience, how its affects the  inner body space, what happens when you project sound into a room and how it can define space. The architectural concern when it comes to sound, the sculptural values of sound, the physiological and emotive effects of sound and song.” 


She continues; 
"As well as working with galleries I have often worked in public space. I think its interesting to when people happen upon a work unexceptionally and observe the reactions of an audience who don’t expect to encounter it.... When people experience my work, particularly when I use my voice, i’m an ok singer but I don't have a trained voice, and I think that is pretty obvious when you hear it...i don't do anything to it..it could be anybodies voice, allowing people to identify with it, and it has a more intimate sound to it.’



Before I en counted this work I was already interested in the prospect of sound. I feel a good starting point would be to project sound discretely through the concrete benches featured along the South Bank Centre. I have included some quick sketches showing this idea - 



Or an intervention featuring the OXO Tower viewing gallery? 







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2 comments:

  1. Pete Maloney12 November 2010 at 00:54

    Hi April,

    I think this is a very interesting and exciting line of enquiry. It would be useful to explore ideas of spatialised sound and to research previous work. You could look at John Wozencroft and 'Touch' including Chris Watson. Also Janet Cardiff's 'Chorus'. For next week it would be good to think about what sounds you might bring to the spaces you are looking at.

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  2. KATRINA KOCIALKOWSKA30 November 2010 at 05:05

    Hi April,

    I find your work very interesting and engaging :) Just thought that it would be great if you could consider using bigger font ?It's quite hard to read it...and stay concentrated for longer amount of time. Good luck with your project :)

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