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Artists break through the sound barrier
Don O'Mahony, Arts, Irish Examiner 2005
Sound defines our world, yet it's remarkable how little attention we give it. There is, however, an increasing interest in sound as both a subject and medium of artistic exploration.
Last month saw three separate events dedicated to sound: at the Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin, The City Gallery, Limerick, and The Soundworks Festival, in Cork.
Of the tree cities, it is Cork that leads the way in field of Sound Art, and this position is reinforced by the publication of a unique book on the subject, Soundworks: For Those Who Have Ears.
While it's not the first time a book has been produced on the subject of sound in Ireland (the Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh, published one on the late English artist Hugh Davies), this is an important document because it offers, as editor Julie Forrester says, "a snapshot of a
particular view of the sound art landscape".
Springing from last year's Soundworks Festival, the book is accompanied by a 25 track CD that highlights the broad church that is sound art - and the breath of topics is mirrored by the variety of sound pieces that are on the disc.
"The term 'sound art' is like the term 'modern art' " says co-editor and sound artist Danny McCarthy, "because there so many facets in it, going from the whole acoustic ecology area up to advanced electronics, or from electro-acoustic to just using voice alone. Found instruments, homemade instruments: it's vast."
For McCarthy, a key figure in sound art in Ireland, this book is vitally important.
"There’s a lot of work gone undocumented", he bemoans. "Now it’s good to have a book out that will document some of the work and keep history alive."
While McCarthy sees the publication as an important resource to art students, its accessibility should also find favour with those who have a general interest in art, as well as those who gravitate towards music of an exploratory nature.
It is also, for a tome on sound, remarkable how visually stimulating the book is thanks to many of the artists including a selection of illustrations and images to go with their pieces.
The book opens the lid on a multitude of possibilities, breaking down a lot of the mystique that attaches itself to sound art, as well as presenting some stimulating essays on sound, noise (as distinct from sound) and a startling view concerning the artistic possibilities of
hospital radio.
In an article subtitled A History of Sound Art in Cork. Ireland, McCarthy provides a brief outline of some of the key developments that have taken place, yet the impression remains that many of the contributors could fill a book on their own. Neil C Smith's We've only just slashed through the curtain (Lets not drown in the bath) best illustrates this for example.
And the pieces on the CD are highly accessible. Some of them, such as Janek Schaefer's Office Max Track and Jennifer Yoeull's Computer Sex are playful and full of humour. Others, such as Anthony Kelly and David Stalling's Reheat, have a more meditative quality. Tracks such as http://alpha60.info, by Dennis McNulty, and Commentary by Slavek Kwi cause us to question the environment around us.
There is also a tantalising excerpt from The Shadow Walks project of vocal improviser Viv Corringham, featuring Cork writer Conal Creedon. Corringham's preoccupation is with voicing the landscape and her project, which also features, among others, composer Irene Buckley and poet Thomas McCarthy, offers an engaging glimpse of the emotional archaeology of a city.
An accompanying article outlines her ideas, but nothing paints the picture clearer than the CD.
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musicworks – Reviews and Articles
04/11/2006
By Linda O'Keeffe
This book marks the culmination of a series of events celebrating Cork as the European capital of culture for 2004. Editors Julie Forrester and Danny McCarthy and co-curators Harry Moore and Niamh Lawlor have researched and collected a number of important works that deal with the short history of sound art in Ireland and its progressive move into the established art scene of Ireland.
What strikes me about For Those Who Have Ears, is the number of images in it. It also contains a selection of essays by prominent artists and art critics, which cover a lot of ground. Some of the artists who contributed to the CD have written poetic descriptions of either their sounds or the performance of the work.
For Those Who Have Ears is "the culmination from the experience of an event, Soundworks, organized by Art Trail in Cork 2004." This was a sonic event that showcased the work of new and established artists. The book incorporates interviews with vocal artists, essays on the history of sonic art, the place for sound art in Ireland, and radio as art space. As an introduction for the aural art novice it is an enlightening read. It has opened my eyes to the extent to which sound art has infiltrated the Irish art scene. In reading the essay by Neil C. Smith, a British sound artist ("We've only just slashed through the curtains, let's not drown in the path"), I am reminded that, as we try to define the medium of sound art—acousmatic sound, new music, call it what you will—the language is tentative but not naïve. The sense among contributors to this book is that they understand that sound art is in its earliest phase, still dominated by the Cage-Schaeffer era.
The accompanying CD contains twenty-five works of sound by various Irish and international artists. It is an eclectic mixture of sounds and music, ranging from sonic landscapes to recordings of live performances and digital music. Viv Corringham, whose Shadow Walks are featured on the CD, was the artist-in-residence for Arttrails 2005. Corringham explores ordinary places and draws unexpected experiences from them, which she records with binaural microphones, collecting the debris of conversation, objects and environmental sounds. From a more musical perspective, the work of Charlotte Hug, also on the CD, creates sounds that are recognizable in that they use a traditional instrument to create sound—but that is where tradition ends. Hug, who plays a number of stringed instruments, creates scores she calls sonicons, using drawings derived from her relationship with her instrument. She maps these images three-dimensionally, and from this creates scores. The CD excerpts are quite short (the longest being just over six minutes), which is unfortunate, as there are a few pieces I would have wished to hear in full. But the book contains a listing of some of their Web sites, and further contact details can be obtained from www.arttrail.ie.
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