AC The concepts of place and space have become the fundamental elements of contemporary trans-disciplinary research on sound and soundscapes. Thanks to the contribution of acoustic ecology, theories of sound art and the inquiries of sound artists operating in different digital music scenes, these themes now represent both new research domains and places for a deeper reflection on the role and reception of all sound forms. Jay-Dea Lopez’s work marks a significant contribution to this analysis. He provides a possible re-consideration of sound’s potential and of all practices sound related, whereby the complex steps of creative processes shape new spaces.
[rssless][/rssless]
With “AC”, Lopez, native to Australia, questions the relationship between field recording, often used as a practice to investigate exotic and distant places, and the intimate dimension of the domestic acoustic space. This analysis is developed both on a spatial level and on the fringe that separates the audible from the inaudible. “AC” fascinates the listener with its capacity to balance sonic complexity with the openness of its soundscape, creating very suggestive atmospheres.
“AC” is a sound enquiry developed on different levels. The final result is a study that represents the surrounding environment as a space-time continuum, a place in which universal and particular elements intersect in complex ways. The work transcends the dimension of pure documentation of objects and sound spaces. By presenting unexplored places “AC” builds a strong emotional aesthetic capable of involving the listener in a process of great synesthetic and imaginary possibilities.
Notes from the artist When we think of the concept of “place” we often do so in a context that focuses on vast exteriors. As field recordists we regularly position ourselves in grand locations with microphones directed towards the sounds of exotic forests, river systems, mountain ranges or the frozen Polar Regions. But what of the place in which we live – our domestic soundscape. How do our smaller private worlds connect with these public exteriors?
“AC” (alternating current) ponders on the relationship between home and its outer perimeters. Layers of field recordings convey the sounds of electricity that run between my domestic sphere and the local farming community and sub-tropical forests. Here electricity is an invisible, and often inaudible, thread that holds us to a bigger notion of place. It is a grid that dissects and connects the earth beneath our feet.
Thanks to the Galaverna team for giving me the freedom to work within my own aesthetic. Thanks also to those who take the time to listen.
cat: gal 0120
date: dec 21 2014
time: 32:53
[rssless]
download as:
AIF [307,1 MiB]
MP3 [72,9 MiB]
[/rssless]