[-empyre-] sent on behalf of John Oswald

[Renate Terese Ferro]

From: john oswald <x at 6q.com>

Date: June 16, 2014 4:39:31 PM EDT

To: Jim Drobnick <jim at displaycult.com>, soft_skinned_space
<empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au>

Subject: Re: [-empyre-] start of week 3


hope this is an acceptable method of submission Jim		­o

At a recent conference in London, I heard David Toop suggest that curating
a group sound art exhibition was "impossible" given the inevitable sonic
conflict between the exhibited works. Such a claim, on its face, seems
rather provocative. What are some strategies that curators or artists
might employ to overcome the obvious challenges Toop is alluding to?
[Note: Toop curated "Sonic Boom" at the Hayward Gallery]



As a participating artist in David Toop¹s Sonic Boom i can attest that in
that case David endeavoured to do the ³impossible². I also remember the
architect for the exhibit refusing the requests of some of the other
artists to have closing doors on their solo rooms, as a way of mediating
noise bleed.
In my case i participated under the misapprehension that it was an
exhibition of visual work by artists known for sound and music ‹ i had
been avoiding sound sculpture shows and such because i also did not want
to participate in a ³sonic conflict².
But something happened to change my tune‹ every day for a week i was on
site working on my exclusively visual (but musically related)
contribution, and as a result i heard the venue (the Hayward Gallery)
gradually fill up with the noise of divergent works. And as i heard more
and more of this i began to enjoy the sonic density and complexity‹ each
day i looked forward to entering this noisy interior neighbourhood.
Nonetheless i have not actively participated in any of these phonocopias
sinceŠ





Renate Ferro
Visiting Assistant Professor of Art,Cornell University
Department of Art, Tjaden Hall Office:  306
Ithaca, NY  14853
Email:   <rferro at cornell.edu <mailto:rtf9 at cornell.edu>>
URL:  http://www.renateferro.net <http://www.renateferro.net/>
      http://www.privatesecretspubliclies.net
<http://www.privatesecretspubliclies.net/>
Lab:  http://www.tinkerfactory.net <http://www.tinkerfactory.net/>

Managing Co-moderator of -empyre- soft skinned space
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