interview with Cat Hope

Short interview with Cat Hope curator of Drawn from Sound

Edith Cowan University

Mt Lawley

Spectrum Project Space

March 28^th – April 12^th 2013

Http://www.drawnfromsound.com

Jacqui – Hello Cat

Cat -Hi,

Jacqui -Notating sounds can come in all sorts of forms

Cat -Yes that’s right. And sometimes, composers don't want to notate the sounds specifically, rather- just provide information about how sounds may come about. Traditional music notation is good at communicating ideas about melody, and harmony – not so great for describing how something actually 'sounds'. This is one of many reasons composers use graphic scores

Jacqui - What are some of the key works in the exhibition?

Cat - For me, the Percy Grainger Free Music No.2 is a key work. Written in 1937, we are presenting digital copies of the only remaining photostat copies that are held in the Grainger Museum archive in Melbourne. David Young's 'Not Music Yet' (2012) is a stunning watercolour, commissioned by Sydney pianist Zubin Kanga last year, and has drawn a lot of attention. Otherwise, all the works are key, because they all show different ways ideas about music can be communicating. The exhibition is of maps for music making.

Cat Hope installing Percy Grainger

Jacqui - What feedback have you got so far?

Cat - Well, overwhelmingly  positive, and some confusion. How can this be music? Some ask.  Most people are pleasantly surprised there is so much diversity in music communication, whereas others don't think these works are music at all. The exhibition is surprising silent – I just wanted to show the 'diagrams' or 'design' for sounds, rather than how they sound. The viewers can make up their own minds about that!

Jacqui - Where did you get the idea of the exhibition?

Cat - After years of making music (improv, text,songwriting and playing) I finally started 'composing' (writing things down) myself when I used graphic scores. They opened up a whole world of possibilities for me, and the kind of music I wanted to make.  Through this, and commissioning work for my new music group Decibel, I came across lots of different approaches to graphic scores, that I thought it would be a good idea to survey them. As far as I know, this is the first all Australian graphic score exhibition.

Jacqui - Decibel have performed how did that go?

Cat - Great – we have a lot of experience at reading graphic scores, but it was fun to do them in this environment, where they are on display.

Decibel performing Nathan Thompson

Jacqui -There has been an interest in ideas surrounding sound in the gallery space do you think its on the increase?

Cat - Yes, though this exhibition is more about signs than sounds. We are really in the age of multi/inter disciplinary practice: time to get rid of words like visual art, sculpture, music, noise, sound art…. And just say…. Art.

event this sunday

You may have heard him on the House of Jack doing an improvised set and it is still available to download. He is having an event this Sunday sounds interesting.

On to the details:
This Sunday 7th April.at Royal Botanic Gardens
We will be broadcasting on 108.0 FM
The performance will start at 1pm sharp, and end at 1.45pm . This will be governed by the time located here:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=152
.

PS In order to be involved in future events (as audience or performer) please send an email to info@toddanderson-kunert.com or like the Noise Flash facebook page located at:
 https://www.facebook.com/NoiseFlash


Facebook event page is here:


http://www.facebook.com/events/349167581858618/

interview with Stephen Vitiello

Interview with Stephen Vitiello – exhibition at MADA gallery  http://www.artdes.monash.edu.au/gallery/

With Hidden Noise 20 March – 16 April

Hello Stephen 

 Photo of Stephen Vitiello by Naoko Wowsugi:

Can you tell us how you got into sound art/recording

I grew up in NYC and started playing in bands when I was 14. I continued for several years and then after college, started to meet visual and performing artists who offered me the opportunities to create soundtracks for their works. The first single-channel video/animation I contributed to was by the Australian artist, Peter Callas. The first installation I worked on was by the American artist, Tony Oursler. After 10 years of creating sound for works by other people, I was ready to step out on my own. My first solo installation was at the Museum of Contemporary, Lyon in 1998 or 1999. So, it was really a progression.

How did you come about curating this exhibition?

I’ve always enjoyed curating – but definitely from the point of being an artist, and not a trained curator. I see curating as a format that allows you to create a kind of picture (sonic in this case) through selection, sequencing and creating a spatial context. In the case of this small exhibition, With Hidden Noise, I was invited by Independent Curators International (http://www.curatorsintl.org/) to organize a small, easily containable sound art exhibition. I focused on sound works mixed for the 5.1 surround format (5 speakers, with subwoofer). I listened for works that were distinct but also might have different kinds of connections that would connect to other selected works – some of the elements include field recordings, manipulated sounds of instruments and every day objects, an interested in sound as it moves through space as well over time.

Can you tell us about the people in the exhibition?

The show includes pieces by Pauline Oliveros, Taylor Deupree, Jennie C. Jones, Andrea Parkins, Steve Roden, Michael J. Schumacher, Steve Peters, and myself. Pauline (http://www.paulineoliveros.us/)
 is perhaps the elder stateswoman here. She has been creating experimental music since the 1950s. Taylor is an electronic musician and photographer who runs the wonderful CD label, 12k (http://www.12k.com/). Michael (http://www.michaeljschumacher.com/) is an excellent composer and sound artist. For many years, he also ran a very important sound art gallery called Diapason (http://www.diapasongallery.org/). All of the artists in the show are American. That wasn’t a conscious decision. I just thought of people I was in touch with and who I thought would be interested in contributing to the show. And again, with various levels of compatibility. With the exception of Pauline, I would say we’re all mid-career artists, working for some 20 years each in the medium.

You’ve been in Australia before to record the Kimberley region

I’ve been to the Kimberley region twice. I believe it was in 2010 and 2011. I was commissioned by Kaldor Public Art Projects (http://kaldorartprojects.org.au/) to create an installation based on field recordings in Australia. I eventually presented three pieces in Sydney Park in abandoned kilns. Some of the experience is captured in a documentary produced by ABC-TV (http://www.abc.net.au/arts/stories/s3145981.htm).

What can people expect when they come to the exhibition

The focus is on listening. There is a single surround sound system with more than an hour of unique sound pieces. There are also catalogues and books related to sound art that are available to read while one listens.

A lot of the artists in the exhibition are quite established. Was that a choice you made.

I just made a selection of people who I think are doing interesting work. Obviously, there are many, many more who I might have added to the selection but I also wanted to keep the time of the compilation to a manageable size. I definitely wasn’t thinking about status, just about quality and compatibility.

How would you describe peoples recordings

Each is quite different. The sequence begins with an accordion solo that Pauline Oliveros recorded in a beautiful sounding church. Some of the pieces are more abstract, some frenetic, while others are more ambient and quiet (such as Steve Roden’s piece). Each artist has their own way of composing, using the spatial qualities of multi-channel sound and working through time.

How is sound art received in America

I don’t know if there’s one easy answer to that. There are a lot of people working in various facets that might be termed sound art, or experimental music. There are a smaller number among us (here, that would include Steve Roden, Jennie C. Jones and myself) presenting work in commercial galleries. There’s a growing awareness of sound art having an important set of histories. There’s not always an easy acceptance by museums and galleries of the complexity of presenting work properly. I’d say the interest in schools including sound art is slowly growing. I teach at Virginia Commonwealth University in a program called Kinetic Imaging (http://arts.vcu.edu/kineticimaging/)

Is sound art viewed differently in Australia do you think

I can’t say enough with enough authority or knowledge. I know there is an important history of sound art in Australia and there continue to be some great practitioners. Alan Lamb comes to mind immediately (http://rootstrata.com/rootblog/?p=5692) as someone who has been working for some time. I’m also a big fan (and friend) of Lawrence English who runs the wonderful electronic music/sound art label, Room 40 in Brisbane (http://room40.org/site/).

Additional links to artists in the exhibition

http://www.stephenvitiello.com/

https://soundcloud.com/stephenvitiello

https://soundcloud.com/andreaparkins

http://steve-peters.blogspot.com/

http://www.taylordeupree.com/

http://jenniecjones.wordpress.com/

pat brassington

Interview with Julianna Engberg Artistic Director of ACCA. About Pat Brassington work– transcript of interview

Jacqui – We are outside a photo of a dog with a kind of a moon structure. So what’s this kind of about?

Julianna – I think Pat is ripping off surrealism here. I’m also drawn into thinking the cow jumps over the moon. You’ve noticed instantly that’s it’s a dog but a lot of people think it’s a cow because that’s the kind of association  you make in your head with the fairytale the Chaucer story and I popped it here I’ve put it high . It’s almost a frivolous image what is a kind of darker subject matter that Pat has.

Its an entry point , it might show a lot of humour ,dark humour that goes around in the works and also it is here to encourage people to slow down a bit and become more observational, don’t imagine that  what you see is what you get. Don’t imagine that it’s a cow look at it very carefully and notice that’s its actually just a benign domestic dog probably having a snooze on the carpet and what she has put  it next to its not a moon obviously its some kind of texture it might be a rock or something. But the conjunction of these two things produces an uncanny unusual almost fun kind of image it’s a bit deceitful because the show gets a bit more gloomy as we get on.

Jacqui – Ok lets go to some more gloom. This reminds me of the Un Chien Andalou – An Andalusian dog.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCl_8522FF0

..

Julianna – Yes your quite right your referring to Luis Bunuel and Salvidor Dali. And that’s precisely the direction I would head in if I was looking at this work. This work is from the mid 80’s when Pat Brassington was interested in decoded visual language. I call this a surrealist visual linguistic piece because what we see here is a grid a group of borrowed images or appropriated images that can be decoded down through a somewhat semiotic signage to derive a kind of language – the female genitalia we see at the top there are upturned hats on men looking up into the sky a reference obviously to Man Rays hat image with the clef in the middle which is sort of a vulvic symbolism if you want . underneath that obviously a fish a kind of slang kind of visual connotations of genitalia.

The hysterical women image much of which comes from medical research in the late 19^th century.  They weren’t of course they were probably people who had terrible menstrual cycles or something like that you know infact who were downright frustrated You read this image very much as a set of signs and figures that lead you to something and we see a glass shattered it starts to get quite irksome . If we think the glass as being some kind of membrane  this is a sign perhaps of some kind of violation.

So perhaps we are looking here at some kind of horrible incident that includes an abuse or mis abuse of women or there sexuality perhaps intervention perhaps abuse of somesort or violation and here we have the complication of some kind of evangelical symbolism so we could work out from this image that it has something to do with priests etc. on the outside of the system of grids we have the lone female looking in at the scene. And for me this is quite an interesting twist on the normal male voyeurism . Its an image we both possibly know recognize. Its Marion Crane from Psycho   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gzhNRfZyHQ

So in a sense its turning the tables on the Psycho idea of the male looking at the female now it’s a female looking back at this complex story. But to me maybe its  a complicated gaze looking upon something that you know is unspeakable its problematic it’s a  problem to be solved its still a little bit obscure or outside their grasp

Jacqui – What is this series about it seems isolated and disconnected

Julianna – These works were done in Cambridge road like the earlier works we were discussing, this is our Pat working in a more digital kind of territory so she is actually building images now and I think this is one of those interesting things about Pat in this exhibition we begin to see how she evolves not only in her photo based language but she is also  moving from the analogue to the digital and of course its much harder to make mistakes in digital you have to put the mistake in  a kind of fashion. 

What we see here in Cambridge road is a kind of measured kind of narrative we see  Pat deliberately  building images to include things you may have once found in an incident of analogue. So in an instance this image here we are looking at  is something which is clearly domestic we think it’s a bedroom its got a kind of dressing table its got a chair but its also got a fantasmic flash which is like an apparition.

Now in surrealist photography famously Lee Miller  http://www.leemiller.co.uk/Default.aspx

     one of the people who discovered solarisation. If you exposed your negative or you exposed the process of printing in an unexpected kind of way you often get a mistake of some sorts bringing uncanny incidents into the picture with digital you cant do that. You’ve got to put it in quite deliberately. So I think Pat is trying to evolve the digital language to become much more malleable much more pliable much more like analogue and what then she has produced tin these scenes is a system of images that are wearing masks strange people coming in doorways forlorn and gloomy abandoned kind of spaces places that have an irksome kind of felling to rooms you see through doorways a kind of startled dog who looks as if he is worried about someone and curious abandoned places which become sinister. That is what Cambridge road is about but it is open to interpretation..

This interview has been edited

made in melbourne film festival

Made in Melbourne film festival is a festival of short films made by people in Melbourne,  Its in its forth year and is being held at the Astor and at the Order of Melbourne.  The films range from drama to comedy and everything in between. Highlights of the presentation at the Astor include films made by Daniel Knight and Clint  Clure.  Daniels film “Blood on the dice game” film centres around the gaming table mayhem erupts and  it all ends abruptly.  His film “Blood on the dice game” lasts 12 minutes   http://www.snowgumfilms.com  Clint cures film is an animation and revolves around as the title suggests retribution.  Ben is lead on quest for revenge by a murdered girl.  The film is in a horror film noir genre combining animation with real life characters. http://www.retributionfilm.com  check out Made in Melbourne website at   http://www.mim.org.au

Overall a great night with high quality films, all local with great content with a wide range of subjects . Something to please everyone.

glasfrosch

The next Glasfrosch show is November 29th at Revolver, with Slow Down Earth and Black Galaxy Experience. Here's the facebook event with all the details: http://www.facebook.com/events/441635312555680/

also

My band site: http://glasfrosch.bandcamp.com/

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/glasfrosch

soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/glasfrosch_justin

low carb downunder

http://lowcarbdownunder.com.au/melbourne/

carb conference

get down to the st kilda town hall for all things carb

on the day

Starting: Saturday 17^th November from 8.300am to 4.30pm
Provisional Program:

1. “What Is Happening In the Low Carb World”—Jimmy Moore 
2. “Doctors, Health, Weight and Carbohydrates”—Dr Rod Tayler
3. “Sweet Poison and Big Fat Lies”—David Gillespie
4. “What is Paleo?”—Crystal Fieldhouse
5. “Buying Healthy Food in Melbourne”—Panel
6. “Saturated Fat is Good for You!”—Christine Cronau
7. “Sugar and Fat Metabolism—A Biochemical Perspective”—Dr Ken Sikaris
8. “Crossfit, Fitness and Diet”—Dr George Iacono
9. “Current Theories of Obesity”—Steven Hamley
10. “The Melbourne Paleo Meetup Group”—Jo Marie Fitton
11. “Low Carb Recipes—Cauliflower Rice and Herb Crumbed Fish”—Mick Reade (Chef)
12. Ask the Experts—Q and A Panel

carb conference

get down to the st kilda town hall for a run down on all things carb.

Starting: Saturday 17^th November from 8.300am to 4.30pm
Provisional Program:

1. “What Is Happening In the Low Carb World”—Jimmy Moore 
2. “Doctors, Health, Weight and Carbohydrates”—Dr Rod Tayler
3. “Sweet Poison and Big Fat Lies”—David Gillespie
4. “What is Paleo?”—Crystal Fieldhouse
5. “Buying Healthy Food in Melbourne”—Panel
6. “Saturated Fat is Good for You!”—Christine Cronau
7. “Sugar and Fat Metabolism—A Biochemical Perspective”—Dr Ken Sikaris
8. “Crossfit, Fitness and Diet”—Dr George Iacono
9. “Current Theories of Obesity”—Steven Hamley
10. “The Melbourne Paleo Meetup Group”—Jo Marie Fitton
11. “Low Carb Recipes—Cauliflower Rice and Herb Crumbed Fish”—Mick Reade (Chef)
12. Ask the Experts—Q and A Panel

horse bazarr gig virtual proximity and more

Electric Universe is a collective of Melbourne based electronic artists producing
and performing music ranging from alternative techno to experimental jazztronica.

8pm Jean Poole - An AV set dedicated to the late Run Wrake – RIP
Jean Poole has performed and produced video material at gigs in most Australian capital cities, a
residency in Istanbul, and gigs in Barcelona, Berlin, Portugal, Rome and Jakarta. He is the founder of the
annual Electrofringe festival in Newcastle.
www.skynoise.net

9pm Virtual Proximity
Their style could best be described as dark jazztronica, with influences including DJ Krush, Miles Davis,
Four-Tet and Nils Petter Molvaer. Performances are entirely improvised.
James Annesley – electric saxophone, EWI, live loops. Tristan Courtney – bass, laptop, MPD, live loops.
virtual-proximity.com

10pm The Primary Colour
All hardware drum machines, synthesisers and effects.
Featuring unbroken and slowly evolving performances, underpinned by a deep and constant groove. The
Primary Colour navigates a fresh course through electronic improvisation each time he plays.
www.theprimarycolour.com

11pm Juxtpose
Fresh from a stint in Berlin, Juxtpose is the production unit of Wu Kush. Inspiration comes from Detroit
and Berlin Techno. Mainly Techno with elements of futur-ism, minimal-ism, hip hop-ism and electro-ism
soundcloud.com/juxtpose
Listing Details:
Electric Universe Collective – Launch Party
Date: Saturday 24th Nov.
Venue: Horse Bazaar – 397 Little Lonsdale St.
Free Entry