distance and proximity

Last month I presented the first in a series of new multichannel sound work.
This series explores voice beyond its existence as a carrier signal for verbal communication. I have begun to think of human voice as connective tissue. It is truly a visceral presence in our lives, traveling through our bodies from before we are born and resonating in our bones even if we become deaf in old age. Of course when we listen to someone speak we hear in the voice their accent and tone, we are always, consciously or subconsciously, forming opinions, piecing together clues and considering the biological, psychological and social status expressed in what we hear. But we also use our voices simply to get a sense of space and to occupy it both literally and metaphorically, we vocalize and listen to sound out, to measure, to inhabit, to be present and to play.

The title is taken from a book of poems by Thomas A. Clark.

Distance and Proximity: Indoor (02:52)
An improvisation for one family and two recorders at differing distances from one
another in a confined space.

Distance and Proximity: Outdoor (04:42)
An improvisation for one family and two recorders at differing distances from one
another in a wide open space.

stereo examples of the work to follow on soundcloud soon.

aria

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to work with Wendy McMurdo on a film she made with VERL.

The film, which was shot in Bristol Robotics Lab explored the uncanny and the blurring of the real and unreal within the world of robotics research – this is Wendy’s particular area of research. I got involved in order to further explore the operatic voice as an embodiment of a dichotomy of the human voice - animal and artifice (uncontrolled/controlled; verbal/non-verbal etc). I created the whole ambience for the film from sound mined, appropriated and remixed from Olympia’s Aria (The Tales of Hoffman, Offenbach – this is the aria performed by a singer acting as a mechanical doll). Using new technology I was able to separate and sustain frequencies from the soprano’s performance, to literally scrutinize and unpack the operatic voice. The soundtrack explored the uncanny,  the natural and the synthetic, the theatrical and the virtuosic in areas of correspondence between robotics and voice.  
I hope to post a clip of the finished film, in the meantime here is the score on it's own.

hmmmm - a proposal

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A gathering of people to hum together.

An as yet, unrealised project. The soundfile above is a little tryout.

I have been exploring the power of voice in different ways for years, in fact it was how I became interested in sound as an artistic medium. The recorded voice, the broadcast voice and the telephone voice have played vital roles in my work. This idea strips away the mediation and has the performers present.
Performing live is something that has petrified me, and it is often expected of someone who works with sound. I have performed a number of times in different ways and have realised, that for me at least, collaborating and performing with others is the way to relish the live experience of sound.
Also, I think active participation, without feeling put on the spot, is an exciting and potentially enriching experience for all involved, much more so than keeping audience and performers as discreet entities. It is my hope that Hmmmm would do this, providing a platform and an invitation for people to join in the collective and rich drone.