Installation of audio component
Installation of audio component
In the early summer of 2006, my wife and I were a part of a team of artists lead by Joe Ostraff which collaborated on Public Space. Each artist team was allocated one digital audio recorder, one Lomo Actionsamplertm camera, 12 rolls of film and a pre-determined geographical space in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area.
Armed with our tools of documentation, we attempted to process the view of the Phoenix metropolis as outsiders, but told through the experiences of the local public.
Special thanks to Joe Ostraff for the collaborative leadership and Jason Metcalf for the sculptural infastructure
“My father is losing his hearing. Many of the sounds that I hear are no longer a part of his daily experience. Many of these lost bites are sounds of comfort and familiarity. Other sounds are designed to give warning or instruction. All of these sounds are becoming lost to him and he is left more often to his own thoughts, as even basic conversation is a challenge. This situation has sensitized me to the daily sounds of my life and the larger community in which I live”. says the director of the collaboration.
This installation is comprised of sound bites collected from public places in the greater Phoenix area. These sounds were collected from a variety of public situations including commerce, transportation, play, work, worship, organized activity, and random chaos. The photo images collected document locations corresponding with the sound bites.
This audio installation is comprised of sound bites collected from public places located in the greater Phoenix area. These sounds were collected from a variety of public situations including commerce, transportation, play, work, worship, organized activity, and random chaos. Photo images have been collected that document locations corresponding with the sound bites.
A creative team of artists, friends, and family of the artist has worked together to contribute to the collection of over 1,000 sounds and images that make up this installation. As they worked to record and to compare experiences it became clearer that no single sound or image would be all that significant, but the larger whole made up of all the parts could do something altogether more revealing. Going to the same places at different times of the 24-hour clock revealed sounds of the user and sounds of the laborer and caretaker. Sounds have an economic value.
It also became clear that sounds of place confirm our position and status, both physically and emotionally, on an on-going daily basis. These sounds become so familiar, that most are sensed on a subconscious level. They are the sounds that confirm that we are in the right place at the right time. It is the unfamiliar sound, or the absences of a familiar sound that may be most unsettling—telling us that we are on foreign ground of sorts.” says Ostraff.