Ars Sonorus, the school of visual and sound art in Colombia recently started their string of conferences on various topics of sound art, called PARLANTE. These conferences are taking place over zoom every Saturday from 8:00am to 9:00am (Costa Rica time) until the 16th of June, each by a different sound artists and researcher.
In collaboration with DJLab and Ars Sonorus I’ve had the pleasure of attending the first conferences and would like to share my experience so far. For the Spanish version of this article, check DJLab’s blog.
2. Metallic idiophone objects and long-stringed devices. From object to context.
Santiago López (Spain)
The second conference was held by Santiago López, with a title that might sound overwhelming at first, but is cleared up quickly when you see and hear his work. Throughout his investigations, academic studies, installations and presentations, Santiago has worked with all kinds of metallic objects and string installations. The expression he used was “trying to give a voice to anything.”
Nonetheless, his selection of structures and materials is not random. Santiago reiterates the importance of the context in which we grew up and where we come from. He describes his family as coming from small towns full of industrial work involving metal, post-industrial spaces in decline, and how these are parts of our identities that stay with us and show up in our work. With a setup as simple as a piezo microphone and some speakers, these industrial objects (such as a clothes dryer, power lines, barbed wire or a cage) can be converted into instruments.
Beyond the physical instrument object, we spoke about the impact of the space in which these installations and presentations exist. Both in the literal sense, such as the physical acoustic characteristics of a venue, and the symbolic, such as the history of a location. This is an important tool at the disposal of artists and it furthers some of the points discussed in the first conference.
This careful thought into the relationship between object, space and context is clearly visible in Santiago’s piece, The Walls. Recorded in the Czech Republic, this piece is filled with intentionality in its political messaging making it impossible to ignore. Composed of three acts, the first involves playing a metallic cage with a bow in front of a prison. The second, the use of Santiago’s own hair as an instrument outside the remains of the Theresienstadt concentration camp. The third, using a bow to play the remains of the Iron Curtain’s barbed wire. It’s chilling how strong the physical reactions to these pieces can be, considering the history behind each of the chosen locations.
After years of trying to represent the sound of these objects in as “raw” forms as possible, Santiago has recently started to explore the creation of sound art using more audio processing effects. He showed us his pedalboard, built with the intent to explore and play around with sound is a way that is more complex but also more fun. Embracing the possibility of a ridiculous result and continuing playing, exploring and creating.
You can see more of Santiago’s work in his Youtube channel, linked here.
PARLANTE continues until the 26th of June, with artists from all over the world. If you’re interested in sound art, music, or art in general I’d recommend seeing the complete programming here, and joining any that seem interesting to you. Note: the conferences are held in Spanish.
