The Sound Forest

Vicky Browne

Opening 04.05.16 6-8pm
Artist Talks 26.05.16 6-7pm

The Sound Forest
‘In your work, materials have always played a central role in artworks that make sound, make us think about sound and/or point to sound culture and technology’.
Caleb Kelly Sturgeon Magazine Issue 2, 2014

The relationship between sound, materials and meaning is central to my work. Part of how we understand materials, objects and our world is through sound. We know the dull thud of wood before we drum our fingers on the table. For the last 10 years my practice has been speculating on how sound is embedded into materials. Materials have an audio presence regardless of their sonic output. In my work I play with this language to reveal, surprise and engage the viewer/listener to think about the way they know, name and engage with sound and materials. There are several ways I do this: Firstly, I relocate sound into unexpected places. Forcing wood to sound like a car crash or ceramics to chime like metal through the making process. Secondly, I often make interactive or kinetic work. Engagement with the work becomes physical, a direct engagement with themes ensues via the physical experience. Thirdly, I play with historical and cultural references, often employing outmoded domestic technologies such as the turntable. Employment of these objects reminds the viewer/listener of the mechanics of sound, of their voice, of the act of vibration which is ever present. All the characteristics outline above will be present in the The Sound Forest installation.