FORUM: SUSTAINABILITY OF SOUND ARTS IN AUSTRALIA
A good forum requires a worthwhile topic and a suitable mix of minds. Obvious enough, though more often than not discussion at forums can feel teased and exhausted, with what sometimes appears to be an over-problematisation of issues for the mere sake of (trying to start) a debate. The sustainability of 'sound art' is certainly a notable topic; the economies of sound art and the 'sustainable' arts sector (or as proposed in the forum, if there indeed is one), seem at times irreconcilable. Both the panel members and audience of LA10's first forum were experienced and opinionated enough to make this an informative and lively discussion.
Consisting of Julian Knowles (forum chair; QLD University of Technology), Paul Mason (Australa Council for the Arts, Sarah Last (Australian Network for Art & Technology), Somaya Langley (Electrofringe), Nat Bates (Liquid Architecture) and Gail Priest (RealTime), the panel articulated the difficulties of audience development in sound art, the need for financial sustainability in artists' research and development (R&D), and the tenuous relationship between the R&D element of many sound art performances and the issues of broader audience access and expansion. As Gail Priest noted, there is a select audience to which a R&D element in live performance appeals particularly. The autonomous nature of exploratory music's current audience was raised, with the DIY ethos of sound art events being a strong element in this. Nat Bates expressed the fact that it was this DIY nature that saw the birth of Liquid Architecture, also bringing to attention his observation and hope that Liquid Architecture's audience has developed in such a way that they attend for the expectation of a Liquid Architecture festival, not simply for whoever may be playing. Within this there may be an expectation of risk and the openness to an experimentation that they may not particularly like, but still the recognition of Liquid Architecture as a stable forum for exploration that is in itself worth attending.
In my opinion the issue of a sustainable 'sound art' sector in Australia will not be solved with a single solution, but rather the continued development of the current plurality of models. DIY modes will continue to exist, as well as projects with perhaps less autonomy, yet broader audiences and financial sustainability provided by Government or even corporate support. The difficulty of 'sustainable risk' remains present (in artists requiring financial support for R&D, rather than simply continuing a practice that is 'safe' and suitable for access and audience development). As education and innovation remains a priority in Government and funding bodies' policies (for good reason), perhaps a stable middle ground in the form of a 'laboratory' type organisation, or initiative for sustaining risk and experimentation in sound art almost exclusively, is not too hard to imagine.
MEMORY FLOWS PERFORMANCE: THE FIELD
An extension of the Memory Flows project, The Field presented Shannon O'Neill on laptop sound improvisation, with Chris Caines and Jessica Tyrrell performing video manipulations and light reflection. A broad sonic palette was investigated, with much of the performance having a largely digital materiality. Concrete sounds of rivers and water flows were processed into a sonic state well detached from their natural recorded sources. These sounds evolved over time, seeming to inform a reading of the visual projections; from more melodic electronica passages, to choppy, sharp, granular synth sounds, and back again to environmental recordings being digitally processed. The fragmentary nature of the sonic performance was complemented with visual projections of movement and filmed landscapes, yet all having undergone some form of digital manipulation to again give a sense of detachment from their natural familiarity. Tyrrell responded live to the sound and projections by reflecting light from the video with an array of synthetic surfaces. This dissection of the videos' 'normal' form coupled with the abstract sounds of O'Neill presented a metaphor for the fragmentary nature of memory.
Images above and below: Chris Caines, Shannon O'Neill, Jessica Tyrrell, Memory Flows Performance: The Field, 25 June 2009, Bon Marche Studio, UTS. Photography: Toby Grime
