How ’sound art’ differ from ’music’, and where is the thin borderline between them? The definition of sound art has been constantly questioned ever since sound art has entered the realm of contemporary art; but, there is no agreed definition on this matter. Actually, sound art has explored its own definition, implicitly denying classifications and is expanding its domain to the genre of contemporary art, music and literature.
Wikipedia defines Sound art as: "Sound art is a loosely associated group of art practices that concern sound and listening as their focus." The former is a sound-making work for the purpose of playing, and the latter is a plain sound-listening. According to this definition, the sound workshop of Insa Art Space is focused to ‘listening’ as the title the art of listening implies. In other words, this workshop aims to perceive the surrounding world and communicate with it through auditory senses.
Insa Art Space will further expand its activities to sound, performances and text works by carrying out case studies on creative collaborations of visual art with other art genres. This workshop will explore current visual-oriented culture by investigating sound.
We are surrounded by all sorts of sound that constantly bursts into our auditory system. Many times a day, fruit and vegetable vendors wander around residential areas shouting their sale items. During election time, candidates’ promotion vehicles take turns with the fruit/vegetable vendors. When you want to take a nap on a lazy afternoon, the maintenance office kindly announces things of no importance. Our ears are constantly harassed by all sorts of sound as long as you live in a metropolitan city.
Actually, this sound portrays and conveys the culture and the landscape of the world that we are now living in. However, we block all these sound with electric devices such as portable MP3 players. The mobile phones and CDMA detach our auditory system from surrounding environment. The advanced technology and cutting edge communication devices accelerated development in the sound-media, but at the same time, blocked our ears from the soundscape.
In the workshop, the art of listening, we will introduce sound that is available in our everyday lives but has not been truly recognized. At the same time, we propose you hear very subtle sound that comes from your body, buildings and the earth. We want you to find the cultural, political and social significances from such sound with your keen ears.
Workshops
A Little Bit
Kwon Byungjun
November 5 - 17. 2007
Performance: 5p.m. November 17. 2007
Sound, Architecture, and Environment
Mark Bain
November 12 - 17. 2007
Artist Talk: 4p.m. November 10. 2007
Hearing Perspective: Think with Your Ears
O+A (Bruce Odland & Sam Auinger)
December 10 - 15. 2007
Artist Talk: 2p.m. December 15. 2007
* The art of Listening welcome any participants with various backgrounds. If you want to join us, please send e-mail to www.ias@arko.or.kr with the application form. (* A Little Bit is not open to the public, but performance is available.)
Download the application form
