TO CREATE WITH SOUND
Sound for Image, Stage, and Space
I have worked artistically with sound in many different contexts. My background is as a musician (primarily in improvised music) and composer (primarily in electro-acoustic music). My creation with sound spans various forms of music, sound art, and sound design.
When sound and music are to be integrated into visual, spatial, or stage works in collaboration with other artists, it entails unique conditions. The artistic task of creating sound and music in such a collaboration brings various challenges. Regardless of whether it concerns image, space, or stage, the sounding element must relate to the visible.
How does the artistic project come about? The extremes range from:
- Adding sound, i.e., sound design, to a work that is otherwise complete/fixed;
- Or starting the process with another artist based on an idea or concept.
Between these extremes are varying degrees of co-creative work. For me, all these different conditions are interesting and rewarding.
Mutual respect and openness are essential in a collaboration. It is also crucial early on to clarify the expectations between me and the person(s) I will work with.
Combining the audible with the visible can involve different types of formal and practical challenges. Is the visual element fixed in time (film/video) or flexible (dance/live video)? What type of sonic expression is involved? Written or improvised music? Recorded music or sound (electro-acoustic music, sound design)? My experience is that previously unknown solutions are often part of the creative process.
A very important aspect for me in creating sound and music is intuitive work. Whether or not the visible is known to me, I wait for a resonance within me where sounds and tones arise spontaneously, which I then shape concretely.