Murmurs: A Conference on Sound and Art

• 1:00 PM to 1:15 PM
  Introduction by SculptureCenter Program Director Anthony Huberman
• 1:15 PM to 2:30 PM
  Panel 1: “Sound: New Technologies”
• 2:45 PM to 4:00 PM
  Panel 2: “Sound: An Artist Roundtable”
• 4:15 PM to 5:30 PM
  Panel 3: “Sound: Leaking Between Disciplines”

On the occasion of Rock’s Role (After Ryoanji) and Treble at SculptureCenter, both exhibitions that recognize sound as an integral part of contemporary art practice, and in conjunction with Diapason Gallery, New York’s only sound-art gallery, this conference asks artists, curators, and critics to consider sound as a material, as an experience, and as a concept, within the context of multi-disciplinary contemporary art. Taking these exhibitions as its starting point, the conference aims to provide a platform and an open forum for the music and art communities to share histories and languages, and to develop a discourse that places sound art in dialogue with broader concerns in contemporary artistic experimentation. The program includes:

This panel, moderated by sound artist James Fei, explores interactivity, spatialization, generative processes, web-based technologies, and the many implications they have in the practices of artists and institutions, as well as practical issues including engineering, manufacturing and production costs. Participants will discuss how new technologies form an important component of the evolving language of artists working with sound and how technological innovations in exhibition design allow sound works to interact, bleed into each other, and intersect in new ways. Panelists include: sound artists/programmers Luke Dubois and Paul Geluso, Director of EMPAC at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; ex-ZKM Music Director Johannes Goebel; and Harvestworks Director Carol Parkinson.

This discussion, moderated by Wesleyan Professor and Rock’s Role curator Ron Kuivila, includes artists participating in exhibitions at Art in General and Diapason Gallery, and reveals the many methods that artists employ to create and disseminate their works. Various approaches to form and content, including field recordings, computer generated algorithmic works, or conceptual pieces will be examined. Issues of presentation and distribution will also be discussed. The roundtable includes Rock’s Role artist and Bard College professor Brenda Hutchinson; Diapason founder and Rock’s Role artist Michael J. Schumacher; and Diapason exhibiting artist Amnon Wolman.

Moderated by Artforum contributing writer and Hampshire College philosophy professor Christoph Cox, this panel features curators and critics who propose solutions for sound to exist beyond media as they discuss how sound can “leak” across disciplines, practices, and histories. A point of discussion will include SculptureCenter’s exhibition Treble, which presents sound as a conceptual choice and an aesthetic experience for artists rather than a medium-specific category that is independent from visual art. This roundtable includes Treble curator Regine Basha, Whitney Museum Curator of Contemporary Art; 2004 Biennial co-curator Debra Singer; and Treble exhibiting artist Jude Tallichet.

6-7pm Reception