Babble

Performative exploration

Date: Monday, April 27, 2015, 7:00 pm
Venue: BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art

An evening of performative exploration into the interconnected worlds of sound and the written word inspired by artist Tony Swain’s disruptive use of text in his BALTIC show. Using a mix of digital technology, improvisation and play, publishing house, UnStapled Press, The Occasion Festival and musician and artist, Shaun Blezard will explore the transition of text into sound and how to translate it back again.

Free teacher CPD focusing on sound and text in art is connected to this event and will run 16:30-18:30. For further information please contact Vicky Sturrs at Turn on Javascript!

Workshops:

Sound to Words - Taking cues from the sound poetry of Kurt Schwitters, the cut ups of Brion Gysin, feral choirs and the art of field recording we will create a semi improvised new work for Babble. Participants will explore the Baltic uncovering environmental sound that will inform a new group text piece. There will be large rolls of paper and pens around the room for participants to scribble text collaboratively. We will explore the rhythms and textures of the space around us to inform the creation of text resulting in a BALTIC babble ballad. Shaun is also able to use contact mics to draw attention to particular sounds within the room. The text can vary from a written description of sound, to an attempt to actually convey the noise in a strange amalgamation of letters and words. Once text has been created, as a group we will walk around to select particular excerpts to form a more concise poem influenced by the sound of the space.

Words to Sounds - Using digital technology participants will create a new audio-visual work that explores the process of the transition of text to sound - taking cues from dance culture, VJ loops and remix technology. This workshop will utilise the text created just moments before that was inspired by the sound of the space, and here we see it changed back to sound. The text can be spoken into one of three microphones placed around the room to create text loops. Participants will then be able to manipulate the sound and abstract the text using smart technology, wii remotes etc to play and change clips. A group work will be performed, remixing text loops and adding immediately responsive live parts to create a unique audio visual poem.