My new sound art piece is almost ready. The exhibition opening is next week and I’ll have to work my ass off in the next days, but there should still be enough time to finish the sculpture… I’ll share pictures and more information about the project soon!
When I say I’m working on a sound sculpture, some people will immediately think about cupolas (handpans). Some people call these instruments “sound sculptures”. This echoes Panart’s view about the Hang, that it is not an instrument. Even though I don’t know what Panart think about this these days, some people still think handpans are not instruments, but something “more”, as if “sound sculpture” would mean something finer than a masterfully crafted instrument…
A sculpture is something you look at. A sound sculpture is something you listen to. And an instrument is something you make music with. For me it seems obvious to which category a cupola/handpan/Hang falls.
Leonardo da Vinci thought that visual arts is superior art form compared to music, because of the ephemeral nature of sound. This cultural dominance of sight over hearing is today probably even stronger than during the renaissance. Our newsfeeds are cluttered with images (of cats, mostly) and sound is considered an alternative media, despite its huge potential… I believe this is because the sight is conquered more easily than hearing. We can point our eyes wherever we want, but listening needs practice.
My opinion is that Leonardo was wrong. Music is more permanent than any other art form. It is encoded in our DNA, even deeper than language.
Now, back to work…
