SOUND INSTALLATION FOR »KAMI« EXHIBITION
I have been working as a sound designer for the medium of film for a few years now. Among other things, I worked together with Sebastian Linda on “Life is a Dance”, which has reached numerous people digitally and analog.
I also got to know Sven Sauer through him. He started out as a matte painter. He draws entire landscapes, cities and castles digitally. He has worked on many “Game Of Thrones” seasons, Lars von Trier films and “Hugo Carpet”, for which he won the Oscar for best visual effects.
Today Sven makes art shows. He designs immersive exhibitions in which the viewer engages intensively with the art. At “360 Minutes Art”, art was exhibited for a limited period of just six hours and all works that were not sold during this time were thrown into the fire and destroyed.
Background
At »The Dark Rooms Exhibition Berlin« in 2017, 11 artists created an exhibition in complete darkness. The focus was on the art and the viewers engaged with it more intensively than with the classic »white cube« principle. Together with Sven and his artist colleague Igor Posavec, we created an audiovisual installation. We made use of several sensory levels to create a sense of space into which the viewer is drawn.
At the »KAMI« exhibition on May 25 and 26, 2017 in Berlin, a new exhibition was created that deals with the topic of the emergence of media gods, using the example of the »Umbrella Revolution«. More information can be found at kami-exhibition.com and plusone-art.com
On display were life-size, divine-looking works and an installation consisting of 400 umbrellas.
In »KAMI« I dealt acoustically with the themes of demonstrations, irritant gas and barricades. I came up with a sound installation especially for this, and today I am giving an insight into its creation.
One of the basic images for the »KAMI« installation | picture: Studio Incendo [CC BY 2.0]
Idea
In 2014, the protests in Hong Kong became known worldwide under the title “Umbrella Revolution”. The demonstrators used their umbrellas to protect themselves from the pepper spray used by the police. This seemed like a pragmatic idea - but the demonstrators rejected the term “revolution”. The title “Umbrella Revolution” only came about through the media, which created a revolutionary icon by spreading the same images over and over again.
Sven approached me and told me about the work of the series. I was immediately taken with the subject matter and the first sketches. It was obvious to me that an acoustic treatment would make the experience more intense and realistic.
The idea was to make the irritant gas and the feeling of being surrounded by it tangible. The viewer should be transported to the barricades and have the feeling of being exposed to the gray mass of gas and thus to helplessness and oppression.
The sound provides a contrast to the colorful umbrellas that form the spatial installation.
After you have “fought” your way through the barricades, the kamis appear in their full, god-like splendor. They have a redeeming effect and stand out from the gray mass of irritating gas.
I also wanted to paint this divine media representation of the demonstrators acoustically. To this end, a soundscape was created that enchants and somehow also gives hope.
At the same time, I wanted to create an acoustic experience of what it would be like to wear a gas mask and only hear your own breath. While researching the “Umbrella Revolution”, I found numerous pictures of gas masks on the net. Inspired by these, the idea was born to transform human breathing into a gray-sounding surface that represents the irritant gas.
Influenced by the film industry, it was exciting for me to incorporate real footage from the demonstrations into the installation. These sometimes resonate through the threatening gray surface. I searched a lot on YouTube and other portals for video recordings of the events in Hong Kong and used the original sound from the recordings.
The result is space-filling and menacing. A deep pad that is exhausting, massive and organic at the same time.
Umsetzung TearGas
Nun möchte ich noch ein paar Einblicke in die Produktion meiner zwei Arbeiten geben. Gearbeitet habe mit Ableton Live. Ich nutzte die Software sehr intensiv um Musik zu komponieren, aber auch für Tongestaltung. Vor allem der Sampler war für mich ein sehr essentielles Werkzeug, wenn es darum ging, Originalaufnahmen zu bearbeitet und zu verwerfenden. Als Grundlage für meine Arbeit diente das menschliche Atmen. Danke an der Stelle an Lucas Görlach, der immer dabei ist, wenn es um solche Sound-Experimente geht.
[:en]Realization TearGas
Now I would like to give you a few insights into the production of my two works. I worked with Ableton Live. I used the software very intensively to compose music, but also for sound design. The sampler, in particular, was a very essential tool for me when it came to editing and discarding original recordings. Human breathing served as the basis for my work. Thanks at this point to Lucas Görlach, who is always there when it comes to such sound experiments.
[:]The sampler was then used to form a long surface from the short breaths. Long fade-in and fade-out phases create a bed for further work. To give the whole thing something organic, I used some delay and distortion to create movement.
To pick up on the original sounds, I used various recordings of the “Umbrella Revolution” demonstration. These are also somewhat filtered and alienated in order to place them in the background.
To access the original sounds, I use various recordings of the “Umbrella Revolution” demonstration. These are also slightly filtered and alienated to put them in the background.
Last but not least, I added some bass and atmosphere with synthesizers. Omnisphere is one of my favorite sound generators for this.
Realization of KAMI
In order to realize my idea of the heroic-looking “KAMI” figure, the sound carpet of breathing served as the basis. My idea was to use this and find a character for the “KAMIs” there. After a while, I came up with the idea of harmonizing this carpet. GuitarRig from Native Instruments served as a tool here. Combined with a few effects from Sound Toys, the result was an almost heavenly sound. Trembling, liberating and at the same time veiled by the smoke of the irritant gas. The “KAMI” protrude from the smoke and appear shiny, visually and acoustically.
Final thoughts
I hope I have been able to give you an insight into my work. Especially with artistic projects like this, there are no limits to the concept and implementation. It is therefore important to find a direction for yourself and follow it. Of course, this must also be consistent with the overall picture. Visuality and acoustics together find a language that conveys the artistic intention.
Article has already been published by Delamar in May 2017.
Picture credits
Picture 01: »KAMI«-Group, Foto by Sven Sauer
Picture 02: Tear Gas Umbrella Revolution, Foto by Studio Incendo Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/studiokanu/15468365175/in/album-72157648122356068/
Picture 03: Gas Mask, Foto by Studio Incendo Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/studiokanu/15456600105/in/photostream/
Picture 06: »KAMI«-Single, Foto by Sven Sauer
Picture 07: »KAMI«-Layer, Foto by Sven Sauer
SOUND INSTALLATION FOR »KAMI« EXHIBITION
I have been working as a sound designer for the medium of film for a few years now. Among other things, I worked together with Sebastian Linda on “Life is a Dance”, which has reached numerous people digitally and analog.
I also got to know Sven Sauer through him. He started out as a matte painter. He draws entire landscapes, cities and castles digitally. He has worked on many “Game Of Thrones” seasons, Lars von Trier films and “Hugo Carpet”, for which he won the Oscar for best visual effects.
Today Sven makes art shows. He designs immersive exhibitions in which the viewer engages intensively with the art. At “360 Minutes Art”, art was exhibited for a limited period of just six hours and all works that were not sold during this time were thrown into the fire and destroyed.
Background
At »The Dark Rooms Exhibition Berlin« in 2017, 11 artists created an exhibition in complete darkness. The focus was on the art and the viewers engaged with it more intensively than with the classic »white cube« principle. Together with Sven and his artist colleague Igor Posavec, we created an audiovisual installation. We made use of several sensory levels to create a sense of space into which the viewer is drawn.
At the »KAMI« exhibition on May 25 and 26, 2017 in Berlin, a new exhibition was created that deals with the topic of the emergence of media gods, using the example of the »Umbrella Revolution«. More information can be found at kami-exhibition.com and plusone-art.com
On display were life-size, divine-looking works and an installation consisting of 400 umbrellas.
In »KAMI« I dealt acoustically with the themes of demonstrations, irritant gas and barricades. I came up with a sound installation especially for this, and today I am giving an insight into its creation.
One of the basic images for the »KAMI« installation | picture: Studio Incendo [CC BY 2.0]
Idea
In 2014, the protests in Hong Kong became known worldwide under the title “Umbrella Revolution”. The demonstrators used their umbrellas to protect themselves from the pepper spray used by the police. This seemed like a pragmatic idea - but the demonstrators rejected the term “revolution”. The title “Umbrella Revolution” only came about through the media, which created a revolutionary icon by spreading the same images over and over again.
Sven approached me and told me about the work of the series. I was immediately taken with the subject matter and the first sketches. It was obvious to me that an acoustic treatment would make the experience more intense and realistic.
The idea was to make the irritant gas and the feeling of being surrounded by it tangible. The viewer should be transported to the barricades and have the feeling of being exposed to the gray mass of gas and thus to helplessness and oppression.
The sound provides a contrast to the colorful umbrellas that form the spatial installation.
After you have “fought” your way through the barricades, the kamis appear in their full, god-like splendor. They have a redeeming effect and stand out from the gray mass of irritating gas.
I also wanted to paint this divine media representation of the demonstrators acoustically. To this end, a soundscape was created that enchants and somehow also gives hope.
Umsetzung TearGas
Nun möchte ich noch ein paar Einblicke in die Produktion meiner zwei Arbeiten geben. Gearbeitet habe mit Ableton Live. Ich nutzte die Software sehr intensiv um Musik zu komponieren, aber auch für Tongestaltung. Vor allem der Sampler war für mich ein sehr essentielles Werkzeug, wenn es darum ging, Originalaufnahmen zu bearbeitet und zu verwerfenden. Als Grundlage für meine Arbeit diente das menschliche Atmen. Danke an der Stelle an Lucas Görlach, der immer dabei ist, wenn es um solche Sound-Experimente geht.
[:en]Realization TearGas
Now I would like to give you a few insights into the production of my two works. I worked with Ableton Live. I used the software very intensively to compose music, but also for sound design. The sampler, in particular, was a very essential tool for me when it came to editing and discarding original recordings. Human breathing served as the basis for my work. Thanks at this point to Lucas Görlach, who is always there when it comes to such sound experiments.
[:]The sampler was then used to form a long surface from the short breaths. Long fade-in and fade-out phases create a bed for further work. To give the whole thing something organic, I used some delay and distortion to create movement.
To pick up on the original sounds, I used various recordings of the “Umbrella Revolution” demonstration. These are also somewhat filtered and alienated in order to place them in the background.
To access the original sounds, I use various recordings of the “Umbrella Revolution” demonstration. These are also slightly filtered and alienated to put them in the background.
Last but not least, I added some bass and atmosphere with synthesizers. Omnisphere is one of my favorite sound generators for this.
Realization of KAMI
In order to realize my idea of the heroic-looking “KAMI” figure, the sound carpet of breathing served as the basis. My idea was to use this and find a character for the “KAMIs” there. After a while, I came up with the idea of harmonizing this carpet. GuitarRig from Native Instruments served as a tool here. Combined with a few effects from Sound Toys, the result was an almost heavenly sound. Trembling, liberating and at the same time veiled by the smoke of the irritant gas. The “KAMI” protrude from the smoke and appear shiny, visually and acoustically.
Final thoughts
I hope I have been able to give you an insight into my work. Especially with artistic projects like this, there are no limits to the concept and implementation. It is therefore important to find a direction for yourself and follow it. Of course, this must also be consistent with the overall picture. Visuality and acoustics together find a language that conveys the artistic intention.
Article has already been published by Delamar in May 2017.
Picture credits
Picture 01: »KAMI«-Group, Foto by Sven Sauer
Picture 02: Tear Gas Umbrella Revolution, Foto by Studio Incendo Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/studiokanu/15468365175/in/album-72157648122356068/
Picture 03: Gas Mask, Foto by Studio Incendo Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/studiokanu/15456600105/in/photostream/
Picture 06: »KAMI«-Single, Foto by Sven Sauer
Picture 07: »KAMI«-Layer, Foto by Sven Sauer