2020

Audio, Stereo channel

10 min. 16 sec.

Description

Everyone has an idea of what the sound of a running river sounds like. It is a common knowledge that we share, although the sound we bring forth in our head might vary from one person to another. But the difference between standing beside a river and listening to the recording of one is very different, although our senses don’t realize it.

The philosophy of reproducing sound of what could be considered ‘natural’ or ‘pure’ is what interested me in doing this piece. A great example is how we consume audio material that is presented as a perfect reproduction of nature in wildlife documentaries. These soundscapes are indeed perfect – so well produced that one could argue that they represent an artificial audition of the ‘real world’.

In this work, I want to amplify the disregarded sounds, and experiment with how we perceive undesirable auditory information. I have taken a recording from the Kuta River in Japan Hiroko sent me and by using modern audio repair software, only left the sounds deemed unusable – the other sounds – to be heard.

You can listen to the work here below:

• Þorsteinn