A SOUND THAT NEVER WAS
JAKE MOORE
STEVE BATES
A SOUND THAT NEVER WAS is a generative digital instrument. Its code, modulated by weather and seismic data, acts as a score: it draws on a library of sounds created by 14 artists and arranges them according to the conditions of the site at the moment of listening. Each combination is unique and will never occur in exactly the same way again.
The project began with Vivian Darroch-Lozowski’s book Voice of Hearing, first published in 1984 and reissued by Squint Press. The Dim Coast invited sound artists and musicians to read the book and respond with sound. Each contribution deliberately leaves room for others: the sounds overlap, sometimes in consonance, sometimes in dissonance.
The data comes from a weather station and a seismic sensor installed on site. Played through a speaker array designed for the space, the work takes a form specific to each venue.
A project by The Dim Coast (Steve Bates & jake moore)
jake moore is an intermedia artist whose primary medium is space. She works at the intersection of material, gesture, text and vocality to make exhibitions, events and other public interventions. Originally from Winnipeg, she was the singer of the punk band The Ruggedy Annes, and sound has informed her practice ever since. She has held positions at MAWA (Winnipeg), Studio XX (Montréal) and the FOFA Gallery at Concordia University. She is currently Director of University Art Galleries and Collections at the University of Saskatchewan.
Steve Bates is an artist and musician. His work listens to thresholds, boundaries and borders, points of contact and conflict, with a particular interest in feedback as it occurs in sound, video and other systems. His projects often follow a research-heavy path that results in suites of work around a theme, and he frequently works in situ. His work has been performed and exhibited in Canada, the United States, Europe, Chile and Senegal, in the field, on the air, and in gallery and performance contexts.
Sound library artists:
Félicia Atkinson, Matthew Cardinal, Raven Chacon, crys cole, Isabella Forciniti, David Grubbs, Timothy Herzog, Sasha J. Langford, Mani Mazinani, Christof Migone, Marc A. Reinhardt, Anju Singh, Aho Ssan, Mark Templeton
Instrument design: Alexandre Burton (artificiel)
Support: Canada Council for the Arts, Saskatchewan Arts Board and University of Saskatchewan
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