Sounds of the Sculpture Park
How sound artist Jason Singh created a unique soundscape of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park
This summer Yorkshire Sculpture Park presents IOU’s Sound Wave Collider as part of their Curiosity and Wonder programme.
The work features five large structures that create a collision of interconnecting sounds for visitors as they move through the multi-sensory, immersive installation.
This unique listening experience is created from recordings taken across the Park by sound artist Jason Singh, capturing the hidden sounds of sculptures, plants, underwater organisms and wildlife of the surrounding landscape, creating a resonating sound world, wholly unique to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
IOU commissioned Jason to apply his ongoing work, of presenting new ways of listening to the natural environment, architecture and the living organisms that inhabit our earth, to the Sound Wave Collider installation.
Jason’s work also explores class, racial equality, migration, ecological apartheid and identity. Recent commissions include Sir David Attenborough, BBC, V&A Museum, Kew Gardens, to name a few. His work is a continual examination of the human condition explored through inward investigation, nature, science, art, eastern philosophy and technology.
Initially Jason spent time with the Sound Wave Collider in the IOU Studio, getting a feel for the structure and how sound moves through and around
“This exploration is rooted in my ongoing work of presenting new ways of listening to natural environments, the body, space, architecture and the multitude of living organisms that inhabit our earth both inaudible and audible. Melodic and rhythmic soundscapes are created by a process of recording real-time electrical fluctuations from plants, trees and soil which will then be converted into music. Alongside this I use various microphone technologies to create field recordings from water, wildlife, underground and resonating structures such as buildings and artworks in the grounds of YSP.”
The over 5 days in February this year, using an array of specialist recording equipment, Jason collected sounds from across the park; from trees, shrubs, fungi, and deep in the lake, to the sound resonance of its buildings and famous sculptures to create an evocative sound piece.
‘Some of my favourite moments during the 5 day residency at YSP included sitting for nearly 2 hours in pitch darkness waiting to hear Tawny owls, recording sounds and conversations resonating through Sean Scully’s “Crate of Air” sculpture which generated a lot of curiosity from visitors! I had so many insightful moments of connecting and listening at YSP from stories and life experiences of visitors and staff to strange, abstract and subtle sound worlds completely new to my ears’
The concept for Sound Wave Collider was first realised after IOU Artistic Director David Wheeler’s residency in Antarctica as part of the British Antarctic Survey and Arts Council England, Artists and Writers Scheme. Read more about David’s experience From The Ends of the Earth
The installation was originally commissioned by Junction Goole in 2012 with soundscape by contemporary music composer Yannis Kyriakadis. It was based on the sound of high velocity vortex rings and was part of a series of works made by David on natural phenomena following his time in Antarctica. This collaboration produced Speaking Tubes and Vortex – a live musical piece for eight musicians played through the installation.
Now called Sound Wave Collider, the potential of installation has been re-imagined by Jason to produce a sound world that is specific to the new location
Credits:
Sound Wave Collider Soundscapes: conceptualised, recorded, composed and arranged by Jason Singh
Mixed and re-arranged by Dan Steele