Issues in visual culture: Reading The VJ

Friday 28^th

The topic of discussion is audio- visual Art. What is audio- visual art? We discovered that audio- visual art which is also known, as sound art was the connection between abstract art with sound and film. In order to understand sound art we discussed the sound artist Jem finer and his piece called “score a hole in the ground”. It was a huge pipe dug rite down to an old well and the top was shaped like a gramophone. It would play the sounds from the well. It was an interesting piece of art the main part being that it was visual pleasing and also pleasing to the ear. We then discussed the piece of sound art that Jem finer did in collaboration with are tutor Paul Moore about the sounds of the lough neagh in connection with Jupiter. The question came up is this art? I would have to say that I wasn’t sure until I researched the subject further where I discover what I can only describe a fantastic pieces of art and very clever.

I came across a piece of sound art in Burnley when researching the subject of sound art it is called the singing ringing tree designed by Tonkin-Liu. It is a unique musical sculpture, which are pipes arranged in the shape of a tree. The pipes are supposed to hum when the wind blows. According to the visitburnley.com “folklore and mythology surrounding the ‘Singing-Ringing Tree’ involves handsome princes, beautiful princesses and wicked dwarfs and dates from the time when Europe was covered in primeaval forest. If you remember the BBC children’s television series of the late 1960’s that gripped children with its scary tales and fairy stories based around the legends of the ‘Singing-Ringing Tree’, you cannot fail to be intrigued by this amazing structure.” you can even listen to the tree of you tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rhuFGvXARA&feature=player_embedded#!

Another piece of sound art similar to the concept of the Burnley singing-ringing tree is the Blackpool high tide organ. It is a 15 metre high sculpture designed by the artists Liam Curtin and John Gooding. The sculpture is designed to sound like an organ, which is played by the sea at high tide. There are eight pipes, which are attached to the sea wall; these are connected under the walkway to 18 organ pipes within the sculpture. The high tide pushes air up the sea-wall pipes and causes the organ pipes to make sound. The best time to hear the High Tide Organ is 2-3 hours before or after high tide. The pitches of the pipes are based on the harmonica series in Bflat. You can listen to it on you tube.

thttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rhuFGvXARA&feature=player_embedded#!

So in relation to the question asked is this art? I would say definitely.