Her Noise Archive, Symbol of Democracy or Communist Uprising?, is a short video work created in response to the Her Noise Archive; an archive of women working at the intersection of sound, art, noise and politics.
It considers the distinction between what constitutes political criticism and rebellion within sound arts practice. It is a sardonic observation of the ambivalent political voice of the Her Noise Archive which serves equally as a democratic symbol of equality and, simultaneously, as an uprising against the false utopia of democracy. By presenting both truths side-by-side the stark similarities between these two viewpoints are made apparent and its political fragility laid bare. An archive may be created democratically but it can easily become bound to an authoritarian existence by those who control its access, changing its political locale overnight.
Symbol of Democracy or Communist Uprising? extends beyond critique and passes question upon political party structures and the fine line between one party’s politics and another. Applying the same structure and techniques of manipulating rhythm, pitch and repetition I explore the possibilities of speech as a political tool within the arts.
Dual Video
All rights reserved, Alison Ballard
[Bio c. 2012] Alison is an Associate Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University where she completed a BA (Hons) Degree in Fine Art in 2004. Alison Ballard’s current practice is concerned with the politics of sound and place which she explores by using the materiality of sound as a political tool. She is currently studying for an MA in Sound Arts at the London College of Communication, University of the Arts London. She is also the creator of Audio Pigeon, a sound arts website that aims to raise the profile and enjoyment of all things sonic.
Audible observatories are points of sensory convergence. They are nodes where worlds perceived through the senses intersect and begin the labour of transforming independent events into knowable and meaningful claims. They speak and they are spoken to. Audible Observatories brings together works that draw attention to both the situation and the agency of the observer. The curators for Audible Observatories make a playful connection between research-based art and place-bound exhibition in order to animate a curatorial vision that foregrounds audio-centric art works within a broader rubric of site-specificity. We conceptualize the audible observatory as either a mobile or a stationary...