Klang (sonic) composition

Artist statement in Klang (sonic) composition

Erika Matsunami

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For dealing with Klang/Sonic as the material of spatial installation was very interesting for me, particularly, it was to me a new artistic approach in the topic of time, space and body. However, it was very difficult to deal with Klang/Sonic. It is a new art study field in history and in art history the same as virology in science, which started at the beginning of the 20th century. Most of the research in this discipline of fine arts is explored in the context of Western musicology through the special composers. Most of them explored their artwork in the context of New Music/Neue Musik. They pushed the limits of music scoring by exploring new realities of sound. At the same time, the development and advancement of technology has changed our lifestyle, as well as our communication, that is the same with the photography, namely today's image science with digital. These art mediums give us a new dimension of epistemology. What is our perception and what is cognition? Research into epistemology is progressing together with cognitive science. It is an evolutionary study for my discipline of sculpture in the liberal arts/fine arts, especially in spatial aesthetic and transversal aesthetics practically and theoretically. The academic areas include not only musicology, but also sound studies, linguistics, computer science and systems engineering. In terms of artistic fields, it is a wide range of areas such as visual arts, film, performing arts and media arts. As with post-Renaissance photographic and optic research, I believe that this academic field is not only an art, but rather a field that has evolved human society. It was the same development as Einstein's research on the speed of light in physics.

Historical composers were Architect Iannis Xenakis, Composer Alvin Lucier (in performing arts), and many others in the world, in terms of art historically From DADA to Surrealism and Italian Futurism before the second world war. I studied sonic art / Klang Kunst under Prof. Dr Martin Supper as a guest student in musicology at the Berlin University of Arts.

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The current project is a.o.i. - lasting memories (The artistic research a.o.i. - lasting memories), which are focused on the topic of life from the aspect of molecular biology in the 21st century. This project is for an improvisational performance with Chris Dahlgren (contrabass) in the installation, which project I explored after the Corona pandemic in early 2021. Therewith, I explore ethics and aesthetics with Chris Dahlgren (contrabass) from both aspects of music and visual arts at a practical level interdisciplinary (improvisation). Musicology is progressing from representation of the ethics and aesthetics by the traditional music scores to exploring 'embodiment' towards ethics and aesthetics "on-site" from the perspective of cognitive science in the 21st century. Therefore, an artistic method is an improvisation. According to the art representational theory by Richard Wollheim: he explored in his essay "Art and its objects"–an introduction to Aesthetics in 1968.

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What is 'sonic'?

denoting, relating to, or of the nature of sound or sound waves. e.g."the whales emit sonic pulse systems"

"sonic" is an adjective in English that has been used since the early 20th century.