GUSTAVO MATAMOROS: DISTANT BATS (for Skip Snow)
BEGINS WED.NOV.13
RECEPTION: TUE.NOV.26.7PM
hosted by AIRIE, IRREVERSIBLE Magazine and ARTCENTER/SOUTH FLORIDA
in collaboration with SUBTROPICS.ORG
AN EXCERPT:
THE INSTALLATION:
The sound bats make, their echolocation calls, occur naturally at frequencies beyond our hearing range. This means we may see them fly but may not hear them cry. This installation version of “Distant Bats” (one of many to come) is designed to broadcast these bat calls at frequencies we are able to hear. This is achieved by transposing them several octaves down into our hearing range. In Distant Bats, we may now hear their call but we may certainly not see the bats.
A simpler version of the sounds of the 4-channel Listening Gallery installation in CD format is included as a limited edition run in the winter 2013 issue of Irreversible Magazine.
These sounds were recorded during a month-long AIRIE residency in the Everglades National Park. The piece is dedicated to scientist Skip Snow how educated me about the different species of bats in the park and when and where they could be found. It is a very unusual thing to try to record sounds that can’t be heard. The soundscape recording that captures the bats calls was made at Long Pine Key on September 12, 2013 between the hours of 6 and 9 p.m.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
In a recent article to appear in the next issue of Irreversible Magazine, David Dunn wrote: “There are several issues that characterize Gustavo’s explorations with sound. Taking inspiration from John Cage’s admonition to make art that “imitates nature in its manner of operation,” he is especially interested in how active sound making can articulate the physical and historical context of space, whether man-made or natural. He is always concerned to make projects that heighten our understanding of the unique window that an aural perception of the world provides. In his view, noise is merely sound that has yet to be made fully apprehensible. All sounds are audible evidence of phenomenal reality, and every sound communicates both the unique gestalt of its generative source and contextual environment. The “art” resides in the strategic design that can reveal these properties. Ultimately such revelations can deepen not only our sense of connection to the world but also our aesthetic awe at its beauty.” A link to the full article will be updated as soon as it becomes available. (click to read full article)
COLLABORATORS:
WITH SUPPORT FROM:
With funding from City of Miami Beach’s Cultural Affairs Program and Cultural Arts Council, and with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners. Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture