By Percy Chen, Junior Project Manager Art-Science
On June 2, 2020, we hosted our 2nd Art x Science Dialogues titled Sonic Arts x Neuroscience. Mr. Luca Forcucci - Chair of Laser Nomad and Independent composer, artist, and scholar - and Ms. Jo Ying Wei - Curator, researcher, and founder of Pan Bio-art Studio - went in-depth on their practices in Sonic Arts, Bio Art, as well as their collaborations with engineers and neuroscientists.
From top to bottom and left to right: Luca Forcucci, Cissy Yiwen Sun, Jo Ying Wei
We trust that everyone has acquired informative insights on the topic. Due to the time constraint, we could only present a limited number of questions. If you have further questions for our speakers regarding sonic arts and neuroscience, please email us at artscience@swissnexchina.org. We will try our best to forward them to the speakers.
The webinar recording is available to view and download here.
The webinar slides are available to download here.
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Here are some key event takeaways that we would like to share with you.
From Mr. Luca Forcucci’s speech (starts at 5:08 in the recording):
Luca Forcucci is interested in exploring the connections between visual mental imageries, sonic imagination, and sound perception.
Pauline Oliveros, an American composer and a central figure in the development of experimental and post-war electronic art, is one of the first references in the field. He introduced the term auralization for visualization – seeing a sound image.
Roland Barthes, a French literary theorist and philosopher, also makes a distinction for hearing and listening. “Hearing is a physiological phenomenon; listening is a psychological act.”
The first part of Luca’s research started in the Amazon Rain forest in 2008. He spent two weeks there to explore night and day ambient sounds of the forest. In October 2014, Luca presented DE RERUM NATURA to transmit his research and experience.
In 2009, Luca spent 9 months to research on Out of Body Experience through sound. Similar researches during that time focus primarily on visualization and Luca wants to see how sound fits into this model.
In 2012, with artists from Shanghai, China, Luca participated in the Sonic Arts Exhibition to discuss different forms of listening and how language influences our perceptions.
In 2015, Luca went to Djerassi Foundation & Leonardo/ISAST in Woodside, Silicon Valley CA, USA, to explore ideas about sound perception, consciousness, experience, and embodiment.
Same year, in San Francisco, Luca (Composition & Live Electronics) worked with two artists Cheryl Leonard (DIY Instruments) and Crystal Sepulveda (Dance). The idea was to use body as a source for music: Luca takes performance dancer’s physiological data, namely electromyography (EMG), as an inspiration for composition.
Same year in November, Luca traveled to South Africa for another immersive listening experience in nature. He mentioned the importance of having a biologist in the group to identify and explain different animals they encounter in the wild. The information helps him understand the habitats and listening mechanism of many things in nature.
In 2016, Luca created an installation at the Red Bull Station Residency. A table filled with water in a bustling area of a city. Focusing on the surface of the water, one can see the movements of the wave, representing all sound in the vicinity.
In 2017-2018, Luca went back to South Africa for an attempt to combine ancestral technologies and electroacoustic forms.
In October 2019, Luca finished his latest work “alerta !”, which is supposed to be presented at the now cancelled New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival.
From Ms. Jo Ying Wei’s speech (22:20):
Jo Wei is a curator and researcher at Central Academy of Fine Arts in China.
To give a quick introduction of her work, Jo went over one of her courses at CAFA: Bio Art: Art and Neuroscience. The course has four modules – basic knowledge of brain science; archeology of brain-machine & technical base of EEG; philosophical training & cognitive science; proposal discussion & course exhibition.
Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a scientific device that shows brain waves of individuals.
“Glimpse: a passing look” is an installation where each audience wear the EEG device and stare at paintings. The room light will change color depending on the mood and subsequently the brain state of the audience.
Zen Machine, a CAFA campus Exhibition in 2019 is another relevant project. Qi Chen, one of the artists, presented a brainwave project to help patients with disorders of consciousness using the EEG machine.
Another piece “Time” uses EEG to interact with a clock. The clock with adjust its interval based on audience’s brain activities.
There are a lot of topics in the intersection of human knowledge and brain science that artists can explore, for example dream, sensation, and consciousness. And there are many forms to present as well, such as interactive installation, generative art, performance, and sound arts.
Ethics is also important in bio art and art in general. Last year at The International Conference on Education, Art, Science and Technology, the “Editable Future” workshop talked about the legal controversies of the Genome Editing Technology.
From the Q&A session (40:40):
Q: What prompt you to purse the intersection of sonic arts/bio art and science?
Jo: I was trained both as a curator and scientist. I see bio-art as a field with a lot of potential in China. That is why there are currently a big number of related conferences and exhibitions. I feel lucky to be involved. Additionally, many reputable Chinese institutions such as Tsinghua University, show deep interest in the field. Overall, Chinese society is ready to accept art and science.
Luca: on my end, it is more of an accident. Since I was a kid, I have always been involved with music. At some point, I ended up with a producer for the BBC, who is also blind. We started to discuss a lot and at some point, things become together. I was invited by universities to conduct research. At that time, not many researches are based on sound. Yet the subjective experience of listening really attracts me.
Q: Do you think visual art can be listened to?
Luca: Yes. It is all about waves. When we see things, we are also seeing waves. It would be an abstraction.
Jo: I agree. With the current technology and imagination, we are only starting to see the possibilities.
In the end, we would like to express our great appreciation to Mr. Luca Forcucci and Ms. Jo Ying Wei for sharing their valuable, expert insights. We would also like to thank our community for your great engagement as always! The next Art x Science Dialogues event will be on Photography x Environmental Ecology on July 2. Please stay tuned for our next event!