《x_ sound: 존 케이지와 백남준 이후(x_sound: John Cage, Nam June Paik and after)》 (2012)

| 일정 : 2012 03 09 – 2012 07 01 | 장소 : 백남준아트센터 1, 2층 전시장 및 아트센터 뒷동산 “x_sound”는 미지의(x) 소리, 소리에 대한 고정관념을 몰아내는(ex-pel) 소리, 확장된 (ex-panded) 소리를 아우르기 위해 붙인 제목이다 즉, 그것은 더 이상 단순한 소리로만 머물 수 없는 소리를 가리킨다 1960년대 말, 소리가 창조하는 환경, 우연성, 나아가 정적(silence)을 통해 새로운 음악을 모색했던 존 케이지의 실험들은 그의 선(禪)사상과 함께 백남준에게 큰 영향을 미쳤다 백남준은 케이지의 실험에 오마주를 바침과 동시에 소리의 실험을 공간(설치작품 전시)과 행동(‘액션 뮤직(action music)’)으로 번역하면서 확장시켜 나간다 그는 다양한 사물을 악기에 배치해서 소리를 물리적 공간 속에서 시각화할 뿐만 아니라, 관객들에게 구체적인 시점과 행동, 상황을 지시함으로써 ‘예측할 수 없는 요소가 개입할 것을 예측’하는 실험들을 진행한다 존 케이지가 일으키고 백남준이 확장시킨 파장들은 우리 동시대 작가들의 사운드 설치에서 새로운 매체와 새로운 맥락, 그리고 무엇보다 새로운 감각과 만나 또 다른 공명을 일으키고 있다 하룬 미르자(영국), 수잔 필립스(영국), 안리 살라(알바니아), 지문(스위스), 오토모 요시히데(일본), 이세옥, 김기철(이상 한국) 등의 사운드 설치 작품들은 단순히 전시 공간 속에 울려 퍼지는 소리가 아니라, 소리가 만들어내는 심리적이고 물리적인 긴장, 소리를 통해 형성된 환경, 소리가 역사와 정서를 뒤섞는 방식, 소리가 수학적 질서와 우연을 넘나드는 방식, 공간-소리-신체의 관계에 대한 예민한 탐색 등을 보여줄 것이다 The term “x_sound” has a triple meaning: a sound that is unknown(x), that is ex-panded and that ex-pels fixed ideas about sound “Sound” itself is literally a neutral and straightforward term, but in the contemporary art’s context, it’s a complex arena of different questions and discourses Sound in experimental music opens up the possibility of overcoming the limitations of harmonious but canonized twelvetone music Sound in visual art leads to the indeterminism of visual art, beyond ocularcentric perspectival space, and becomes an ingredient for expanding the concept of architectural space The sound was a symbol of alternative art which goes against the rationalistic and evolutionary attitude of Western art, and therefore fascinated many contemporary artists, among whom are John Cage and Nam June Paik Cage opened a new chapter in music with his 4’33” in which a performer sits at the piano and played nothing for 4 minutes and 33 seconds His experiments in the 1960s and Zen sensibility had great influence upon Paik Inspired by Cage’s experimental music, Paik who had studied contemporary music in Japan and Germany paid homage to Cage and developed his mentor’s sound experiments into installation and performance work (a k a “Action Music”) Now the typical ‘music’, consisting of melodies and rhythms, was expanded to include everyday ‘sound’ indistinguishable from ‘noise’ and even the audience’s response Furthermore, Paik rendered the mechanisms of sound visible in space by applying such things as pieces of paper or toys to musical instruments, and also created more unexpected scenes by including the audience’s action in the performance The exhibition will present proofs of their interaction with each other, as shown in Paik’s Hommage à John Cage (1958), Variation 5(1965) and A Tribute to John Cage (1973) The waves initiated by Cage and then extended by Paik are generating certain resonances in sound installations by our contemporary artists with new media, new context, and above all, new sensibility Kichul KIM (Korea), who has persistently explored the visualization of sound, arranges speakers emitting the sound of nature in the exhibition space in a way that they can maximize the associations of hearing and sight Haroon MIRZA (UK), uses two kinds of sounds, one created by non-acoustic devices in everyday life, and the other produced by acoustic devices handled in unusual manners ZIMOUN (Switzerland) uses a weird frictional sound in order to draw the audience into a structure made up of empty boxes vibrated by hundreds of small motors Anri SALA (Albania) catches the emotional interaction between sound and space, by filming a break-up conversation Susan PHILIPSZ (UK) edits various songs with rich but complex historical implications and sings them herself She leads the audience to encounter her songs in an unexpected spot Inspired by Cage’s experiment, Loris GRÉAUD (France) recorded the ‘silence’ made when Sonic Youth’s legendary guitarist Lee Ranaldo was ‘thinking’ about his music, and photographed the scene And Otomo YOSHIHIDE (Japan), famous for his unique sound installations and performances, composes a concerto of different noises using dozens of turntables The works of these artists do not make sound that you merely listen to in the exhibition room; rather, they show psychological and physical tensions caused by sound, an environment built up by sound, the ways in which sound mixes history and emotion, the ways in which sound crosses between mathematical order and chance, a close inquiry into the relationship among space-sound-body, and so on Various sound performances will also be presented along with the exhibition On the opening day there will be a performance of John Cage’s Imaginary Landscape No 4(1951), a ‘radio’ orchestra with twelve radio receivers by 24 students from the Department of Composition in Chugye University For The Arts and Yoshihide’s performance using turntables During the exhibition period, a series of contemporary music concerts of Cage’s works will be held to facilitate the understanding of his music