Jaaga Dhvani is a new work of ‘sound art’ by New York-based artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg. This is quite literally the ‘voice of a space’ — a sonic representation of the Jaaga art centre imagined as a living corporeal entity. Heather reveals that her interest in this art form developed at 18 when she saw a sound sculpture in the US. “I could never imagine that a form like this could take shape. From seeing this exhibit to reading about different kinds of art forms, my exploration went beyond the traditional, and sculptural forms.”
In college she learnt to integrate video, sound and sculpture. “I was fascinated with the way you can generate sound through a computer. Rather than using software I really wanted to figure out how the sound was generated through programming!” she exclaims.
This compelling journey which synthesised art, sound and eventually her obsession artificial intelligence was ‘just an extension of a philosophy’. “Avant garde musician and artist John Cage approached sound in a unique way. I wanted to replicate that in my work,” she admits. The conceptual art movement of the 60s was a huge influence on Heather. “New York is a very critical place. The kind of questioning, ideating and figuring out what materials I am going to use typify this art movement.”
The artist though admits her ideas come from reading, experimenting with different technologies and listening. “When in Bengaluru, I was just trying to listen and absorb my environment — Bengaluru and Jaaga. Apart from car horns, what else is there in this space, was a question I have raised.”
For Heather, technology is an integral part of art. “I feel I am in a space where technology is a part of my environment, another medium that I use.”
The artists’ work at Jaaga works around the metaphor of Jaaga being a living space. “Recording voices of Archana, Freeman (of Jaaga) and me, stitching them together and creating a new voice is part of the work. An algorithm was created to give this voice a language. And finally the voice has been given a physical form through the sculpture,” she explains.
In the immediate future, Heather hopes to continue her work through a New York-Bengaluru dialogue. “I am trying to relate art and technology that I created here back to New York.” View Heather’s work at Jaaga, Rhenius Street from July 1.
