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Recomposing the City: a Survey of Recent Sound Art in Belfast

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Recomposing the City: a Survey of Recent Sound Art in Belfast Recomposing the City: A Survey of Recent Sound Art in Belfast Gascia Ouzounian a b s t r a c t This article introduces examples of recent sound art in Belfast, a city that has undergone radical transforma- tion over the past decade and n the global arena, Belfast is most frequently rec- and Quiet Music Night, all of which is home to a burgeoning com- I munity of sound artists. The text ognized as the epicenter of the Troubles, the name given to have operated out of the homes of the decades-long armed conflict in which local communities artists and curators. Numerous fes- investigates the ways in which sonic art can redraw boundaries were pitted against one another, with divisions formed along tivals, including the Belfast Festival in a city historically marked by a combination of political, religious, socioeconomic and geo- at Queen’s, Cathedral Quarter Arts myriad political, socioeconomic, graphical lines. Loyalist or unionist communities, who are pre- Festival and Sonorities Festival of religious and sectarian divisions. dominantly Protestant, maintain allegiance with the United Contemporary Music likewise pro- The article focuses on sound Kingdom and typically identify as British. Republican or na- works that reimagine a “post- vide national and international conflict” Belfast. These include tionalist communities, who are predominantly Roman Catho- forums for contemporary perfor- site-specific sound installations lic, seek the reunification of Northern Ireland with Ireland mance and art. in urban and public spaces, and typically identify as Irish. It is possible for a contemporary The presence of sound art within soundwalks, sculptures, locative citizen of Northern Ireland to hold two passports—British and this scene has become increasingly and online works, and experi- mental sonic performances that Irish—even as the country remains constitutionally part of the prominent, owing in part to the draw upon traditional Irish song United Kingdom. establishment of the Sonic Arts Re- and music. The violence that characterized the Troubles has profoundly search Centre at Queen’s University diminished since the signing of the Good Friday agreement, Belfast in 2005, which, along with the 1998 treaty that established Northern Ireland’s current the University of Ulster, is a prin- governmental structure and signaled a sustained truce. Still, cipal site for research and creation in sonic arts in Belfast. there remain signs of sectarian divide within Belfast, which There is also a growing understanding of the relevance of is otherwise described as a “post-conflict” city. As recently as sonic arts within the wider arts community in the region. In December 2012, tensions flared as conservative and radical 2010, the Turner Prize, the most prestigious award given to elements within the Loyalist community protested a deci- British artists, was awarded to a sound artist for the first time sion by the local city council to fly the British flag at Belfast in the award’s history. Susan Philipsz, a Glasgow-born artist, City Hall only on designated days instead of the entire year. was recognized for such works as Lowlands (2010), a sound in- As some of these protests became violent, counterprotesters stallation that featured a layered, multichannel version of the staged a 1,000-person “peace rally” at City Hall. Organized artist singing a 16th-century Scottish lament. The decision to by local artist Paul Currie, this gathering invited demonstra- award the prize to a sound artist was predictably controversial. tors to make any kind of noise for a few minutes, suggest- One detractor wrote, “Never before in the 26-year history of ing, “The peaceful silent majority needs to be heard too” [1]. the Turner Prize has it been won by an artist who had nothing The chaotic soundscape that ensued—a boisterous melange to show for her £25,000 prize money but sounds fabricated of hand-clapping, shouts, hollers, horn blowing, drumming by her own voice” [2]. A BBC article quoted a conservative and laughter—served as a stark contrast to the sounds most frequently associated with public gatherings in Belfast: the fife-and-drum tunes of Protestant marching bands that wind Fig. 1. Pedro rebelo, rui chaves, Matilde Meireles, aonghus their way through the city during marching season each year, McEvoy and Max stein, Belfast Sound Map, interactive website, 2012. regarded by some as a demonstration of cultural pride, and by screenshot of Belfast Sound Map showing Kevin Mccullagh’s record- others as a triumphalist and threatening gesture. ing “beechmount rPG avenue.” (© rebelo, chaves, Meireles, McEvoy, stein) Within this larger context of a steady but imperfect peace, Belfast has also been home to a virtual cultural Renaissance over the last decade. For a city whose population falls under 650,000, there are a remarkable number of art institutions and initiatives. These include established institutions such as Crescent Arts Centre, Waterfront Hall and Ulster Museum; alternative and artist-run spaces such as Black Box Belfast, Catalyst Arts, Platform Arts and PS2; contemporary art galler- ies such as Golden Thread Gallery and Fenderesky Gallery; and grassroots initiatives such as Delawab, Household Belfast Gascia Ouzounian (educator), School of Creative Arts, Music Building, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland. E-mail: <[email protected]>. See the References and Notes section for links to supplemental files associated with this article. © 2013 ISAST LEONARDO MUSIC JOURNAL, Vol. 23, pp. 47–54, 2013 47 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/LMJ_a_00154 by guest on 23 September 2021 art group that announced, “the award cant attention to sound art in the region, Many of the artists whose works are men- should not go to a ‘singer.’ . ‘It’s just and served as an educational moment. tioned here are under 35, a sign that the someone singing in an empty room. It’s One reporter introduced Philipsz’s work nascent scene will continue to develop. not art. It’s music’” [3]. Conversely, sup- by explaining it was “[art] so intangible Some were born and raised in Belfast, porters embraced the decision as a boon it can’t even be seen” [6]. while others have relocated here in order for sound art, with one prominent critic This article introduces recent sound to pursue education and work opportu- characterizing the win as “a shot in the art works created in and for Belfast, giving nities. All, however, share the common arm for sound art” [4]. The same critic special attention to works that reimagine purpose to contribute in unique ways to explained, “you can even study courses the city, offering alternatives to the domi- the cultural life of a city whose image can, in sound art at a handful of art colleges nant images of a “post-conflict” Belfast. and is, being redrawn through art, even around the country. So the momentum’s I am especially interested in discovering art so intangible it can’t even be seen. already there. The high-profile win for the ways in which sound—a medium In both metaphorical and actual ways, Susan Philipsz might just build this up to characterized by impermanence and in- the projects mentioned here can be said the tipping point needed for sound art visibility—can bypass or even bridge the to “recompose the city”: They position to really take off” [5]. Whether positive normal barriers, whether physical, social, the city not as an object or collection of or negative, the decision brought signifi- political or cultural, that exist in this city. objects, but instead as a resonant idea that is cocreated by, and shared among, its inhabitants, visitors and, most espe- cially, its listeners. Through these sound Fig. 2. Fionnuala Fagan and Isobel anderson, Sailortown multimedia installation, 2012. works the city can be newly understood as Detail showing the listening station for Isobel anderson’s song “the Ghost of sailortown.” (Photo © Fionnuala Fagan) a collectively generated, unstable and un- fixed, imagined and experienced, lived and living composition: one that can be continuously heard and sounded— and, when filtered through the dynamic matrix of sound, art and environment (physical, social, cultural and politi- cal)—recombined, reoriented and re- composed. SoundS and StorieS of the City On 20 April 2012, the Metropolitan Arts Centre (MAC), an £18-million building, opened its doors in Belfast with the aim of becoming the region’s premiere inter- disciplinary arts center. The first Artist- in-Residence program at the MAC was a sound art program that featured the work of researchers from the Sonic Arts Research Centre, and one of the MAC’s first exhibits, Sounds of the City, featured the work of sonic artists Pedro Rebelo, Fig. 3. Detail of Sailortown showing the listening station for Isobel anderson’s song “Mary’s song.” (Photo © Fionnuala Fagan) Rui Chaves, Matilde Meireles and Aong- hus McEvoy. Over a 4-month period this group developed five sound art projects, working in partnership with participants from the Tar Isteach and Dee Street community centers [7]. Among these projects were The Walk Home, a sound in- stallation in the MAC’s corridors wherein the sounds of visitors’ footsteps merged with “the sound of footsteps made by thousands of shipyard workers return- ing home,” described by the artists as “an iconic aspect of Belfast’s aural iden- tity”; Call for Work, in which factory horns evoking Belfast’s industrial past—created in collaboration with community par- ticipants who recalled these ubiquitous soundmarks—were installed in the gal- lery; and the Belfast Sound Map, an inter- active, online platform that allows users to upload field recordings as well as com- 48 Ouzounian, Recomposing the City Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/LMJ_a_00154 by guest on 23 September 2021 May 2012).
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