Music Technology Forum 02/03/2006 at
Elder School of Music, Adelaide SA.
Guest speaker: Robin Minard
On the subject of Robin Minard and 'sound installation art':
Who is Robin Minard? He is a one man war on muzak machine from Canada/Germany specialising in the field of sound installation art. See www.erratum.org/minard/minard.html for more specific information.
I was first exposed to Art-House and other alternative approaches to music making and theory about seven years ago now during a Music Technology course at TAFE in Adelaide. My first reaction to some of the ideas and recordings we were subjected to could be considered adverse. A good example is John Cages’ ‘4:33’ which is basically four minuets and thirty three minuets of silence in three short movements. A less than thrilling concept I still feel to this day.
However, I have since matured a little and having the last seven years to think about some of these ideas and what the real motivation was behind the artists has opened my mind to more than just conventional western tonality and rhythm. My only criticism now surfaces when I believe an artist is only interested in confronting people on the subject of art and their own perception of what art is instead of focusing on creating something worthwhile.
This is clearly not the case with Robin Minard. It’s the first real exposure I have had to ‘sound installation art’ as a concept and I was impressed with the tireless effort and enthusiasm Robin has for his craft. The fact that he has been persevering with this idea and developing its potential over the last two decades is proof enough that he truly believes in what he is doing and for all the right reasons.
I found the idea of ‘colouring a space’ appealing and was curious to see if anyone who has come into contact with Robin has commissioned him to create a sound installation for their own home. I have been unable to uncover any information on ‘domestic’ sound installations that Robin may have been involved in as most sources indicate his work in art galleries and other ‘public’ spaces but lots of the information on websites is in German, and as I gave up my study of the language at the age of thirteen I could be missing something.
Besides, even if it hasn’t happened yet, I think it is only a matter of time before some cashed up Hollywood actor type stumbles across the subtle beauty of one of Robins’ installations and imagines one in his/her not so subtle Beverly Hills mansion.
If I ever have the chance to experiment with sound installation myself in the future I will probably look at some different approaches to the actual sound itself. The speakers and presentation of Robins’ work are very aesthetically pleasing so I would probably look at presenting an installation in a similar way. Though I do think it would be interesting to add some personal touches to the concept and discover what feels right for a particular space……….
References:
Robin Minard. "Artist Talk – Sound Installation Art." Lecture presented at the Electronic Music Unit, EMU space, University of Adelaide, 2nd March 2006.
posted by David J Dowling @ 4:09 PM
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