helikoosolek:tartu
with Dr Felicity Ford
Wednesday, May 30th
6-8pm
Eesti Rahva Muuseum, Tartu
Dr Felicity Ford celebrates the creative sonic potentials hidden in the everyday through a playful focus on sounds and listening, drawing attention to the background noises of ordinary life and elevating and frameworking them through a wide range of imaginative approaches. Felicity is especially interested in domestic spaces and materials as sites of meaning and artistic creativity. She likes to make soundwork about washing up, clothes, food, housework, and knitting. Recent commissions include a soundtrack for a 1934 maternity healthcare film held in the collections of the British Film Institute and the Wellcome Library - Bathing & Dressing; a project for the Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture exploring wallpaper in sound - Sonic Wallpaper; and a hand-knitted sound-system, designed for playing back recordings of sheep farms and shepherds - Hûrd – A KNITSONIK™ PRODUKTION- commissioned by Rheged and the British Wool Marketing Board.
In recent years, Ford has become increasingly fascinated with the relationships between sounds and everyday textiles. All projects conducted in this realm are part of the KNITSONIK group of projects; the KNIT component is always focused on the technical and physical aspects of textiles, while the SONIK component is always focused on the particularities of various geographies, and on sound's unique ability to capture a sense of place and materiality.
Currently, Ford is on a residency at MoKS, where she is exploring the idea of a wool-based cultural exchange between the UK and Estonia. She has traveled to Mooste bearing sounds and artefacts from the British Woollen industry, and is interested in sharing and exchanging these articles for sounds and artefacts from the Estonian Wool industry. Within this mission is a broader question about the meaning of our clothes, the subtexts of our outfits, and the links between the landscapes where we live and work and the clothes which we wear therein.
For helikoosolek:tartu,
the focus will be on documenting and celebrating our outfits, and
finding links between the clothes that we wear and the sonic textures in
the world to which they refer. We will work together to inventory and
celebrate each others' outfits; discuss the sounds associated with their
making and wearing; and reflect on the texts we create every day when
we get dressed. Recording equipment will be used throughout, and
participants will have a chance to capture sounds in various ways,
co-creating an instant and ephemeral Clothes Museum. Drawing inspiration
from the astounding display of historic costumes shown at the Museum
itself, The Instant Clothes Museum will
culminate in a gift-giving session, in which participants will choose a
badge to compliment their outfit or emphasize some aspect of their
clothing which has arisen during our discussions.
Dr Felicity Ford's activities in Estonia are supported by The British Council, The Estonian Ministry of Culture and The Estonian Cultural Endowment.
helikoosolek:tartu is a regular gathering for the exploration of sound in all forms. The meetings comprise presentations, concerts, workshops, discussions, and field trips pertaining to sound and its consideration in art, music, architecture, ecology, philosophy, social and cultural interaction, and any other context that presents itself. Participants are encouraged to propose activities or discussions on topics of their interest, or to present projects of their own for feedback. Sessions take place on the last Wednesday of each month, from 6-8pm at the Eesti Rahva Muuseum.
helikoosolek:tartu is organised by MoKS and supported by Eesti Rahva Muuseum.
http://helikoosolek.blogspot.com
http://www.moks.ee
http://www.erm.ee
