BA (Hons) Sound Arts students highlight the unheard in Gallery 46 installation

Second-year London College of Communication (LCC) BA (Hons) Sound Arts students recently participated in a group exhibition at Gallery 46 in Whitechapel, exploring themes like AI, gender and synaesthesia. As part of LCC's Year 2 unit ‘Specialising & Exhibiting’, students had the opportunity to showcase their sound installation work in a professional gallery context.

Running from 25-28 January, Here Unheard was a series of student sound arts projects that explored the neglected, forgotten and overlooked in an overwhelmingly visual society. The student work blended together the physical, material and conceptual; encouraging the viewer to be present in the moment of ‘here’ while also being mindful of the ‘unheard’.

Among our students who were featured in Here Unheard were Mario Edwards-Roberts, Baria Qureshi, Qianhui Sun and Daniel Marin Morejon.

How would you feel if you loved something dearly and it was suddenly taken away from you? Mario Edwards-Roberts’ installation To Lose It All addresses this question, telling the story of a conflicted artist who is losing their hearing due to the nature of their creative practice.

Qianhui Sun’s Value was an analogy of the “randomness and uniqueness of life”. This sound installation features motors, rods and a swinging ball that struck musical pipes at random, depicting chaos through a mechanical interpretive dance.

For his project, Daniel Marin Morejon explored the contrast between the material and the virtual in The parallel world of waves and data, featuring visuals and sounds that were generated in real time.

Meanwhile, Baria Qureshi found a frequency for fear in her audio sculpture It Hertz When You Fear Me.

We spoke to Baria, Daniel, Qianhui and Mario to get an insight on their process, their practice, and their Gallery 46 projects.

Tell us about your creative practice. Do you explore particular themes, or use particular tools and techniques?

Baria: My personal practice has recently evolved from more sampled based electronic music composition to guitar based fuzzy grunge-rock songwriting. When I write or make music I like to explore themes of human emotion.

Daniel: I make electronic music, mainly ambient and experimental sounds and I use synthesisers, cassette tapes and other acoustic instruments. I’m also interested in sound design for video games and film.

Qianhui: I like to focus on the self, using my own experiences or emotions to create work. This year, I have explored different mediums and forms of composition such as generative music, sound installations, sound design for film and games, and synthesizer production. I'm still only scratching the surface, but it's given me more inspiration!

Mario: I try to learn and use a new skill in every project, particularly within a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). I use my voice heavily in my projects as I do not play any instruments, but I usually put it through a modulator. Use of my voice has evolved through my project, ranging from screams (edited, for ambience) to portraying multiple people and of course, regular recordings.

How did you first become interested in the field of sound arts?

Baria: Coming from an alt-pop music background, I wasn't actually sure what BA (Hons) Sound Arts was really about until I joined the course. I was curious about what the course would cover, but it’s been so expansive to my life so far.

Daniel: I was looking for a sound course that would go little bit further than the more conventional degrees about music production. I knew about sound arts and after reading the course overview, I got really interested.

Qianhui: I saw a visual sound show in China, the collaboration between the sound artists and the visual artists was infectious!

Mario: I’ve always had an interest in sound. Before Sound Arts, I did game design, and I was interested in sound for games. We were supposed to do a unit on sound for games, but it never happened. My interest in game design dwindled after that, and when it came time to go to university, I didn’t want to continue it. Sound Arts intrigued me as it was different. I was looking at studying music production, but sound arts looked broader in its opportunities.

Why did you decide to study BA (Hons) Sound Arts at LCC?

Baria: I wanted to expand my mind by challenging my personal view of music. I was curious to learn more about sound, people and other cultures as well as upskill my practical skills. I also see it as a form of social therapy, in which I not only gain a degree at the end, but a whole set of new skills, experiences and interactions in a nurturing environment.

Daniel: I think University of Arts London (UAL) is great, has different campuses all around London and it’s one of the best Universities for art and design in the world. The BA (Hons) Sound Arts course at LCC has an important trajectory now and it’s supported by some well-known academics.

Qianhui: The University of the Arts London has always been my dream school – I really like the free learning atmosphere here. I used to study music production in China, but I have always been very interested in using sound as a medium of expression, so I decided to come here to study the BA (Hons) Sound Arts programme.

Mario: My sister studied BA (Hons) Film and Television at LCC and had told me about sound arts. I read about the course and decided to apply as it seemed like a new and inventive take on sound studies. I had done insights for Game Design as I intended to do it instead of sound arts, but ultimately decided it wasn’t for me.

How did you first hear of the Gallery 46 opportunity, and why did you decide to get involved?

Baria: This opportunity arose during one of our units which was about exhibiting and the white cube space. I decided to get involved because I had never done an art installation before or had the chance to be part of its curation, so found this a fun challenge to take part in.

Daniel: It was part of one of the units, Specialising and Exhibiting and I thought it was a great opportunity to participate in a gallery show and exhibit my own installation.

Qianhui: In my first year, I went to see the last BA (Hons) Sound Arts students' exhibition at Gallery 46 and was very impressed and keen to get involved! So in my second year, I couldn’t wait to get involved in the gallery exhibition.

Mario: The Gallery 46 opportunity came up as part of my course. I had only ever done one exhibition before - during my time at Westminster Kingsway College - but this one was different. It was based in a gallery space in a new area I had never been to before. It was also mainly invigilated by us, the students. I was thinking through a few ideas and settled on something I thought was worth exploring.

How did you participate in the project, and what kinds of activities were you involved in?

Baria: I was one of many artists exhibiting one of my most recent works from my current practice-based research. As part of a team, I was involved with loading equipment in and out of the gallery, invigilating on one of the opening afternoons and preparing the gallery for our exhibition.

Daniel: We had about a week of installation work, where all the pieces were set up in the gallery with support of the technicians. Then, we hosted a private view and the show was live for 3 days. There was also a performance on one of the nights. Oh, and I collaborated in the design of the poster too!

Qianhui: We organised a gallery tour before the start of the winter break, at which time I began to conceptualise my idea and conducted site visits to ensure that my installation would be ready to assemble before the start of the exhibition. At the same time, I also participated in a performance night and made an improvised musical composition.

Mario: I had a space allocated at the gallery to create my piece. It was called To Lose it All and it was based on something I was experiencing around the time of the exhibition - that being the beginning of my DJing career and taking care of my ears. I created a doctor’s office to play visuals alongside an audio piece I created. I spent a lot of time at the gallery during this time, unloading and loading the van before the open and after the close of the exhibition, invigilating the gallery and of course, creating and setting up my piece.

What were your highlights of the experience?

Baria: My highlight was creating and adjusting the work to fit well within that specific gallery itself and being able to see the reactions and intrigue of the audience members.

Daniel: It was really rewarding to see people interacting with my installation, taking pictures and videos and making comments about it, was a great experience. I used to visit installations of this kind sometimes and it made me proud to see how we’ve been able to organise a show by ourselves.

Qianhui: I think it was the moment when everyone stood in front of my installation and discussed it, which gave me a sense of achievement. There was also the moment when I was showing it in a private view, but due to nerves I connected the wrong wire and caused a malfunction. I’m grateful I had a friend around to help me out!

Mario: When we had to be in the space together with no staff, we did a lot of talking and started to build up a relationship outside of the university. I witnessed some beautiful works and conversations from this. I also had some in-depth conversations with people about the work, talking about their experiences with hearing loss. I realised I had helped people feel recognised, even though I am blessed to not be affected by hearing loss.

How has the experience helped you to develop as a practitioner?

Baria: The experience helped me with gaining confidence in working out of my comfort zone. I also feel better equipped to take constructive criticism from peers and educators. I would say the constructive criticism and artistic input of others was one of the most important factors to my work being successful within the exhibition.

Daniel: I feel like this experience has familiarised me a bit more with contemporary art practices and exhibitions. It has also been interesting to experience the development of a sound art exhibition from the organisers’ point of view.

Qianhui: Participating in an exhibition for the first time, I learned about the process of organising an exhibition, how to solve emergencies, and how to introduce my work confidently.

Mario: If anything, the gallery installation has taught me to have more confidence in my works, no matter how ‘simple’ they are. Even outside of sound arts. Just enjoy the process and try to make good and relatable art.

What have you most enjoyed about your time as an LCC student so far?

Baria: I've really enjoyed the theoretical and cultural side to my studies and believe those parts of the degree are what help me most expand my inner creative voice. I don’t know any other establishments where we would be able to learn and discuss the subjects, topics and issues that we cover in such an open minded and forward-thinking way.

Daniel: I enjoy every part of the course, from the lessons, the facilities or attending other activities with my classmates. There are always things to do and the balance between study and personal life is quite good.

Qianhui: I like the free atmosphere of the school, the students from different cultures, and the abundant workshops and technical support. I don't think art should be limited; good art can be thought-provoking and cause people to think.

Mario: Collaboration with others has probably been the best part to me. A creative meeting of minds to create art, especially just as students. At times, you almost feel like it’s not possible, but people are super talented and can bring out the best bits of you. Of course, collaborations have their ups and downs, but if you are able to iron out the creases, you can create some of your best work.

What tips would you give to prospective students who are interested in exploring the world of sound arts?

Baria: Create without expectations, be open to new ideas, cultures, schools of thought and know that there are sources for creativity in the least of expected places.

Daniel: I’d tell them that this is a great field to explore and that its relevance is growing worldwide. It’s a fantastic opportunity to develop your interest in experimental sound as well as follow an interesting professional career in sound design.

Qianhui: Come join us! The world of sound is rich and interesting! Don't suppress your creativity, do what you want to do.

Mario: Just be you. If you already work within the media and arts realm, sound arts is a good follow up if you want to try something new with lots of creative freedom. For example, if you do a lot of on-screen work such as games design or film, BA (Hons) Sound Arts is worth engaging in to further your skills by putting the two mediums together.

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