Sunday, December 6, 2009

THE WHITE CUBE REMIX -- ARTIST STATEMENT

Sackjo22 & Gurdonark

OUR CONCEPT

We started with a conceptual conversation about the architectural concept of the "white cube" and what emerged is a study in the transformative power of light as expressed via interpersonal connection as manifest in collaborative music.



"The White Cube" is a traditional architectural construct that implies through the use of simple lines, white walls, specific placement of entry ways, lights, etc. a neutral environment is created that supports the optimal conditions for the encounter between the perceiver and the work being perceived in the gallery space. Architect Rolf Gerstlauer, who is assisting with curation of this RAM Gallery anniversary exhibition, suggests the time has come to explode "the white cube" -- to expand the concept of the neutral viewing space to a space that encourages relationship and connection to the larger world, the world outside the pristine space of the gallery or museum.


One way in which "the white cube" can be opened is through the use of light which can completely alter the gallery experience. As Professor Gerstlauer suggests, the quality of the light itself can be a medium of "...transition, transmitting, transformation, transmutation and transcendence." Traditionally, light in the gallery setting is used to enhance the art on display. Here, the atmosphere and mood created by the light are integral to the experience of the space. "Light is the matter that has the power to explode the space -- or have it implode on itself."

Light also comes into "the white cube" through other mediums that foster a shift in awareness and perspective, so that the energy within the space vibrates with possibility.

The concept of "light" is a central theme in much of Sackjo22's work. She reflects and explores the meaning of "light" in broad strokes: light as inspiration, divinity, and vitality. Light is the spark of recognition, the illumination of understanding, the clarity one experiences when one feels connection. The theme of "light" is central to The White Cube Remix project.

The intention of The White Cube Remix project is to facilitate the explosion of the white cube by using sound and relationship as manifest in the collaborative efforts of a musical community as a means of expanding the gallery experience. It is a soundtrack to the exploration of what it means to be bound by our constructs, how to liberate ourselves from our preconceptions and fixed ideas, how to redefine a space -- literally and figuratively -- that hosts an experience.


OUR METHODOLOGY


SackJo22 and Gurdonark worked together as the coordinators of this ambitious work to engage the musical community of ccmixter.org in creating a sonic installation that would both reflect the light of connection and facilitate the explosion of the "white cube" by bringing an international community into the gallery space.

The foundation of the sonic installation is source material created by SackJo22 and Gurdonark. SackJo22 wrote and recorded The White Cube poem. Gurdonark wrote an ambient musical composition he calls Winter Lights in honor of December in Norway. He also provided a set of sound samples of other music suitable for a soundtrack to an art exhibit. We posted our source samples on ccmixter.org and then invited the mixters of that international musical community to create music using our samples.

In keeping with the spirit of ccmixter.org, each mixter was encouraged to use the samples as so inspired, transforming the sound and tone of the music as she or he pleased. Each song would be licensed with a Creative Commons license so that it could be freely shared, and each song would be released for free download. Thus, The White Cube Remix, as with all things mixter-esque, would be liberated from the "white cube" of permissions and restrictions.

The White Cube Remix songs were prepared in less than thirty days. They run the gamut of musical styles and ideas. They were created by mixters in numerous countries, in diverse genres, without sharply defined guidelines. The enthusiastic response of the international ccmixter.org community to this project is a beautiful example of the light of connection, as the artists share their musical interpretation of the various concepts explored in this project.

We hope that our sound of light will be a transforming element in the RAM Gallery space that will help explode "the white cube" by bringing into the space the vitality of the international community of ccMixter.org which connects over space and time to create music in a virtual environment that encourages a culture of open sharing, respect and relationship. And while we offer in this artist statement no definitive conclusions, and no casual certainties, we do offer a thought, however -- perhaps one part of creating a new construct is to leave behind the old notions of what is "the done thing' -- and instead, and quite simply, it is a good thing to share.

MORE ABOUT ccMixter.org

The term "collective" often is loosely applied to any aggregation of creative people. "Collectives" are bound up in their own 'white cubes", narrow definitions of time and space and dialectic. The musicians of ccmixter.org are not a collective in any didactic sense. Yet their shared goal of sharing music causes them to sample one another's work and to share their work with listeners, podcasters, film-makers and other creative people around the world. In the world of CCmixter.org, the artists use one another's sound samples to create entirely new works. Unlike the group-think and committee-laden approach of old-style collaboration, the mixters freely liberate and transform each other's music into new songs and new sounds. Through use of Creative Commons licenses, they create and share works without being bound by the old ropes of copyright permissions and artistic veto.

CCmixter is a a community music remixing site featuring remixes and samples licensed under Creative Commons CCmixter remixes and samples are used in films, podcasts, video games and on mp3 players around the world. licenses. Music on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons license. Listeners are free to download and sample from music on this site and share the results with anyone, anywhere, anytime. Some songs might have certain restrictions, depending on their specific licenses. Each submission is marked clearly with the license that applies to it.

1 comment:

  1. The concept is pretty wonderful and the information given is also great.

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