Augmented Aurality
performance by William Kuo & Karen Yu
the performance of Augmented Aurality
Listening originates in utero, where the sensing self (the fetus) in its own body listens to the sounds of another body like its own: the self hearing itself from within. Even as we exit the womb of the mother we continue listening through the internal cavity of the skull. We hear our own breathing. We hear the rhythms of the organs inside our bodies. We hear ourselves speak. This work engages the listener inwardly, before turning outwardly to engage entire bodies of listeners. How does listening help to transform oneself and to forge meaningful connections with others?
Augmented Aurality is commissioned by 02022020.SPACE
02022020.SPACE is a collective art project in response to the international palindrome date, 02-02-2020. Artists that work with diverse artforms were invited to create works exploring the hidden meanings of the date in relation to our society, culture and our planet, not limited to the impact of the once-in-a-lifetime event, but also the attraction of highly repetitive and reversible numeric effects, and the global influence of timezones.
“One could read her contribution as antidotal to the rhythm and order of Kuo, her ‘music’ played as a disruptive intrusion of 'humanity' into the digital machinery - usually metal on metal, or beads, a drum skin, some I don’t know, who knows, some lids or something, a couple of heavier things, and other stuff I’ve forgotten, but simple and technical at the same time, where the physical elements seemed rudimentary and the musicianship a willing regression into child play, but the intuition, the listening, the responding and creating within these fields were intricate, interwoven, delicate things that demanded focus from the two performers.”
- Blair Reeve from press : release
Augmented Aurality was performed at Twenty Alpha on February 2 2020, released as a vinyl through Vintage Vinyl in December 2022
Album artwork by Blessy Man
Augmented Aurality is available on Bandcamp thanks to Nick and Blair at press : release and Vintage Vinyl