Rubén D’HERS　

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Rubén D’HERS

Participating Project	Exchange Residency Program (Creators invited from abroad)
Activity Base	Germany
City	Tokyo *Online Residency
Period	2021.10 - 2021.12

Purpose of the residency

My purpose for this residence is the creation of a sound installation based on a series of sound sculptures that draw on the interaction between the ubiquitous hum produced by devices of industrial origin -commonly embedded in the architecture of interior spaces- with involuntary aural imagery and musical hallucinations. The exchange with people having different listening conditions (e.g. hearing loss, tinnitus) will feed the material, sound and conceptual outcome of the work.

Plan during the residency

• Soundscape recordings of residential and industrial areas 
• Contacting and carrying out interviews about sound art, musical imagery and musical hallucinations with musicians, and people dealing hearing difficulties
• Collection of materials and objects
• Building sound objects/installation. Editing sound recordings and programming of objects/installation
• Open studio /exhibition

Activities during the online residency

The residency was based on different activities that took place simultaneously:

• Research: on musical hallucinations, voluntary and involuntary aural imaginary, music cognition.
  
• Photography: During the residency I kept taking photographs of elements installed in the domestic space. These images would influence the production of works in the workshop.
•  Interviews: I conducted 3 interviews inquiring about aural imaginary, sound perception and music in interior environments. Two of the interviewees were partially deaf while the third had normal hearing.
  
• Objects/installations: In the studio I produced a series of objects, some sound objects, some non-sound objects, which could also be arranged as installations.
  
• Painting: I made a painting based on one of the photographs.
  
• Video: I produced two videos that compiled moments of experimentation in the studio that were shown in the open studio.
  

Outcome of the online residency

Among the achievements is a series of new works including sculptures, paintings, photographs and videos. The videos have been a new technical and conceptual approach to my work and it is likely that I will integrate the video format for new works. Although my work has been mostly focused on sound installations, some of the works created during the residency do not use sound. This also opens a way for new directions in the work that address the subject of sound from a different perspective, perhaps a more conceptual one.

video #1 - Studies from the domestic inner ear. Tokyo arts & space residency program 2021. from Rubén D'Hers on Vimeo.

video #2 - Studies from the domestic inner ear. Tokyo arts & space residency program 2021. from Rubén D'Hers on Vimeo.

Creator Information