[Martin Backes, born in 1977 in Germany | Studies in Art and Design in relation to Sound and Media at the University of Arts in Berlin | Besides his experimental sound art and installation work, he is working as a composer, sound director, audiovisual consultant, audio engineer, music producer, noisican and DJ | Lectureship since 2009 at the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin for "Sound Communication and Design"]
Sound Art Installation / Media Art / Klangkunst / Installation Art
Artist Statement:
Over the last few years, I have dealt increasingly with the interaction of aural and visual forms of perception in the reception of artistic expression. I am especially interested in how our perception of a particular space can be modified by sound and the use of sculptural materials. My installations are to be understood as multimedia arrangements, in which audio-visual signal generators and associative tangible materials influence an individual viewer's total perception. By experiencing a space and the well-balanced events taking place in it, viewers are invited to develop their own mental image of their environment, turning them into protagonists in the process. Perception, search, discovery, exploration, development, expansion and change are the keywords that can be used to describe the function of my work.
Projects
"Vertical Wire Music"
A Re:Interpretation of Alvin Luciers „Music On A Long Thin Wire“. A permanent Installation in coop. with Christoph Illing and Heidrun Schramm at the University of Arts in Berlin. You will find a full interview here:
http://www.udk-berlin.de/sites/soundstudies/content/projekte /installationen/index_ger.html
Music On A Long Thin Wire is a musical piece by Alvin Lucier conceived in 1977 which that explores acoustic phenomena and auditory perception. Much of his work is influenced by science and explores the physical properties of sound itself: resonance of spaces, phase interference between closely-tuned pitches, and the transmission of sound through physical media.
Sound Example:
"4. Licht-Klang-Festival transNATURALE 2008"
Performing the composition "Give me a F" for ship horns by Tilman Küntzel at the "Licht-Klang-Festival transNATURALE" at Bärwalder See/Germany.
"Amplification of the Auditory Perception 2.0"
Short project description, abstract/synopsis:
This software/media installation project is especially for children. The aim of this work is to find ways to experience a sonic environment within a (educational) software for children dealing with the issue of sensible hearing / listening. The main focus is an awareness raising for their own aural environment.
In a society were the ability of listening is assumed and mostly associated with music this interactive software work is conceived as a query, seeking to inspire a dialogue about sound and listening in a non-musical way. Children can look into this subject in a playful way. The software should urge children to listen to the sounds of an acoustic environment more watchful and critical.
Project Title:
Amplification of the Auditory Perception 2.0
Software Title:
Ohrenschmauser und die klingende Welt
Here is snippet for those of you interested in this unfinished project which is still in progress. You will only find one little setting. It is about mixing your own sonic environment, especially for children.
Two of my works were presented in 2 different exhibitions in summer 2007.
x-sounds @ Ballhaus Naunynstr Berlin/Kreuzberg. 10.07 – 21.07.07
For more information please go to:http://www.x-sounds.org/
Here is a video to get an idea of a work called "Under Influence" together with Christine Schön. It is really hard to receive an impression for installation art through a video...but give it a try!
Here are a few pictures from the whole happening.
International Exhibition of Contemporary Art Berlin June 29th – July 9th 2007
Here is a video to get an idea of my work "Plastic Commander".
Here are a few pictures from the whole happening.
the writing(s) of... (since 2007) by Rüdiger Schlömer
"the writing(s) of..." is based on a collection of paper sheets from stationary stores, on which an unknown number of people have left their traces while testing writing utensils. Starting from here the project examines the idea of non-(or pre-) intentional authorship, narration and composition. To analyse these semantic fragments of unknown background, several instrumentalists have been asked to interpret some of the sheets - knowing about graphic scores and related music visualizations, but without an explicit instruction about how to play.
Alongside other artists I also did a few Interpretations for this project with Turntables.In the video below you will find a short example of an interpretation of paper sheet No. 39 by myself.
Paper Sheet No. 39
All previous interpretations can be browsed in a digital slip box. Link for beta-version:
http://heimat.de/home/thewritingof/zettel/index.html
Dazz & Keko is one of my musical side projects together with the musician, singer and rapper Keko..........and a bunch of other musicians.
[presstext]
Dazz & Keko presents an optimistic view into what Hip Hop look like in the future and of course, its not Hip Hop in the conventional sense though, more the boundaries on Hip Hop crossing over into Electronica, Jazz, Funk, Psychedelic Rock, New Wave and a touch of “you will never know, what happens nextâ€. It knocks, it's creative and it's tailor-made for people already out for a different sort of fix.p
Dazz is also the projectname for my DJ activities.
As a Dj for many years I really rocked a lot of spots: Unique Club/Düsseldorf, Stereo Deluxe Club/Nürnberg, Morph Club/Bamberg and Roter Salon, Bastard, Lovelite, Kaffee Burger/Berlin. Through my long time residency at Morph Club/ Bamberg I performed on the same stage with such artists as Mr. Scruff, Jazzanova, Rainer Trüby, Fauna Flash, EZ-Rollers, Phoneheads, Vienna Scientists, Dixon, Seiji and Les Gammas. Just to name a few.