Abstract
Uniquely, the body of work represents the integration and translation of textual, visual, and sonic sources related to the bible and its cultural manifestations into sound artworks. The research process results from a combination of theological rumination, hermeneutical inquiry, biblical exegesis, socio-religious critique, and cultural studies articulated through fine art and sound art processes. The outcome is a body of religious sound works that evinces a Protestant aesthetic and a modus operandi predicated upon the centrality and sacredness of Scripture, and which also illuminates the rich, complex and, sometimes, problematic ways in which biblical culture has been expressed both historically and in the contemporary world.
The endeavour has not been essayed before. In part, this is because there are few if any others scholars who possessed a knowledge and competence across such a broad range of disciplines, practices, and technologies. The output draws upon my track record of over two decades research, publications, and exhibitions related to Protestant art and visual culture, with particular reference to the Calvinist tradition and Nonconformity in Wales. The concepts, systems, and processes that underlie the body of work operate as a strict discipline upon the outcomes. They constrain the procedural strategies and demand of the composer/performer a high level of attentiveness, invention, and submission. The use of sound art as a means of biblical study and of biblical studies as a basis of sound art composition represents a pioneering enterprise in both fields.
The project has been informed by an outlook and values that have been, historically, at the core of Wales’ religious sensibility: Protestant, Calvinist Nonconformity. Welsh Nonconformity eschewed image making (in adherence to Calvin’s prohibitions) and emphasized the textual and aural arts. Nevertheless, Nonconformists produced or adopted a variety of ‘images’, and generated a rich tradition of hymnody and preaching based upon, and interpretive of, biblical texts. The double CD publication comprises works that make a tangential response to this tradition – turning biblical images and texts into sounds.
The endeavour has not been essayed before. In part, this is because there are few if any others scholars who possessed a knowledge and competence across such a broad range of disciplines, practices, and technologies. The output draws upon my track record of over two decades research, publications, and exhibitions related to Protestant art and visual culture, with particular reference to the Calvinist tradition and Nonconformity in Wales. The concepts, systems, and processes that underlie the body of work operate as a strict discipline upon the outcomes. They constrain the procedural strategies and demand of the composer/performer a high level of attentiveness, invention, and submission. The use of sound art as a means of biblical study and of biblical studies as a basis of sound art composition represents a pioneering enterprise in both fields.
The project has been informed by an outlook and values that have been, historically, at the core of Wales’ religious sensibility: Protestant, Calvinist Nonconformity. Welsh Nonconformity eschewed image making (in adherence to Calvin’s prohibitions) and emphasized the textual and aural arts. Nevertheless, Nonconformists produced or adopted a variety of ‘images’, and generated a rich tradition of hymnody and preaching based upon, and interpretive of, biblical texts. The double CD publication comprises works that make a tangential response to this tradition – turning biblical images and texts into sounds.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | Aberystwyth |
| Publisher | National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales |
| Media of output | CD |
| Size | 80 mins |
| Publication status | Published - 30 Dec 2016 |
