Gemma Thompson

RECORDING SONIC AND SENSORY EXPERIENCE OF PLACE

I am a multidisciplinary artist who works through drawing, print and sound to record sonic experience of place. I use drawing to intuitively transcribe a sense or (intangible) feeling of place and to reimagine sound as physical presence. Recording sensory experience through drawing, soundwalking and listening, the movement of my hands attempts to mirror sound and rhythm, as a force or pressure.

An aural mapping of the city involves drifting and embracing a slowness to reflect on the intrinsic voices of place. Moving through time and histories, exploring auditory memory through mark making, I work in layers. I consider listening as a form of observation. My work begins with a series of 'soundwalks', listening for the essence of a particular place, embracing chance and spontaneity. Repetition through movement, be it the rhythm of walking, the movement of the hand, or the repetition of a mark or gesture, are echoed within and inform the process of printmaking. By using the multiplicity of print I am creating visual scores to articulate this relationship between the visual and the sonic, and by developing my use of text and the spoken word I can explore further how the viewer can listen to my work.

Through the process of printmaking I explore the potential of multiplicity and the opportunity to enlarge drawn marks to create immersive spaces through traditional and digital techniques. The weight or indentation of the surface upon which I work is important to me - as an anchor or embrace of the intangible sounds observed.