Sound Citizen: Curating Sound Art in Public Spaces

Abstract

This paper revisits and contextualizes the curatorial practices and research methodologies from the past two decades where curating is framing research into sound as medium for art; and the writing of sound art histories. I will argue that (only?) a curating­based research methodology makes it possible to study sound art as the truly transdisciplinary field of practice it is; moreover, it broadens the scope of research, allowing for investigations into the hybridization of artistic practices; and to include questions arising from the 'world of the citizen', society and the post­digital 'audience' (also named 'implied producers' by the author). Thus, media art viewed through the curation of sound art, I am claiming in this paper, not only reveals the close affinity to the expanded public space and the citizen of the mediated 'Bürgerliches offentlichkeit' (post­Habermas); it makes it possible to investigate and reflect on media art as a dynamic, transdisciplinary and complex field of production. The notion of the 'sound citizen' is inspired by the notion of the ’citizens of the artwork’ (María Andueza Olmedo) – the unprepared audience to sound art in public spaces which are affected and in turn affect the art work it self. The central question is, what constitutes these ’art­citizens’ as in the creation of an artistically and sonically defined environment, and how can they be activated in this creation? Furthermore, how could this position of the art­citizen reflect back on­to the situation and constitution of the public space as an open and political space?