Sound & Video Installations

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I have been working with sound as a medium for creative expression since high school when I created various sound effects and soundtracks for animation and video projects. Thinking of myself primarily as a visual artist, sound was not my focus, merely a side interest. As I developed as an artist my interest in conceptual, environmental and installation art also grew. With this the importance of sound became clearer to me. I struggled for years to find ways to utilize the aural in my creative expression. For exhibitions I would hide loop tapes with sounds that related to art objects I had created in the ceiling.

More recently I have focused more and more on sound as a primary medium. In the past couple of years I have created two installations where sound was a primary medium of expression. Both installations in one sense or another have been in collaboration with one other artist.

Most recently I collaborated with Dave Hanoch to create Challenging Sounds. Coming together to create an exhibition around the theme of sound allowed us to experiment with new ways of presenting some of our more challenging pieces. For this exhibit I created a sculptural installation for a sound based video collaboration I had created earlier with another artist Erik Larsen. In addition, by setting up a listening station to showcase some of my experimental sound pieces I was able to investigate new ways of presenting stereophonic sound in a way that would still contribute to the aural stew concept we were shooting for.

During the summer of 2003 I collaborated with Tanis S'eiltin to create If Only I Had A Seaworthy Vessel. In addition to the various art objects this multi-media installation featured two video projections and four seperate sound sources located throughout the exhibit. In brainstorming for this exhibition Tanis and I decided upon the theme of journey. I designed the layout for the exhibition and created the video and sound sources to help accentuate this theme. I also created the driftwood ladder that disappears into the dark open ceiling, a centeral element that further alludes to a sense of journey.

Sound continues to draw my attention as a primary mode of expression. I am very interested in exploring sound especially in regards to psyche through multimedia installations. I am always working towards creating installations that combine sound, video and found objects in ways that not only transform a space but also transport the viewer.

©2005 Nata Lukas | nathan@natalukas.com