Continuing a trend of publications investigating sound art within a specific geographical context, this paper proposes an original view of the sound installation practice in Québec. This study is part of a research project aiming at building new theoretical and practical tools for the documentation of such artworks. In this paper we present the outcomes of the first phase and its connection with the bigger picture of the project, which is the questioning of the relevance of spatial audio recordings with six degrees of freedom (6DoF) for mediating the capture of knowledge relating to the sensory experience of a work. During the first phase, we developed a conceptual descriptive framework based on a mixed-methods approach, top-down and bottom-up, consisting in a systematic review of literature paralleled with a categorization of contemporary sound art production in Québec based on publicly available documentation. This process led to a formal and quantitative depiction of the Québec scene, which aims to guide both the selection of case studies for the next phases but also to be part of the conceptual tools for investigating the sensory experience of these works. This quantitative depiction of the scene will thus foster a qualitative investigation of the sensory experience of sound art installations and the knowledge that may be lost in standard written documentation practice with an original methodological framework.
Review of Contemporary Sound Installation Practices in Québec
Guillaume Boutard is an associate professor at Université de Montréal (UdeM). His subjects of research include the documentation of creative processes as well as digital preservation and curation. His objects of research include electroacoustic music, mixed music, and sound art.
Catherine Guastavino is an associate professor and William Dawson scholar at McGill University (School of Information Studies and Schulich School of Music) and a member of CIRMMT. Her research interests include spatial hearing, spatial audio, sound art, soundscapes, sensory experiences, everyday sound categorization, and music psychology.
Nicolas Bernier is an artist and professor in composition and sound art at the faculty of music of Université de Montréal. His work mainly focuses on finding ways to make sound art tangible by way of hybrid devices, performances, and installations.
Philippe-Aubert Gauthier is a professor at École des arts visuels et médiatiques at Université du Québec à Montréal, associate director of artistic research at CIRMMT, and an artist in the field of sound and digital art. He has expertise in acoustics and spatial audio, holding a PhD in acoustics.
Valérian Fraisse is a PhD candidate in co-tutelle with McGill University (Montreal) and IRCAM (Paris). His areas of interest include research around urban soundscapes, interactive and integrated sound installations, and perceptive evaluations.
Nicola Giannini is a doctoral student (D.Mus) at the Université de Montréal, under the supervision of Robert Normandeau. His academic research focuses on immersive music composition, both acousmatic and performed. He is presently a research assistant with the Groupe de recherche en immersion spatiale (GRIS).
Julien Champagne holds a master's degree in information science and a master's degree in art history from the Université de Montréal. As an artist and musician, he has developed a multidisciplinary practice that spans the fields of media arts and experimental music.
Guillaume Boutard, Catherine Guastavino, Nicolas Bernier, Philippe-Aubert Gauthier, Valérian Fraisse, Nicola Giannini, Julien Champagne; Review of Contemporary Sound Installation Practices in Québec. Resonance 1 June 2022; 3 (2): 177–193. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/res.2022.3.2.177
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