Lee Ranaldo

In Williamsburg Bklyn last year I exhibited a sound/sculpture titled '5 in 6', for a single spkr and tape loop. During every 6 min period there was one 5 sec burst of soundÑthe event point, as it were, in an otherwise silent field. The long stretches of silence were framed by the brief moments of sound, activating and drawing them into the audio work.

I have expanded this concept into works for 8 channels in the confines of Studio Five Beekman. Two related works have been created: one for sounds and one for voices, which interleave at hourly intervals. The principles are the same for both: 8 channels of looped sound information - long silences/bursts of content. Thanks to a computer-driven playback system, the length of each loop (how frequently the sound appears) and the spatial placement of each channel in the room vary according to a preset schema. What is not predetermined is how these 8 channels interact with each other. Thus, 8 sound events overlap, expand and contract as the silences between events lengthen and diminish.

In Tony Conrad's film "The Flicker", the gradual interchange of (only) black and white frames thru the projector produces a hypnotic, heightened visual state. I'm hoping for something similar here, w sound.

Lee Ranaldo 3/99

Lee Ranaldo joined forces with Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore in 1981 to create Sonic Youth. Steve Shelley joined in 1985, and they have been playing together ever since. He also performs with William Hooker, Leah Singer, Jim O'Rourke, Mats Gustafsson, Zeena Parkins, Christian Marclay, a.o. He recently wrote TimeScraper Loops (1999) for the Zeitkratzer Ensemble in Berlin.

recent SY: Silver Session for Jason Knuth. June 1998.

recent solo: Dirty Windows. April 99.. Amarillo Ramp (for Robert Smithson). Jan 1998

recent writing: Jrnls80s, Soft Skull Press, Jan 99.

for more information:

web site: www.sonicyouth.com