Sound Booth
Sound Booth is a new series of sound installations outside the entrance to the George Segal Gallery. Brian Oakes will be the first artist in this series, bringing together sculpture, sound, and lighting to create an immersive environment for deep listening
On View September 14 – May 10, 2024
Brian Oakes designs and produces his own circuit boards as the main material for his sound and light sculptures using a “do it yourself” approach. Through system-generated light and sound, these sculptures reveal how the mechanical components of computer-based technology work and function.
The circuit boards include unique shapes with components arranged in specific patterns and etched designs that serve both aesthetic and functional purposes. They present a symbolic language reminiscent of ancient runes and function with electrical currents traveling across the symbols and patterns. Oakes’ circuit boards offer a kind of technological divination related to occult and esoteric forms of knowledge production, where electrical impulses pass through symbols and bodies bringing the artwork to life.
Oakes’ Untitled Sound System 11 is made up of 14 circuit boards creating a sonic sculpture that can be modulated using knobs redirecting the intensity of the electrical signals altering the sounds and LED lights that flash as the sculpture emits sound. The installation also features lighting fixtures designed by Oakes made with custom circuit boards, LED light chains, and other materials similar to Untitled Sound System 11. Together, the Sound Booth installation allows for an opportunity to intimately observe and listen deeply to the internal landscapes of computer-based machines.
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About the artist
