A popular movement the world over, the concept of sound art is slowly making inroads into the Indian mainstream with a full-fledged festival dedicated to the format
The idea of music as an ‘art form’ may not exactly be a new one. But a small coterie of artists in the country are redefining the way music, or more clearly ‘sound’ is being looked at by introducing to the audience something that has recently been gaining global traction - sound art. And what better way to make anything mainstream than by holding a festival
Sound Reasons, an ongoing three-city festival, is organised by a Delhi-based recording studio-cum-music lab by the same name. Conducted in collaboration with the Swiss cultural wing, Pro Helvetia, this festival is touted as the first full-fledged event of its kind in the field of sound art. It has roped in artists from Switzerland and Finland to collaborate and perform with Indian sound art enthusiasts.
According to its organisers, it’s a first step in creating a “space for art, experimentation and expression of the sonic medium”.
Even though it is predominantly dedicated to genres in the vast canopy of electronic music, this festival has very little in common with an Electronic Dance Music (EDM) event. Devoid of the usual swinging, swerving and gyrating dance moves that have become EDM signatures, Sound Reasons is an experience more akin to visiting an art gallery, according to its organisers. Festival’s director S Ish explains, “Sound Art is a platform where the medium, which is sound, itself becomes the subject. To put it more simply, music is a product of pitch and rhythmically correct sound accompanied by its own rules and limitations, which make it more homogenous. But in sound art, every sound is explored as a medium of creative output. So it is heterogeneous and diverse in its nature. Even though it is a music festival, it crosses over more towards the side of an art exhibition.”
Chandrika Grover of Pro-Helvetia sheds some light on how popular sound art is in the West. “Granted that it is not the sort of art form that would attract audience in hordes, but the reason why we are promoting Sound Reasons is because it is already a very popular movement in Europe. There are some amazing Swiss artists in the line-up and we are helping them and this format find an audience in India.” Speaking more about the nature of the genre, she continues, “What makes this cutting edge is its use of, I wouldn’t say esoteric, but rarified techniques and technologies. Although this is not in any sense mainstream, the idea of this festival is to provide a conduit for sound art to evolve and flourish in the country.” And the festival is just the first step in this direction. “The aim is to go beyond holding just a festival and promote sound art more holistically. We have already put together two CDs and we want to make sure there is a sustainable growth of the format,” Chandrika adds.
Swiss sound artist, Gaudenz Badrutt, who is also one of the headliners in the festival, tells us where sound art differs from the mainstream. “Sound art is very wide. It is not that it is different from the mainstream, but that it also encompasses the mainstream. It can veer off towards commercial techno or can be something very artistic as well.” Telling us about his performance Badrutt says, “My performance incorporated the concept of sampling. It starts with unsettling sounds and slowly settles into melodious or easy-on-the-ear notes. The idea is to create a doubt as to where exactly the music starts. But for me all sound is music,” he adds. About his experience in India, Badrutt says, “India is a great place for music and unlike Europe it is very open in terms of musical tastes. So I am sure that India has a really strong potential to become a big part of sound art movement. Another facet of India that I really like is that all the cities are so noisy. I love noises as they influence my music,” he adds.
As diverse as the art form is, so is its audience. Nikhil Narendra, who specialises in electronic music and has performed at the festival in its Bengaluru edition, says, “People generally associate electronic music with dance. But at Sound Reasons you will find people sitting and experiencing sound as an art. The audience comprised old folks and young ones in equal measure and all displayed the same level of interest. The music is more purely technical. The creative output only comes out during the performances. But there is a lot of nuanced understanding and technical elements that go into the process of coming up with the ‘sound’.”
Adding more about the response to the festival, Nikhil says, “News about the festival spread through word-of-mouth. Many came to see just out of curiosity, some got bored and left halfway. But the ones that stayed, stayed throughout and were genuinely interested. So even though the format is very new to the country, it is gaining a strong audience.”
The festival’s line-up includes Colin Black, Gaudenz Badrutt, James Brewster, who are popular names in the genre. Ish adds, “The festival may not be as popular as the mainstream ones in the country, but it is already making waves in the international circuit, especially in Europe, where people are saying that this is one of the best line-ups. In India though, it is a very new thing. I don’t think there is anyone else who is exploring this format in the country right now. But that said, it has a lot of scope to develop in the country.”
