Abstract:
Since the first sound-themed group exhibition in the late 1960s, sound has been presented as subject, manipulated as material, and mobilized as concept by artists and musicians working across disciplinary boundaries. I argue that the way these works have been represented in exhibition materials has had a profound effect not only on historiography of these practices but also on the aesthetic development of sound as a medium. Drawing examples from catalogs and exhibition ephemera, I will outline the manner in which exhibitions of sound works have been documented and trace the effect of these practices on current sound art history and criticism. I will conclude with a presentation of my recent work, which uses sound to create of a sense of place, highlight the workings of memory, and influence the experience of time.