Artist Statement

10 Limited Edition LP’s, Turntable, Plate Glass, Resonance Speaker (2015)

Surface Noise is comprised of recorded vinyl surface noise pressed in a limited edition of 10 LPs. Over time, the actual surface noise is intended to blend seamlessly with the recorded surface noise. The recording will eventually be indistinguishable from the real occurrence of surface degradation. Surface Noise is an attempt to realize a simultaneously closed but endlessly accommodating format. They have little or no beginning reference point and no possible distortion through reproduction and dissemination. Each album, in the edition of ten, is unique because no two LPs have identical wear and tear. Depending on the owner’s care of the record, the surface noise will be greater or less, but it will be difficult to know what the pristine recording actually is. This piece concerns preservation, chance, and the relationship of recorded media as a material artifact in a changing material circumstance.

• Scott Bowering is an instructor at Emily Carr University and The School of Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University and has exhibited work in Canada and internationally. His diverse working methods are informed by an interest in the experience and psychology of perception, organization, and disorder, as both subject matter and working process. Recent exhibitions include Holding Environment (Montréal PQ), The Constant Gallery (Los Angeles CA) and Unity (Vancouver BC). He is a two-time recipient of Canada Council Research and Production Grants.

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