Artist Statement

Vinyl, Software, Augmented Reality (2013)

In Shannon Novak’s String Section, blank walls and architectural features are transformed into musical instruments that the audience can interact with using a mobile device. When a smartphone or tablet is held up to a geometric form, the form animates and generates a single musical note. People can interact with the work alone or play with others to generate musical scores. The geometric forms visually and sonically disrupt the otherwise blank canvas of the environment, and disrupt social patterns of everyday flow.

• Shannon Novak is an artist based in Auckland, New Zealand. He works in painting, sculpture, and installation, with a focus on using geometric forms to explore the interrelationships between sound, colour, form, time, space, and social context. He completed a residency at CentralTrak at the University of Texas at Dallas in 2011. He has been engaged in public commissions in Auckland, New Plymouth, and Denver, and co-founded West gallery at The University of Auckland in 2012.

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