[ISEA2015] Artist Statement: Michael Dean – LIGHT POLLUTION

Artist Statement

Sound (2014)

Light Pollution works with sounds that are characteristic of digital audio production and playback mediums. Traditionally, listeners ignore the sounds produced by playback devices, such as the crackling of phonographs or the lossy .mp3 compression from YouTube. In Light Pollution, these by-products are presented in the foreground, allowing them to fully assert themselves as primary compositional materials. The work is comprised of sounds from old radios, broken turntables and other playback apparati. The materials were repeatedly subjected to a variety of digital-only processes.

  • Michael Dean is a Canadian sound artist and composer based in Montreal, Quebec. He holds an MA in Music Technology from the University of Limerick. Artefacts and by-products of playback devices and audio production tools make up the primary source of his compositional materials. His work draws on 1960s minimalism, iterative processes and meta-music effects. Dean has had compositions performed both in Canada and Europe, and has been featured on radio programmes such as RTE Lyric FM’s award-winning new music programme, Nova.

Text with images (PDF)  p. 106-107