Benoit Maubrey

2016 Kamiyama Artist in Residence participant

My decision in the early 1980s to stop working with pigments and canvas came from a desire to interact directly with public spaces. This is why I decided to work with loudspeakers and media. Loudspeakers have long been integrated into modern life inside our homes, mass transportation, and public spaces — wherever you find people, you’ll find loudspeakers. The art I make is not “high tech”, it’s normal. Speakers are cheap and commonplace: they can be found at flea markets, second-hand stores, recycling centers or in garbage bins. I use loudspeakers much in the same way that a sculptor uses clay or wood: as a modern medium to create artworks with the added attraction that they can make the air vibrate ("sound") around them and create a public "hotspot". (text in 2016)
Artist's Website
 

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KARAOKE TORII

KARAOKE TORII . 2017

Commissioned by Kamiyama Artist Residency Program (KAIR) , Japan
12' x 15' x 2'
Also commissioned by the Kobe Biennale 2015

300 recycled loudspeakers, Bluetooth receivers, microphone, line in, 1 amplifier. A 4-channel speaker system allows the public to express themselves directly via a microphone, a line in or their smart phones and wireless technology.

Main production: Gerrit de Vries.
Electronics: Minori Yamashita