Regions of Influence is a multi-channel sound installation blending the art of radio transmission with the unique and obscure language of dreams. It was created by Tim Fodness under the technical guidance of Joseph Morris. Over the course of roughly three years, sound artist Tim Fodness logged his dreams in a journal and recorded himself reading them. The archive randomly split into groups and stored on media players for audio playback. Each media player is connected to a transmitter that broadcasts its dream content on a specific radio frequency. These frequencies are then tuned into using multiple radios placed around the room. The result is an immersive installation in which multiple dreams are transmitted and received simultaneously. Those visiting the exhibition enter the world of the dreamer, and are enveloped in the symbolic language broadcasted by the unconscious psyche.
Friday, February 26th 2016 at 7:00 pm
Harvestworks, #602, 596 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
Regions of Influence is a multi-channel sound installation blending the art of radio transmission with the unique and obscure language of dreams. It was created by Tim Fodness under the technical guidance of Joseph Morris. Over the course of roughly three years, sound artist Tim Fodness logged his dreams in a journal and recorded himself reading them. The archive was randomly split into groups and stored on media players for audio playback. Each media player is connected to a transmitter that broadcasts its dream content on a specific radio frequency.
These frequencies are then tuned into using multiple radios placed around the room. The result is an immersive installation in which multiple dreams are transmitted and received simultaneously. Those visiting the exhibition enter the world of the dreamer, and are enveloped in the symbolic language broadcasted by the unconscious psyche.
Fields, which are defined by science as regions of influence, are present in both radio and dreaming. In radio, it’s the electromagnetic field that makes transmission possible. In dreams, it’s the field of obscure ideas known as the unconscious mind. Dreaming is said to be a compensatory function. As the conscious mind becomes increasingly bogged down with the practical demands of society, the unconscious weighs in reminding the dreamer of his or her inner attitude. This is why the study of dreams is so important. It helps us shed light on our individual personalities. The same can also be said about the concept of radio, as any study on the subject will reveal its continued role in providing us with much of our current technology. Technology that has become more of a requirement to carry, and less of a requirement to understand.
The language of dreams can be difficult to interpret. A dream experienced on a Monday may make little sense until compared to those of Wednesday and Thursday. The opposite also occurs, when Friday’s dreams point to the obvious misinterpretation of a symbol from Tuesday. As an introduction to the content of this project, it must be understood as a vast archive of obscure symbolism. These symbols, whether beautiful or grotesque, are difficult to interpret without the aid of the dreamer. For this reason, I will end with some quick statements about the archive.
Many of these symbols are archetypes from a deeper level of the unconscious.
Many of these dreams reveal a battle with neurotic behavior.
Many of these dreams were anticipatory, and helped guide me through certain situations.
Some of these dreams reveal a positive arc in the search for the unique self.
THESE DREAMS ARE UNEDITED. SOME CONTENT INCLUDES GRAPHIC LANGUAGE.
Special Thanks to Anna Pasztor, Christopher Wenzel, and Justin Brooks
BIOS
Tim Fodness is a sound artist, sound designer, and writer. His works include Robert Cane’s Unusual Collection 2012, Bertha Mars Fossillator (The Harmonic Crusade and So it Goes) 2012, Untitled Suggestions and So it Goes 2013, Spacemen Waving at the Camera 2014, and Smoke Travels Everywhere 2016. He was a 2013/2014 Harvestworks resident. His work has been featured on the Australian radio program Soundproof, and the Vox Novus 60X60 Surround Installation. He is currently working on the multi-channel piece Regions of Influence and an upcoming podcast.
Joseph Morris is a contemporary Mixed Media Sculptor based in Brooklyn, NY where he is currently Visiting Professor and Technician with Pratt Institute’s department of Industrial Design. Morris was born in Bronx, NY in 1984, received his MFA in Art and Technology Studies at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and his BFA in Sculpture from State University of New York at Purchase College. He has exhibited in the US and abroad including shows at Oi Futura Gallery in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Gibney Dance, NYC, ACRE Projects, and The Glass Curtain Gallery in Chicago, IL, and Warehouse 508 in Albuquerque, NM during the International Symposium of Electronic Arts. In 2015 Morris received an unrestricted faculty development grant for the purpose of developing a new collaborative technology based work, and was awarded The Harvestworks Media Arts Center residency in Lower Manhattan. In 2013, he was awarded a residency at ACRE Projects in Steuben, WI, and resident fellow in 2010 at The Contemporary Artists Center in Troy, NY.
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