Silent Sound Pieces – Graphic Notation Series
Artist Statement
This series results from numerous conversations about nomadic life and its expressions, as experienced by artists on the move. Within the paradigm of continuous new beginnings and endings, we often find ourselves in short-term and long-term situations. We feel we exist in a grey zone when it comes to a sense of belonging and legislation. This grey existence is coupled with black and white phases and also times with bright colors and patterns of events. We feel the twisted, curved, deformed, linear and non-linear fragments in our work mirror the improvisation of life. They are a discussion reflecting the ups and downs to not-yet-existing sound pieces. Each element and color in this series potentially opens up a playful path to improvisation and sonic exploration, while at the same time a graphic representation of silent music as a work of art. We believe that our Graphic Notation Series allows the viewer enough room to interpret the pieces in their own way. Thus, the improvisation of written language in conjunction with drawing creates a new ensemble as a form of art.
As a duo, we work at an intersection of material and ephemeral, acoustic and electronic, order and chaos. Many of our projects spring out of ongoing research on the subject of the Anthropocene, with its by-products and materiality presented through junk, abjected matter, abandoned pieces, and found objects. We contrive distinct sonic spaces using esoteric, and odd musical instruments, feedback systems, as well as unaltered found sounds. These elements become descriptive of the new paradigm on micro and macro levels. By addressing the objects of man-made production in combination with the modes in which these objects are produced, inhabited and used, we hope to re-interpret the relationship between humans and nature. We are doing this through fragmented multi-sensory experiences, improvisation, and immersive media projects that occupy both digital and physical spaces and bring in a set of alternative frames for addressing contemporary reality in artistic research.
The2vvo (thezwo) is an artist duo from Kazakhstan currently living between Berlin and Los Angeles, made up of Eldar Tagi (sound art) and Lena Pozdnyakova (sculpture, architecture, visual arts). The duo explores the complicated dynamics between cultures and spaces, objects and processes through sound, sculpting, visual art, and performance. Their research often takes the form of sound sculptures, recordings, and live audio-visual performances. Nomadic in nature, the duo traveled extensively, participating in festivals such as Ars Electronica, Unsound, CTM, Bauhausfest, and Soundpedro, and taking part in residencies (Kuona Trust, Nairobi, Kenya, and CEC Artslink, among others). Recently, artists have shown their sculptures at Los Angeles Municipal Gallery and CICA Czong Institute for Contemporary Art. Lena is an alumna of the Design Theory and Pedagogy program at the SCI-Arc in Los Angeles, Sheffield University in the UK, and DIA Hochschule Anhalt in Germany. She is currently writing her Ph.D. dissertation in Art History at Freie University in Berlin. Eldar Tagi is an independent composer of electroacoustic music, sound artist, and improviser. Noise, chaos, and feedback are prominent elements in the Tagi’s compositional and installation works, often interweaving with soundscapes of natural environments. He often explores the complex dynamics between the objects, spaces and sound through recordings, acoustic sculptures, and live audio-visual performances. Eldar is currently doing a Master in Sound Studies and Sonic Arts at UDK Berlin.
