Bergen Centre for Electronic Arts

The artistic practice of Maia Urstad is continuously exploring the intersection of contemporary music, sound and visual art. She graduated from The Bergen National Academy of the Arts in 1981 whilst a member of the ska/new-wave group ‘Program 81’, releasing 4 records and touring between 1979-84.

In the eighties, her artistic medium migrated toward sound experimentation, and since 1987 she has worked with sound in various art projects, installations, site-specific concerts, theater and films in Norway and abroad.

In her work sound is integrated with specific locations. Recent practice includes outdoor and indoor sound installations and performances, using CD and cassette-radios for sound reproduction and transmission as well as building sculptural objects, commenting on the temporary nature of present technology. The sound-textures for these projects are made from found and concrete sound sources, particularly signals from radio broadcast and telecommunication. At present she is investigating multi-channel FM transmissions sent to multiple radios as sound installations and performances.

Maia Urstad also curates and produces sound-related art projects and exhibitions through her company ‘Maur Prosjekter’, and she has collaborated with a wide range of artists, curators and producers over the years.

More information:
http://www.maia.no/

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About Listening to Donald Judd

Sound is becoming an integrated part of contemporary artistic practices. Artists working with sound are relating to and crossing the boundaries between contemporary fine arts, sound art, sound in the arts, contemporary music, popular music, experimental music, electronic music and more, all with their particular and interweaving histories and discourses.

This course will encourage an increased awareness and appreciation of the different perspectives, when listening to sound and music as well as through the development of a language for discussing sound and music.

We will meet for 1-2 hours at regular intervals (approx. every 2-3 weeks) to listen to, discuss and analyze a selection of works spanning the history of sound art as well as contemporary and popular music, combined with collective readings of selected relevant texts.

The course is a collaboration between BEK and Bergen National Academy of the Arts.