Hearing faces, seeing voices: sound art, experimentalism and the ethnographic gaze

The author discusses some of the common ground between anthropology and art through an examination of the ethics of cross-cultural arts practice. He looks at the role of technology, levels of intimacy, humour (or the lack of it) and the value of experimentalism through his own work on four projects:

1. Upcountry, a sound work based on Kenyan master musician Ingosi Mwoshi

2. Hearing Voices, a project based on endangered click-languages in the Kalahari Desert comprising a gallery installation, a composed documentary for radio and a CD-ROM archive. The fieldwork was carried out with linguist Dr Andy Chebanne and visual artist Denise Hawrysio.

3. Transplant, a project based on heart and lung transplant patients comprising a gallery installation, a composed documentary for radio and a book/DVD. The fieldwork was carried out in collaboration with photographer Tim Wainwright.

4. A work in progress based on Gitxsanimaax, an endangered indigenous language in Canada. The fieldwork was carried out with linguist Tyler Peterson and visual artist Denise Hawrysio.