Meet Hannah Fredsgaard-Jones!
Hannah is a Danish composer, performer, and sound artist based in Oxford. During Boundary Encounters, Hannah has been continuing and developing her ongoing artistic research. From pop-up workshops, to wandering the galleries playing a clarinet; Hannah’s practice centres on a collaborative, community approach. Last week, we had the opportunity to catch up with her and discuss her experiences as a Creative in Residence.
Can you tell us about what you are working on during your Residency?
My key ideas evolve around Britain’s deteriorating waterways and sonic degradation of recorded sounds. During the residency I have been busy capturing the sounds of canals and rivers in and around Oxford. I am recording with a hydrophone and directly onto hand-cut 8-second tape cassette loops. The loops are then removed from their casings and submerged into jam jars with water, collected from the point of the recording. The plan is to begin taking the tape loops out to dry from next month, before inserting them back into their casings ready for playback.
Can you talk about the materials and techniques you prefer to use in your art, and why you find them compelling?
My aesthetic favours the handmade, found sounds, analogue technologies, and repurposed objects. I find that these elements invite lots of experimentation, happy accidents and play into my process. For me, this often leads to new ideas and surprising discoveries.
Hannah’s recent works include new music for ‘Voices of Exmoor’ as part of the Adopt a Music Creator Scheme, a site-specific sound walk about Ash Trees supported by Oxford Contemporary Music and an early years sound piece ‘Fill Your Boots’ for Tiny Ideas Festival.
Make sure to drop by the gallery this Friday, for a chance to chat with Hannah and take part in her Water Sound Recording Workshop.
