Jill Scott. Juried Artist
Artist Statement
AURALROOTS encourages the participant to explore our tactile and aural sensory perception of space and place, by exploring oral histories alongside three immersive sonic experiences. It invites viewers to engage in a nanoscale world and interact with 24 hanging sculptures to trigger sound compositions. These sculptural forms are inspired by the functions and forms of the stereocilia: tiny inner and outer hair cells on our auditory nerves located in the Organ of Corti in the Cochlea. AURALROOTS offers metaphorical learning experiences from being embodied in three different sonic ecologies: (A) as a growing embryo immersed in the womb, (B) as a daughter listening to First Nation oral stories about bush food and finally, (C) as a female artist in a laboratory with auditory scientists. The overall aim is to explore how sound and memory are related to immersion inside each sonic ecology. AURALROOTS is part of the series called Neuro_Eco_Media, that aims to explore neural and ecological complexities and as well, encourage new social, cultural, and educated “ways of seeing”, thereby also adding to the field of audio-visual culture.
The project is the result of a Residency at SymbioticA, UWA Perth and funded by Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council.
About the artists
Dr. Jill Scott is a media artist, a curator, a writer and an art and science researcher. She is professor emerita from the Zurich University of the Arts (ZhdK) in Zürich, Switzerland, and founded their Artists-in-Labs Program in 2000. Her own artwork spans 44 years of production about gender equality, design, the human body, and body politics. In the last 20 years she has focused human health based on research into molecular biology, neuroscience, botany, and ecology. She has had many international exhibitions in both art and science venues. She also curates LASER Salon in Zurich for the Leonardo Society USA and writes books on art and science (Springer and de Gruyter)
Credits: PRODUCTION CREDITS. ARTIST & DIRECTOR Jill Scott PROGRAMMING & ELECTRONICS Nikolaus Völzow INDIGENOUS STORIES RESEARCH Tess Corino RECORDINGS King Street Studios and Koori Radio, Gadigal Information Service, Sydney, Australia WOMB SOUNDS Les Gilbert (Magian) ANIMATION Andrew Quinn CONSTRUCTION HELP Patrick Jost • Marille Hahne SOUND MIX Olav Lervik • Gregg Skerman. ACTORS: KHI-LEE THORPE, WANDJINA SMITH, LILLIAN CROMBIE, ELAINE CROMBIE, JINNY SMITH, LYN- PAULETTE WHITTON, LILY SHEARER. COACH: FRED COPPERWAITE.
URL: www.jillscott.org