Flat Earth Folded

Greg Pond + Jesse Cahn Thompson

In an age that produces an ever-increasing amount of recorded artifacts, sound is increasingly experienced as compressed, filtered and glossy data through an abundant variety of mediums, rendering the source nearly meaningless at times. Flat Earth Folded is a response to this subjugation of sound. It explores the conceived relationship between space and object by utilizing sound as witness and the primary agent of inquiry of physical space. The approach is both ancient and modern. Electronic media and computer music programming are combined with an experience of sound that is defined by the material and spatial arrangement of the landscape constructed within the gallery. Prior to the introduction of electronic an recorded music, the experience of sound was contingent upon a broader ranger of environmental factors defined by space, time, and materials.

“Music is liquid architecture; Architecture is frozen music.” – Johan Wolfgang Von Goethe

Flat Earth Folded is a sculptural installation that uses transducers to activate various materials as speakers. The exhibition is both site and sense-specific. Thompson and Pond are interested in how the perception of the physical size and movement of sound defines the space around us. The arrangement of objects and sound in the work creates a re-framing and re-describing of our temporal and spatial experience. A sonic transducer transforms the material to which it is attached into the device that conveys pulses of energy into audible sound. This transformation of energy to sound to spatial/sculptural arrangement defines the structure for each of their projects.

Big Medium is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting contemporary art in Texas. Big Medium produces the East Austin Studio Tour, the West Austin Studio Tour, the Texas Biennial, and present innovative exhibitions throughout the year. Big Medium provides affordable studio space to artists, and partners with various organizations in Texas to help foster the arts and facilitate an inclusive cultural dialogue between artists and their communities.