Audible Picture Show

A diverse range of inventive and creative people – including some of the most interesting film makers and audio artists working today – respond to the challenge of creating short audio works. The task given to the artists is very simple. They must keep the context (a darkened cinema) firmly in mind and not exceed five minutes. Curator and producer Matt Hulse wants to keep the project as accessible to makers as possible. He tries to curate the show in such a way that it has site-specific elements, so that it is relevant to the ‘screening’ space – this is why he invites local artists to create a work for each new show.It’s important to remember that our experience of the world is ‘spatial’ – we’re informed and transformed by our environment, particularly by the soundscape around us. With audio elements alone, it’s possible to create a convincing ‘place’ in the darkness, which the audience can be led through, and can be positioned within, given a ‘point of view’ from which to experience events unfolding. For the audience, it is a challenge to sit still, in the dark, in a room with strangers. The result of this ingenious experiment is a unique and entertaining experience giving the mind’s eye a welcome stretch. Hulse created the Audible Picture Show to encourage the appreciation of sound in film.