ALVA NOTO INTERVIEW

9.05 2010 Aosta

-In your opinion, do you think that music itself is an absolute form of art, or image may compete it?

1. Firstable I think, I’d like to talk something more about sound rather than music, because I really see sound as a little wide of spectral of frequency so music is only like a part of this and in this case if you look in the wide of picture and of course, have seen a big connection between sound and light for instance, for me is very related, both describe frequencies, of course, in a very different range... but for me there’s a really strong relation to these events and I really, let’s say than into electronic music and looking with pure wave forms - that’s how you generate quite artificially sounds won’t not that separated than system than nature. Then, this kind of sounds they have a kind of graphic equivalent very easy, actually because the wave forms can generate really geometric shapes, very simple because of the assembled diametric nature of the wave form. So for me, there’s a strong relation, and sound always is, and at the same time the music, is a very abstract language who talks to me in a very direct way.

-In your works we note various attempts of sound synesthesia : do you relate sounds to shapes and/or colors. Have you ever related auditory perception to tactile, taste or smell sensation? Would you like to work on it?

2. Of course when you worried of the sense of hearing and seeing you think about other senses too. So, temperature, like acceleration, smell, of course this is something immediate. And I think in a way like temperature … is very related to sound, even acceleration of speed is very related, but smell not in the first place of course, but, of course, when y think about perception, how you percept then this kind of senses are interesting too.

-When you hear a sound, does it remain pure in your mind, or do you elaborate it almost immediately creating distorsions and variations?

3. Yes, sometimes yes, sometimes no. But it’s not always the same, you know. Yeah, but in a way they stay pure, they kind of stay pure for me.

-In your works you have often used light. What does it mean for you the interweaving of shadows , the alternating of spaces and bright shapes?

4. In the first place I’m really interested, of course, in what we see, how we see, what is colour, what we percept really. And of course what we percept is light, is all reflection of light. And this is very interesting to me because of course we know that our brain can be full by very like optical illusions and many other things, but our brain is as well as quite clever, is kind of interprets already something, is kind - when something is missing is kind of heading. So for me, when I use light is not so much about the shadow, there’s something that is really beautiful, of course light and shadow, but for me, in the first place I’m really interested about what is light, what is excepting.

[the work with Sakamoto is related?]

The work with Sakamoto is really like music in a very poetic way, the way we used light in this case has a very strong poetic aspect of to use light. And we collaborated for light designers for the show and the projection. but all the goal was, this is what we brought, we want to stay very pure, like the colour or simple geometric elements who impressed as with the intensity of light, intensity of colour this is something really straighten for my works.

-Loop: how repetition is important for you? Not only in your composer job.

5. I mean repetition this all sentence about repetition. Repetition is the mock of knowledge, people say, so you learn things by repeating. And of course you took everything different and that is as well, repetition is something really interesting because I’m not only pure interested in repetition, as well as I’m interested in when things all go wrong in the process of repetition. This interesting aspect: one thing is, of course, pure mistakes, like repetition process of a tape, the tape is kind of discrediting; or in a machinery process the computer makes hour in the calculation process. But, as well our perception dusts builds these kind of phantom words when you hear a long phrase’s repeating often, often and often, we’re kind of building new phrases together. This is another kind of aspect that I’m really interested to.

-Do you think that ambient sounds are, somehow, more delightful than the arificial ones, due to the fact that the ambient sounds are closer to intimate human nature.

7. I don’t think so. I think for me, when you mean ambient sound maybe you mean like a field recording, like a natural recording. [yeah] Of course this is a really complex sound, I mean what is very, very difficult to repeat artificially because the environment and everything is incredibly complex. But, I really think that’s something I’m really interested into, it’s that you can destivate specific events with this knowledge, specific stuff out of these events and kind of use it [I’m not wondering to use a ray construction] in a kind of way that you can use here as pure wave forms. So, you can create space by specific phasing of 2 frequencies in the left and in the right channel and imitate here and space … it’s really about space, really interesting.

-In consideration of actual audio production technology, what do you prefer to use of software and hardware? And how much is Graphic interface important for you?

8. I think graphic interfaces are really important in general because we work with the computers, and computers have graphical representations. So, I think we’re really in an age, in a moment where our graphical representation is really strong and is rolling really quickly. I think more, more people orientation, analyses, medicine, they are really more picture oriented, much, much more. The society, as well, needs this kind of really fast, quick guideline, a visual guideline to orient. As well, it seems we really have a quite incredible fast perception: it’s really incredible how fast we can percept, how much we can percept as well.

[for example reason interface]

Yeah, I think, interfaces are really become important because computers are, like for me as any performance places, I use any kind of interfaces from circumpending ?????? hardware to software, to touch-screen. I’m just using what I feel as absolutely practical for me: I’m using the touch-screen because I want to have the maximum flexibility for different performances with the same controller so I can figure out if I knew every time I performed, for instance and I can keep on going. If I’d have only one controller then an hardware too, it’s one specific controller, I kind of like, but..I like this kind of flexibility, I like this idea of having everything with me and create everything.. and I have my all set up with me.

[so, the customization of the advices is really important for you..]

What I really like a perform of the same tools as the tools, so my NAPATORY???? is at the same time my instruments, my performing, but at the same time I have all the possibilities to create music like the day before the performance I can do, I can just before..

I dare to say, you are to music as Nam June Paik is to the video, above all as far as your origins in East Berlin are concerned.

What led you to create sounds starting from rearranged objects? When you see a device do you automatically think to the sound it may ensue? Also in this case is there any relation between audio and shapes?

9. [..] Of course it’s a big compliment to be compare to Nam Jun Paik, in my work, it’s really nice, I’m very inspired by his stuffs, is really nice. [you’ve used the television..] and the telephone ring..And she did very similar things, experimentations, but I found later out, it’s not so far away.

What I really like with the television is its, and this is very similar for N.J.Paik, that I used the television as a creative expression. So normally a television receives its signal and broadcasts a signal. So it’s really like, let’s say that it’s somebody delivering information and watching it. But I’m really interested actually in what is television. Can I make it a creative tool to television? And, so, what you do if you do different sources inside instead of the normal television programs. So I think this is something really interesting when you deal with the wrong standards or experimenting with this kind of tools.

[This is also referred to Berlin’s political situation?]

Of course for me the television was always, is always a problem, also today cause television is a big problem again, is a political tool, and is always connected to this. I don’t have a television, but I have many in my installations. For me, I feel a big danger because they produce television program, they produce certain needs, they produce certain opinion and I think it’s kind of dangerous. I like using the television as an aspect in each process.

-Whay do you think about Contemporary music, and how do you approach it?

10. I think music is always something that was around us. I think it will never ever disappear. I think is a phase really important, I think is really as a daily life, it’s part of our daily life. To the new generation of music makers I can always tell don’t use the tools we can buy in the shops. And use unusual tools, like look for tools that not everybody uses to create something new. This is very important, cause, analyzing, if we use all the same tools that everybody uses, it will always sound the same.