2012-13
Multi-media performance with sound, video, live props (coffee grinds, children’s karaoke machine, shoes, answering machine, rotary telephone, chair, cushion, water, etc). Roughly 6.5 minutes long
The One with all the Noise is a live performance that uses Foley sound—the reproduction of everyday sound that is added in post-production to film, television and radio—to substitute for digital noises from a sequence from the episode “The One Where No One’s Ready”. Performed in front of a projected video of the sequence, I recreate all the sound effects— with a main focus on digital sounds—and reproduce them live through analogue means. As the purpose of a Foley artist is to create fully synced and integrated sounds—with the goal of going unnoticed—in displacing, but also replacing the sound from its original source, the focus shifts from onscreen dialogue to the actions and sounds of the Foley artist (in this case, me). In this performance, the stakes are high and the possibility of failure, mishap, and humiliation are likely—much like they are in the sitcom genre. Generating empathy from the audience—in both my performance and on television—is also a goal. Sitcoms work as a form of entertainment because the audience feels connected to the characters, and this keeps them coming back week after week.
Special thanks to New Adventures in Sound Art, who helped me develop this project in the 2012 TRANS X residency, Toronto, and to Mark Lowe, my trusty and amazing sound guy.