Experimental Music, Art, Poetry and Sound Experimentation in Mexico

By Manuel Rocha Iturbide and Israel Martínez

Still "Samples 2", 2008. Francis Alys and Rafael Ortega. DV, 2008

Whether “sound art” is a new genre or not is a moot question, but either way it does help to interconnect a number of fields existing on interdisciplinary peripheries. The ambiguity of these fields led the curators to define and create working groups to cover not only contemporary pieces, but also those that laid the very foundations of the sound art of today. These are: Sound art, containing hybrid works that range from the conceptual to sculpture and installation, and even experimental electroacoustic music. In video as a documenting format we include works that could not be explained without the temporary visual component, such as sound actions, sculptures and installations. Sound landscapes, radio art and sound poetry, (the latter divided into experimental and conceptual vocal sound poetry).

Last, we have three invited fields, two of which are closely linked with sound art and the other one is of a more formal nature: experimental electronic music, experimental music in general and electroacoustic music. This curatorship focuses particularly on the first two as, even though they have had an alternative niche the musical discipline, they have always suffered on account of their open creative process. We think that comparing different sound art works from each of these different groups will help the public contemplate the complexity of current interdisciplinarity, and better understand the richness of interaction between different media. Moreover, after a historical review of Mexican experimental sound work, we expect to be able to understand better the difficulties that the academic fields have been forced to abandon in their formal schemes, and explain why now-a-days sound art has been able to blossom freely in the new generations both in academic fields that were previously completely closed, and in the natural-born self-taught spirit of current technological eclecticism.

15 April 2015 - 25 October 2015

SOUND ART
Gabriel Orozco y Manuel Rocha Iturbide. Línea de abandono (1993). Audio. 4’30’’ (fragmento)
Guillermo Galindo. Maiz (2005). Audio. 3’
Iñaki Bonillas-DJ Sondera. 28 light tones (1999). Audio. 00’14’’
Israel Martínez. Mi Vida (2007). Audio. 7’06’’
Jorge Reyes y Lidia Camacho. Zocaloop (2002). Audio. 3’45’’
José Manuel Mondragón. Salón de Belleza (2002). Audio. 6’19’’

EXPERIMENTAL ELECTRONIC MUSIC
Juan José Rivas. Insomnia (2008). Audio. 3’44’’
Mario de Vega. Horten (2002). Audio. 3’10’’
Punto pig. Día cero (2009). Audio. 8’27’’
Víctor Alzina. Vegetal Is (2001). Audio. 4’20’’
Ensamble Áspero. Improvisación No. 5 (2006). Audio. 4’25’’
Generación Espontánea. Camotes in Space (2007). Audio. 7’43’’
Germán Bringas & Julio Clavijo. Delayuxta (2001). Audio. 1’23’’
Juan José Gurrola. In search of silence (1970). Audio. 8’48’’
Los Lichis. La Carnicería de Chavilocotzin (2005). Audio. 5’

SOUND LANDSCAPE
Jorge Reyes y Peter Avar. Paisaje Sonoro de Michoacán (2005). Audio. 5’57’’ (fragmento)
Manrico Montero. Cántaro de agua (2001). Audio. 3’52’’
Manuel Rocha Iturbide. Boom Box Project (2003): Indian Driver. Audio. 3’31’’. Street in Luxor. Audio. 5’27’’

ELECTROACISTIC MEXICO
Manuel de Elías. Non novo sed nova. Nada nuevo pero en forma nueva (1974). Audio. 6’30’’
Manuel Enríquez. Misa Prehistórica (1980). (Primera parte). Audio. 5’01’’
Alejandra Hernández. Sublingual (2006). Audio. 3’53’’
Antonio Fernández Ros. Con Jícamo (1993). Audio. 4’32’’
Rogelio Sosa. Maquinaria del ansia (1999). Audio. 8’25’’
Arturo Fuentes. FOSIL KV (2006). Audio. 5’
Juan Sebastián. rzw (2002). Audio. 4’12’’
Rodrigo Sigal. Friction of things in other places (La fricción de las cosas en otros lugares) (2002). Audio. 8’55’’
Phantom Power. Pout (2007). Audio. 2’11’’
Mauricio Valdez. Popan II (2005). Audio. 8’25’’

RADIO ART
Luz María Sánchez. Radio1 (2000). Audio. 6’05’’
Oscar Rodrigo Alonso Inclán. El exterminio del tiempo (2005). Audio. 3’11’’
Víctor Manuel Rivas-Dávalos. La salvaje costumbre (1999). Audio. 5’44’’

CONCEPTUAL SOUND POETRY
Felipe Ehrenberg. Maneje con precaución (1973). Audio. 1’37’’
Guillermo Gómez-Peña. Border-X-Frontera (1987). Audio. 12’06’’
Ulises Carrión. Hamlet for Two Voices (1977), Audio. 15’24’’
Ulises Carrión. Three spanish pieces. Audio. 7’20’’

EXPERIMENTAL SOUND POETRY
Ricardo Castillo. Brusca mudanza (1992). Audio. 0’53’’
Rocío Cerón (Poemas) y Bishop (Música). Vistas de un paisaje (2009). Audio. 3’59’’