Great design by Julia for Open Editions’ new sound works series Continuous Tone
David Blamey, the artist who founded publisher Open Editions, has authored the first release from Continuous Tone, a series of sound works that treat the medium as a viable space for the production of art.
In the sleeve notes to RURAL, David’s contribution to the series, he speaks to Adrian Shaughnessy about the origins of Continuous Tone and his practice more broadly. David says that he was challenged to think more seriously about material choices and resources by the American conceptual artist Douglas Huebler’s quote: “The world is full of objects, more or less interesting. I do not wish to add any more.” He describes sound as interesting in both its immateriality – “sound particles are so indefinably small, its material presence lends itself to focus and contemplation” – and the fact it’s easy to store and transport – “it is both more democratic and expedient to distribute sound as art than other materials.”
On side A of Rural is Wait For It, which consists of the sound of sticks of charcoal burning overlaid with the tinkling of animal bells and the creak of a mechanical toy bell being played. The piece reflects the aural landscape of a town in south west France, in Wait For It, with a specifically historical tone while Nothing Happens, on the B side, consists of documentary recordings of sound events from a rural French garden. Sounds that are so present we hardly hear them are here amplified, singled out and repeated.
For Continuous Tone twelve artists have been invited to produce sound works, none of whom commonly use audio in their practice. Each release is issued as a limited-run heavy pressing with specially commissioned sleeve notes, imagery and information booklets. The imprint is designed by London-based studio Julia and will be launched at the South London Gallery on 8 April with a live performance of the work.
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Billie studied illustration at Camberwell College of Art before completing an MA in Visual Communication at the Royal College of Art. She joined It’s Nice That as a Freelance Editorial Assistant back in January 2015 and continues to work with us on a freelance basis.