Israel Martínez
2011
Video - sound installation / action project
NTSC, 16:9, color, stereo sound
10 minutes 9 seconds loop
Improvised Improvisation Ensemble: Oscar Rojas, Ismael Rodríguez, Diego de la Mora and IM.

israelm.com

Amateur collaborators were invited to perform an improvisation with the author - with the idea of making an audiovisual installation - trying to emulate, or create hypothetical soundscapes; this as a possible alternative version to the orthodox view of soundscape, in which the human being, to some extent passive, only records what happens around him, here he takes an active part by transforming it. The group received the following instructions before performing the action: 1 Start with your hands behind your back, your freedom has been limited. 2 Free your hands and your body through some energetic gesture. 3 With no time limit, improvise freely, explore the silence, imitate nature, create hypothetical soundscapes. 4 Finish quietly with your hands behind you, your momentary freedom is over.

The work offers a playful approach to music and chance, plus the possibility to study communication beyond the spoken language. The eyes have been covered, in first instance, so they can concentrate on the sounds of others, in second, because the visual aesthetic and a second conceptual line of the work alludes to the historical deprivation of liberty of Mexican society in any socio-political situation; a kidnapping, if not physical, is psychological; only acting as "animals" we can be seen, not only by the power structures, but also for our own community.