RPM hums
Wellington 2018
Julieanna Preston
The pervasiveness of electric-powered motors and devices is undeniable. Each one emits a range of sounds that register the kinectic movement of mechanical parts, and the difference between ideal geometry and physics compared to the reality of moving parts to become imbalance, distorted, expanded or misaligned during prolonged periods of rotations or oscillations. “RPM hums” will introduce you to such live-resonating mechanical creatures found within walking distance of Performance Arcade. Here, we will listen closely to what others might call out as noise pollution; we will attune to the motor’s pitch and frequency, to hum, to vibrate with it as an empathetic body.
Julieanna Preston is an artist inquiring about the vitalities and virtualities of earthly materials. Her works draw out empathetic emotions and gestures relative to grief, care, caution, longing and lament in the context of site-responsive live art performances. These encounters invest in sustained periods of duration in a practice dedicated to material ethics in a millieu of epic ecological challenges. She has performed, lectured and published to international audiences in Singapore, Sweden, UK, Germany, US, Canada, The Netherlands, Italy, New Zealand and Australia.
College of Creative Arts, Massey University