Scott Bowering: Surface Noise

Title:

Surface Noise

Artist(s) and People Involved:

Creation Year:

2015

Medium:

10 Limited Edition LP’s, Turntable, Plate Glass, Resonance Speaker

Artist Statement:

Surface Noise is comprised of recorded vinyl surface noise pressed in a limited edition of 10 LPs. Over time, the actual surface noise is intended to blend seamlessly with the recorded surface noise. The recording will eventually be indistinguishable from the real occurrence of surface degradation. Surface Noise is an attempt to realize a simultaneously closed but endlessly accommodating format. They have little or no beginning reference point and no possible distortion through reproduction and dissemination. Each album, in the edition of ten, is unique because no two LPs have identical wear and tear. Depending on the owner’s care of the record, the surface noise will be greater or less, but it will be difficult to know what the pristine recording actually is. This piece concerns preservation, chance, and the relationship of recorded media as a material artifact in a changing material circumstance.