Ephraim Joris :

The third chapter as presented at the GRC conference;

By declaring my practice to be the subject of my own research – a strategy prescribed by RMIT - the limitations of architectural practice to perform on a discursive level in line with my practice objectives becomes increasingly more apparent. It is at this point that my practice of architecture negotiates a position in symbiosis with other disciplinary strategies of making, drawing and writing. The tools by which my practice is enabled diversify, providing moments of distance to architectural practice accommodating a ‘personal playground’ outside my ‘profession’ working with people from different backgrounds using different media.

This mode of working enables a critical reflective viewing of my own work sanitizing any theoretical pursue (as part of the research), in relation to my own work, from notions of parametric design and scientific (sustainable) strategies. In return the impulsive act of design through connotation, deviation, error and coincidence is acknowledged to support the recognition and further development of the tools deployed to trigger such deviations. The title Deviation Diagram was born here and the re-reading of my practice up till that point accommodated.

One of the ‘other media’ I use is sound in the composition of ‘constructs’. The process is incredibly simple. I extract sounds from surroundings. I am particularly interested in extracting sounds that are somehow related to absence such as the crackling of radio in-between channels, the humming of electricity or the echo of a room. These sounds are subjected to a process of editing using engineering software decomposing and dissecting sound spectra. The parts are then recomposed. This process of re-composition is entirely intuitive; a search for rhythm, color, composition and emotion. This sound work has been used in film, sound design for the KLCC Aquarium in Malaysia, art events (sometimes with other musicians), fashion shows and most recently my exhibition at BrightSpace in Melbourne.

The underlying aim in the creation of these sound constructs is the careful erosion of any previous narrative. The editing/design process of the sound constructs is a movement away from the representative and in search for abstraction; a moment where the sound is entirely self-referential, studying rhythm, color and emotion and thus implicitly creating new and unexpected narratives.

Below, the abstract construct from the exhibition at Bright Space Melbourne.

I also compose more melodic tracks combining my surrounding samples with drum-tracks and synths produced/edited through a variety of software but also recorded through life sessions in the studio or kitchen (great acoustics in the kitchen). This sound project is called Naiad.

For more Naiad Songs go to The Naiad Room