Artist Workshop｜Artificial (sonic) Sweeteners – by Bani Haykal
BANI Haykal, one of the thirteen participant artists of the exhibition Towards Mysterious Realities, is currently having his 3-week residency in Taipei. On 3rd of December, his workshop Artificial (sonic) Sweeteners (or how much calories we have stuffed into our subconscious so far) will be held at TheCube Project Space from 7 to 9:30pm, a group of 25 people will be invited to join in.
The participants of the workshop will need to register online before Dec. 2.
About the Workshop
artificial (sonic) sweeteners
or how much calories we have stuffed into our subconscious so far
In the 1950s, sound engineer Charles Douglass invented The Laff Box, a tape-based analogue synthesizer which expanded his conception of the laugh track used for television sitcoms. The laugh track, also known as “sweeteners”, is still a prominent ingredient in television today, primarily used to emphasise / prompt a response from both a live studio audience and home viewers.
artificial (sonic) sweeteners is a project which seeks to create a public repository of canned laughter and applause as a method of addressing the roles and privileges of being an audience / observer for various political shifts such as state surveillance and cultural diplomacy. For the workshop, participants will be involved in creating a list which consists of instructions for laughter and applause, followed by a recording session to document the list being performed. The recordings will be uploaded online and made public.
About the Artist
BANI Haykal (b. 1985) experiments with text and music. As a soloist, he works primarily with acoustic instruments, both traditional and/or hacked, and his studies revolve around narratives, structured improvisation and spoken word. He is a member of OFFCUFF and b-quartet. An Associate Artist with The Substation, Haykal has collaborated, exhibited, performed and toured internationally, as an artist and a musician, participating in festivals including Media/Art Kitchen (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Japan), da:ns Festival and The M1 Fringe Festival (Singapore) among others. Haykal was also a member of the Singaporean avant rock band The Observatory, with whom he has toured Norway (2012) and Italy (2013). Haykal was a recipient for the Young Artists’ Award (2013) and has been selected for the 2015 President’s Young Talents.
