Bring Your Headphones! John Roach is in the house!

I don't know if you picked up on this, but we are devoted to the artists that we follow and share with you. Often, we revisit them and bring them back as their career progresses to show you what they are up to.

We first introduced our audience to John Roach on Episode 12 of TLG. The show was entitled "Sketchbook Spin", and John joined us live as we reviewed some of his works. In them, we could see visual representation of thought processes, sense the feedback between hand and mind, and review the individual sketches as part of a bigger narrative.

As mind-blowing as his sketches are, John is an interdisciplinary artist who works in a variety of mediums including sound, glass, instruments, performances, installations, sculpture, curatorial processes and so forth. Recently, he completed one of his sabbatical residency experiences in Zion National Park in Utah, and has thoroughly documented and recorded his experiences and will be sharing this with us on Episode 82.

The following is an excerpt from his proposal (you can view the complete proposal here):

"We often think of preservation and ecology as things that we can see, but as the world changes we also run the risk of losing the delicate soundscapes that surround us. In 2010 I was captivated by the sound of the Narrows. The chatter and caws of the ravens bounced between the steep red walls carved through the park and mingled with the wash of the river. The chasm seemed to speak with its own unique voice – a very particular environmental acoustic signature. In my artistic practice and my teaching at Parsons School of Design I am interested in the way that sound can communicate sensations and ideas that differ from or merge with our other sensory abilities like sight, touch and smell. I would like to spend my time at Zion exploring its acoustic ecology and creating sound-works that open up other possibilities for understanding the land and the park."

You can watch our interview with John Roach on episode 82 of The Large Glass. This is best heard with headphones.