from Tate Modern - Talks & Discussions -
The Sound of Materials
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MP3 recording (89.9 MB)

from Tate Modern -
What can matter be? A podcast about materials, science and art
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The talk discusses the art and science of sounds and the influence of different materials on the production of sound, while the podcast (self-service) tour offers the listener a quirky take on the the physical and material aspects of various collections and premises within Tate Modern.

The podcast tour was done in conjunction with Mark Miodownik, who first set up the Materials Library at King's College, London (see earlier post for additional information). An article was also written up in Materials Today (PDF article , 1.4 MB) on one of the exhibit being examined - "Artist's Shit" by Piero Manzoni.

Both the talk and podcast tour highlight an often neglected aspect of our aesthetic experience, which is the realisation that the choice of materials and their physical construction often exert a significant influence on the final aesthetic experience, be it visually, acoustically or tactually. Hence, the physical deterioration of materials in artworks - which art conservation efforts seek to slow and reduce - will also inevitably affect the aesthetic impact of artworks in time to come, whether intended or otherwise.
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