Interview by artcogitans

Interview de artcogitans avec I8U

Question 1 :
A propos de votre animation Obstacle (2003)(1), vous parlez de votre “obsession” au sujet des “transitions”. Et il est manifeste que cette création rend compte de cet intérêt majeur dans votre pratique artistique, pour ce thème, à tel point que l’on pourrait dire qu’Obstacle n’est que “transitions”. Pourriez-vous nous dire d’où vous vient cette obsession? Pourquoi ce thème récurrent dans vos créations ?

A -My obsession with transitions comes from my quest for fluidity. Often we cannot say why we like a particular piece of art. We simply feel, not knowing why. Personally, I can usually discover a disparity that I fail to digest, a failed transition that can cause me not to like a piece. In my music as in my life, emotion and feelings can change and it is in the transition that one is the most vulnerable. It is perhaps a need to teach or to learn, that the transition will hold an important position in my work.

Question 2 :
Cette animation qui part d’un point pour aboutir à une construction très élaborée, excessivement structurée, n’est constituée que de “passages”. Passage d’un point à un autre, d’un ensemble de points à une ligne, d’une ligne à une autre, passage d’une couleur à une autre aussi, passage d’un son à un autre aussi ; avant de disparaître et réapparaître sous une autre forme. Et l’on sait à quel point l’élément sonore occupe une place prépondérante dans vos créations. Ne faudrait-il pas voir dans ces lignes, dans ces points de passage le désir de donner à voir l’invisible ? Ne faudrait-il pas lire votre animation comme un désir de faire réfléchir l’internaute, sur ce qui, justement, ne se donne pas à voir immédiatement, mais à saisir de manière indirecte ?

A – My intent is definitely to make the user reflect on what is not seemingly evident, I am not one to dictate to or walk someone through a work. I believe that its effectiveness lies in one’s ability to draw one’s own conclusions. I do hope the work will trigger a “réflexion” based on one’s own frame of references and what the work may evoke in that regard. As in Plato’s allegory of the cave, some see the shadow, some see the puppet and others the light from outside.

Question 3 :
Vous parlez aussi de cette création en termes de “métaphore”, expliquant qu’Obstacle représente métaphoriquement parlant “les réseaux en puissance, les liens aléatoires entre les idées, les concepts, les étants”. Est-ce à dire que votre création tente de montrer à sa manière que tout n’est que hasard ? Faut-il comprendre que pour vous le monde ne serait qu’un chaos organisé soumis finalement au seul principe d’incertitude ?

A -Art that is abstract in nature is somewhat of a paradox. The static on the TV when a station goes of the air certainly can be said to be random, uncertain and most would say it’s not art, yet my work which can be interpreted as random , uncertain and chaotic still manages to convey a feeling, a moment, a memory. A moment of TV static is not easily remembered. A moment of TV static holds the same place in my mind as any other moment of TV static. Abstract art however, tends to be sorted, dwelled upon. My work is a need to convey to the user a message for that user. Where that message originated could be debated; from the user themselves, from a memory that is invoked from watching the piece, from the music.

Question 4 :
Toujours en travaillant sur “liens aléatoires entre les idées, les concepts, les étants”, mais aussi en invitant le spectateur à réfléchir sur cette notion, est-ce que vous ne souhaitez pas mettre en évidence, ne serait-ce que de manière métaphorique que les éléments aléatoires ne se situent “pas seulement dans les choses, dans les corps matériels” (J. Baudrillard, Mots de passe, p.60), mais aussi en nous, dans la mesure où en tant que microcosme moléculaire par notre pensée même nous participons à ce phénomène, ce qui crée in fine, “l’incertitude radicale du monde” ?

A -The certainty of chaos, being that every paradigm we choose to apply ourselves, we have the knowledge that previous paradigm shifts, have shown us that we were mistaken and often they conflict. We can be certain only that there will be another paradigm shift that will reverse our thought once again with the only certainty we will continue to change our thoughts of art and ourselves.

Question 5 :
En regardant pour la première fois votre création, je n’ai pu m’empêcher de penser au travail de Vera Molnar avec l’ordinateur, précurseur en son temps. Peut-on voir une influence de cette artiste dans votre pratique artistique ? Pourriez-vous nous dire quel(le)s sont les artistes qui ont marqué votre pratique artistique, et qui continuent de l’influencer peut-être encore aujourd’hui ?

A – My biggest influences have been John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Miles Davis and many others. I have only recently been introduced to the visual art field. I am still in transition and my visual work rests on sound as its foundation. I am not familiar with Molnar’s work.

Question 6 :
Lorsque l’on fait l’expérience esthétique de votre animation Obstacle, on a l’impression d’avoir affaire à un tout très structuré, excessivement construit, organisé dans un but donné, clairement déterminé par avance. Obstacle apparaît dans son ordonnancement intrinsèque comme l’opposé de l’aléatoire. Comment expliquez-vous ce choix qui consiste à proposer à l’internaute une animation non aléatoire afin de le faire réfléchir à cette notion d’aléatoire justement ? Pourquoi ou pour quoi ce choix ?

A -There would appear to be structure from which we build the abstract, although that structure can be interpreted in different ways. Like the structure of a music piece played in minor chords tends to bring sadness, even if the chords are played randomly. It is the challenge for the interpreter (user)to build the structure themselves or to adapt it to a structure they have built previously which brings into question what is random about the piece.

Question 7 :
Est-ce pour mieux fixer l’attention de l’internaute sur les points de passage, les lignes de fuite aussi, pour lui donner la possibilité de faire l’expérience peut-être moins d’une esthétique de la participation que de celle de la “contemplation réflexive” ?

A-The non-interactive participation does help to heighten focus, and relieve the user, of the learning curve of technical understanding or discovering the interactivity of the piece. Although some user’s minds may wander, as long as the thoughts or wanderings have the piece playing a subtle role, then I feel the piece has had a desirable effect. Others may find them completely submersed in the work, especially with the technological burden lifted, contemplation is easier to achieve.

Question 8 :
Le choix musical est excessivement important dans votre pratique artistique. Vous avez d’ailleurs récemment participé à UPCOMING RELEASE(2), avec une soixantaine d’autres artistes spécialisés dans les créations sonores. Les sons occupent une place prépondérante dans vos animations. Au sujet de ISÜ présentée à l’occasion de l’exposition Ellipse, sur le site Web du Musée du Québec, ainsi que dans le Pavillon Charles-Baillairgé du Musée, le texte du catalogue d’exposition fait même mention d’un “hommage rendu aux stratégies du mouvement de musique concrète à Paris, durant les années 1950 et 1960”. Pourriez-vous nous dire pourquoi cette “passion pour l’École de Paris, pour l’art du concret ? Pourquoi une moindre attirance pour J. Cage, qui en affirmant que “tout est musique” a contribué à faire de cette attitude, avec 4’33” par exemple, un fait social et universel, historique et philosophique aussi ?

A- This passion is one of many that I draw upon to create a work. In this instance, it is the sounds that we hear and don’t listen to anymore that interests me. Sounds that surround us and that we have learned to ignore.

Question 9 :
Louis Dandrel, lors d’une récente conférence donnée à Paris dans le cadre de l’Université de tous les Savoirs, disait que “Si la musique est l’art le plus commun, elle est aussi l’art le plus réactif au milieu physique et aux humeurs de la société par sa fusion originelle avec la vie. Elle révèle, imite ou s’oppose”. Dans votre animation ISÜ, il est possible de retrouver toute “la documentation audiovisuelle, faite de photographies et d’enregistrements numériques in situ, captant les menus détails sonores et visuels dont se compose l’expérience en cellule”. Aussi, est-ce qu’en construisant votre animation de cette manière afin de faire réfléchir le public sur l’isolement, entre autres, vous pensez, un peu de la même manière que ce musicien, spécialiste sonore, que la question du son est indissociable de toute architecture, comme celle de la lumière d’ailleurs ?

A -The foundation of all my work starts with the sound, the first experience I am aware of when walking into an empty church, is the reverb. Only then, do my other senses get a chance to bring other things to my attention. My art as well, starts with the sound, this is the first ingredient to the work. So yes, it was the fusion of all the ingredients, but it was the sound that first brought the isolation to my work.

Question 10 :
Si d’une part ISÜ incite le public à reconsidérer les notions d’isolement, mais aussi de connectivité, en termes de perception, d’expérience de temps et d’espace que nous faisons sur Internet ; et si d ‘autre part Obstacle incite l’internaute à reconsidérer les notions de liens aléatoires, de frontières, de passage aussi, vos animations non interactives qui donnent à voir et à entendre, mais aussi et surtout à penser, ne participent-elles pas plus d’une esthétique de la réflexion que d’une esthétique de la contemplation ?

A-I think for most users, the thinking vs contemplative esthetic will be weighted differently, perhaps from one viewing to another. I think your questions will inspire me to further broaden my thinking esthetic and hence, the next time I view the projects, the weight will fall more on the thinking aspect.

BBC Interview

I8U

around the world in 80 labels
I8U
Located in: Montreal, Canada
Operating Since: 1999
Key Contact: i8u
Released On: Piehead, Mutek
E-Mail: muse@i8u.com
Website: http://www.i8u.com/
Listen
ListenI8U: Cattail Furnace
(I8U)

About I8U
Playing with Martin Tétreault for instance, directed me away from low frequency drones and on to explore other frequencies.I8U has had an interesting musical journey to say the least. Pursuing various styles of music from early classical training to blues, it was a chance meeting with David Kristian that would prove to be the inspiration for her move to experimental music.Excerpt from a feature article from Incursion Publishing May 2001 Interviewed by Richard Di Santo.”David suggested I try something different considering the equipment I owned at the time, so we planned for a jam session.

What I discovered during these sessions was very simple, this music flowed effortlessly, I didn’t have to think, just play, I thought “This is what I’m supposed to do!”. David was instrumental in my move away from “traditional music” in the sense that he introduced me to the art of creating sounds, and listening to what he was doing simply made me realize that this is where I would be most happy because the possibilities are endless and only defined by one’s own limitations.

So, I embarked on a journey of learning and un-learning, learning about sound art and the precision in programming sounds, learning to listen to what I don’t want to hear, un-learning years of traditional music structures, acceptable melodies , chords and rhythms, therefore pushing my own limitations of what I expected to hear, and listen for the unexpected.

This quest for learning I guess is what brought me here, once I learn something, I want to move on to the next thing, not knowing necessarily what that will be, but pushing my own boundaries, I never know what the trigger will be, but I recognize it when it manifests itself. Playing with Martin Tétreault for instance, directed me away from low frequency drones and on to explore other frequencies.

IDM in a funny way has had me explore beats, not as in 4/4 kind of thing but as how they can occur within sound itself and how they can be layered in such a way that you will feel a pulse but you won’t be “cutting the rug” so to speak.

What I fear most is stagnation, one must never get so comfortable in one’s abilities.”

I8U has participated in various new music/new technology festivals and events, Studioxx web jam (Montreal/Tasmania Feb 2002), VoltAA (Montreal 2001), Silophone(Montreal 2000) The Opera House (Toronto 2000).

She has cd’s released on Canadian and European labels including a collaboration with Goem (Gast, Netherlands 2002).

She performs regularly and collaborates as well with Martin Tétreault (Mutek 2001) David Kristian, Guylaine Bédard (photographer).

A new release is planned for May 2002 with Piehead records. She will be performing at the Festival de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in May 2002 alonside gigimatique (Ælab) who will be providing visuals for this project entitled “Obstacle Phase 2” and is planning a small tour in Europe in June 2002.

(special thanks to Richard Di Santo and incursion.org for their kind permission to reprint the above text.)


BBC i8u’s guide to the Montreal underground

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around the world in 80 labels
I8U I8U –
Montreal New Music Feature
 
Here it seems everybody knows everybody; and creatively speaking, that
is very motivating. The exchange that takes place between musicians from
different electronic backgrounds is probably one of the biggest factors shaping
this new "Montreal sound".

 About the Montreal new music scene by I8U.

i8u

Montreal Scene Report
The Montreal electronic experimental music scene is thriving these days with a variety of artists who are gaining international recognition thanks to the arrival of festivals and events that are tailor made for their brand of talent.

The particular atmosphere and the friendliness of this city has bred some incredible talents from people like David Kristian, Martin Tétreault, Sam Shalabi, Alexandre St-Onge and the list goes on. But most of all, I find that the uniqueness of this city lies in its ability to facilitate the meeting of artists.

I can go to a “musique actuelle” show, meet musicians and eventually work with them, and then I can go to Mutek and the same thing will happen. I do believe this is particular to Montreal. Here it seems everybody knows everybody; and creatively speaking, that is very motivating. The exchange that takes place between musicians from different electronic backgrounds is probably one of the biggest factors shaping this new “Montreal sound”.

Each of these musicians/sound artists are busy with many different projects in and around the Montreal area. Check out the weblinks for more information on that particular artist or label.

Martin Tétreault is constantly navigating between Montreal, Europe and Japan, working with the likes of Xavier Charles, Otomo Yoshihide, Sachiko M., Diane Labrosse, Janek Shaeffer and so on. He recently curated the Turntable Hell Tour which was organized by the London Musicians Collective.

http://www.l-m-c.org.uk/texts/tetreault.html

Sam Shalabi is a guitar and oud improviser and is probably the busiest musician in Montreal with projects such as the Shalabi Effect, the Kristian Shalabi St-Onge trio, Molasses and GSYB.

http://www.shalabieffect.net/

Alexandre St-Onge is an electro-acoustic composer and improviser utilizing bowed double bass and computer applications to create his music; he is also busy at home and abroad.

http://www.actuellecd.com/bio.e/stonge_al.html

Tim Hecker is an experimental techno artist who has released material on Force Inc under the moniker Jetone and Alien8 Recordings offshoot Substractif under his own name. He is very present on the Montreal scene, and has recently performed in Berlin at the Transmediale festival.

http://www.alien8recordings.com/

Mitchell Akiyama is an experimental techno artist who is also at the helm of Montreal’s Intr_version label and has released material on Substractif.

http://www.intr-version.com/

Deadbeat is an experimental techno artist, who is also involved with Montreal software synth developers Applied Acoustics Systems Inc. He has released material with Hautec, Revolver and Intr_version.

http://www.intr-version.com/

David Kristian is an experimental electro and soundscape artist who is renowned for his mastery of analogue synthesis. He is now working with Applied Acoustics Systems Tassman soft synth. He has recently been devoting his time to creating sound design and music for TV, and films such as Karim Hussain’s Subconscious Cruelty, The City Without Windows and Ascension. David has released material with several labels including Alien8 Recordings, Leaf, Worm Interface and Lo Recordings.

http://www.davidkristian.com/

Akufen is an experimental electro and tech house producer who has released material on labels such as Perlon, Hautec and Force Inc. He has been active on the Montreal music scene for over a decade.

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Akufen

Ælab have been busy presenting their various projects at the Media Lounge of the New York museum of contemporary art (New York 2000), the Dutch Electronic arts festival (V2_, Rotterdam,Netherlands 2000), Mutek (Montreal 2000 & 2001) Ælab have released material with both the Oral and the Mutek labels.

http://pages.infinit.net/aelab/

More artists such as Pheek, Mateo Murphy, Alexandre Burton, Julien Roy, Monstre, Lateef the Quadraceptor, and John Ascencio definitely have a hand at shaping the sounds coming out of Montreal and their contribution cannot be understated.

As far as events around the city are concerned, we’ll start with Mutek.

Mutek, has become a standard by which the industry measures itself, and this, only 2 years of existence and the hard work of Alain Mongeau, Eric Mattson and their team. Artists from everywhere want to participate in this festival, it is a meeting place for all musicians with an interest in new electronic music/new technology. The atmosphere is conducive to the exchange of ideas and collaborations between artists are made possible.

http://www.mutek.ca/

The Silophone project was created by two artists who call themselves “the user”; Thomas McIntosh, architect and Emmanuel Madan, composer are best known for their “symphony for dot matrix printers”. Using an old grain silo, microphones and speakers were lowered in one of the cylinders which acted as an incredible echo chamber; local and international artists were invited to partake with a project of their own design, each using the silo in their own unique way. The result was a year of amazing concerts such as Francisco Lopez’s memorable performance in October 2000 and Carsten Nicolai’s installation during Mutek 2001 to name a few.

http://www.silophone.net/
Applied Acoustics Systems Inc., is a Montreal based company that has developed Tassman, an innovative software synthesizer based on physical modeling, which means everything from analogue modular synthesis components to acoustic elements such as plates and reeds can be mixed and matched to create realistic, yet never heard before sounds. What sets Tassman apart from other softsynths is the sheer quality and realistic texture of the end results. The Tassman was honored with Electronic Musician magazine’s coveted Editor’s choice award in 2001.

http://www.applied-acoustics.com/

Intr_version, is a label run by Mitchell Akiyama which has been showcasing the talents of Pheek, Jetone, Deadbeat and Akiyama himself.

http://www.intr-version.com/

No Type is a virtual label where Montreal artists David Turgeon and Aimé Dontigny showcase their talent and that of other fellow musicians such as James Shidlowsky, Magalie Babin, etc. No type has recently released their first non virtual compilation “The Freest of Radicals.”

http://www.notype.com/

Oral, is a label run by Eric Mattson, whom, aside from being involved with Mutek, finds time to release experimental non-lyrical electronic music and is very active producing events such as VoltAA. He is without a doubt the most enthusiastic ambassador of all spectrums of electronic music. Oral relies on its roster artists which is comprised of Ælab, Akufen, Herri Kopter, Suna and Nancy Tobin.

http://www.oral.qc.ca/

Alien8 Recordings run by Gary Worsley and Sean O’Hara has been working relentlessly and consistently to discover and release the work of maverick Montreal artists and has a strong presence on the local and international scene. Dedicated to various forms of electronic music, they have made it possible for musicians to perform on a more regular basis. They have just created a new sub-label called Substractif on which you will find artists such as Mitchell Akiyama and Tim Hecker.

http://www.alien8recordings.com/
http://www.substractif.com/

And last but certainly not least is Le Navire Night, a Radio Canada (CBC) radio program which has been broadcasting experimental music every Sunday night under the watchful “ears” of Hélène Prévost, who has to her credit music for the stage, documentaries and advertising. She has taught and undertaken research in auditory perception at the Faculty of Music of Université de Montréal, where she also studied composition. Radio has been for many years her principal medium of exploration.

http://radio-canada.ca/radio/navire/

 
 
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Interview by Richard Di Santo of Incursion.org

Incursion.org > Archive > Features

I8U in Conversation

By Richard di Santo
27 May 2001

Montréal based sound artist I8U released her debut CD on Multimedias Pandora Inc. last year. Featuring ten dynamic pieces of largely low frequency sound-sculpting, the CD has quickly become a fixture in my hi-fi. Played at loud volumes, I8U’s music reveals powerful, opaque and complex sound environments where the analogue and digital meet. Deep drones, hidden rhythms, complex harmonics and treatments are the results of digital soundwaves being processed through analogue filters. The material on this CD is based on I8U’s experimentation with low frequency content and resonance, and can truly be considered to be an engaging work; the sounds propel the listener to react, participate in and answer to the various sounds and transitions.

I had the pleasure of seeing I8U in concert in early May, when she came to Toronto to perform a solo set of new and improvised material (that evening also saw performances by Toronto ambient outfit ARC and DJ Greg Clow). Soon afterward I had the opportunity to ask her about her music, methods, experiences, origins and motivations.

I8U started out playing keyboards, and was trained first in classical music and then playing blues on the road for a couple of years. A chance meeting with fellow Montréal based sound artist David Kristian changed her musical directions indefinitely:

David suggested I try something different considering the equipment I owned at the time, so we planned for a jam session. What I discovered during these sessions was very simple, this music flowed effortlessly, I didn’t have to think, just play. I thought “This is what I’m supposed to do!”. David was instrumental in my move away from “traditional music” in the sense that he introduced me to the art of creating sounds, and listening to what he was doing simply made me realize that this is where I would be most happy because the possibilities are endless and only defined by one’s own limitations.

So, I embarked on a journey of learning and un-learning, learning about sound art and the precision in programming sounds, learning to listen to what I don’t want to hear, un-learning years of traditional music structures, acceptable melodies, chords and rhythms, therefore pushing my own limitations of what I expected to hear, and listen for the unexpected.

I8U further explains that she felt it necessary to un-learn the knowledge she had acquired over the years so she could “be truthful with my attempt at understanding this particular way of experimenting with sound.” This process of un-learning wasn’t something as simple as ‘forgetting’ everything she knew about traditional music structures; there are essential elements from both her classical training and her experience with blues which she says continue to exist in her work:

One element that is important to me in classical music is dynamics, you can be peacefully lulled into a state and abruptly awakened to utter chaos, or yet, you can be transported very gently and slowly into an amazing loud finale.

In blues, one of the elements I retain is, how to build a show and pull in an audience into what you are doing, creating an experience for the audience, making the listener part of the process. There is also an amazing sense of timing in blues, which has taught me a lot in terms of creating intensity and suspense.

In I8U’s work, the terms and elements of traditional musical structures are transformed into and exchanged with analogous terms and elements:

The structures become blurred; the melodies become more subtle and part of a sound as opposed to the main part of a structured song. The chords become textures within the sounds and those textures move very much like chords but not the way traditional music does. The rhythm becomes a very slight pulse, more like a pace, being created by all the various textures being used and how they become intertwined.

I would say that certain aspects might contradict each other, but they are not mutually exclusive.

Herein lies an essential issue in contextualising any kind of experimentalism. Experimentalism exists only in relation to accepted, established or traditional forms. It’s how we approach, challenge, negate or build upon these forms that constitutes the experimental, and is a freedom completely at the artist’s discretion. The artist’s freedom, the enthusiasm for discovery, is what keeps I8U so passionate about her work:

Once I learn something, I want to move on to the next thing, not knowing necessarily what that will be, but pushing my own boundaries. I never know what the trigger will be, but I recognize it when it manifests itself.

Refusing to become stagnant is a strong force in I8U’s personality. For this reason, she is always looking for the next challenge. It is probably for this very reason that improvisation is an important element in her work. Her concert performances are almost entirely improvisational. After assessing the conditions of the room in terms of sound and acoustics, but also in terms of a listening environment for the audience, she creates her set accordingly:

Although I know the sounds I will use [in a live performance], I do not know the order I will use them in or their intensity – that happens instantly. I have a general feeling of how the audience is responding and I feed from that and improvise following the mood. I am very big on transitions live, my biggest challenge is to bring the listener from one place to another without their knowledge. I mean, they realize that we’re now somewhere else, a different sound and feel, but they can’t explain how it happened or where precisely the transition took place.

This is quite different from the way she works in the studio, where it’s just her and the sounds, and where she attends to these sounds with a passionate attention to detail. “I can work in a very detailed manner and ‘orchestrate’ every second if I feel like it,” she explains, “I can perfect and really ‘baby’ each track if you will.”

In the studio, I8U utilises a handful of unique tools for sound programming: a Korg ES1 sampler, Doepfer MS-404 analog synth, EMU-Morpheus, a Sony Minidisc with various microphones, and a PC in the studio on which she runs Tassman, a modular software synthesizer based on physical modeling techniques developed by a Montréal based company called Applied-Acoustic Systems. On stage, she will mainly use the Korg sampler and EMU-Morpheus synth.

In the coming week, I8U will be performing the opening event at this year’s MUTEK festival in Montréal <http://www.mutek.ca>. She will be performing in collaboration with experimental improviser Martin Tétrault, whom she met at another performance in the fall of 2000, this time alongside Francisco López, at the Silo #5. The desire to collaborate further lead to their decision to plan a session together:

In our first workshop, we got to know each other, what we could do and it turned out to be very interesting. Martin and I are both experimentalists as well as improvisers; you mix the two and you get an interesting brew. Playing with Martin immediately puts you in a very relaxed state of mind, and when that happens, things just flow freely, it’s a lot of fun! We then decided to meet again and this time record the sessions, a CD of which I believe will be available at Mutek.

They met a second time, this time making a complete recording of the sessions. They have now finished work on their CD which is planned to be launched to coincide with the events at Mutek 2001.

So long as her passion for experimentalism and her restlessness in the wake of constancy persist, I8U will continue to create inventive and engaging sound works for a growing public interested in experimental musical forms. The name “I8U” is itself a ironic comment on consumerism, the very fact, she explains, that “music is a product which is marketed to reach the various groups that consume it. … We consume music and we are consumed by it”. The name also implies a certain anonymity (and thus the emphasis is being placed on the work rather than the artist). If it can be said that I8U “eats” her audience with her engulfing sound environments, then she also ensures that each of its members is conscious of the entire process of consumption. Instead of putting the listener in a merely submissive position, she prods us to react to the sounds and participate in the concert as something more than merely a consumed thing.

+ www.i8u.com