Sol Bailey Barker - Artist Research

Sol Bailey Barker

"Today, the term ‘weird’ means something strange, bizarre, or supernatural. But in its archaic and original sense, it meant that aspect of life which was so deep, so all­ pervasive, and so central to our understanding of ourselves and our world, that it was inexpressible."

– Brian Bates, author of Way Of Wyrd   

ON THE SYMBOLISM OF POWER THROUGH THE SOUNDS THAT OBJECTS MAKE  

When you go into the exhibition space, there are little concealed speakers playing these strange resonances, and because the gallery space is an old underground bank vault, the concrete and the sound of the metal resonate off of each other. The sculptures seem to sing to themselves, creating an endless hum in the space. 

There are moments of silence, but the speakers each play different sounds and have their own journey. 

The soundtrack of the film Wyrd Then : Weird Now is made from the sound of beating the sculptures. I created the soundscape collaboratively with Joe Farley. Joe would come to my studio to record me playing the sculptures and then go back to his own studio to edit and enhance the sounds bringing out their full sonic potential. The first piece we made was in this big warehouse in Peckham, London—a huge warehouse you could park buses in. The first sonic sculpture I made for this exhibition "Wyrd" was almost two-meters high and made of mild steel and oak. When I hit "Wyrd," the sound stretched all the way across this vast near empty warehouse, from the other side of the space where Joe recorded the acoustics; it was this insane way of capturing the sound. 

Reflection

Whilst casually scrolling through the internet I happened to find these works by Sol Bailey Barker, what initially intrigued me about his work was how it ties together historical relevant materials and forms with contemporary ways of display. The juxtaposition of natural materials compliment the strange unusual themes that are showcased within his work. Comparing his practice to my own, I notice we both engage in similar concepts and investigate similar ways of display. However what is most notable is how Sol Bailey-Baker doesn't shy way from scale, which I feel as though I still do. There is something so deliberate about the size of the his sculptures that makes you feel in awe of them, I could learn something by keeping up the progression of his work in the future. 

Links

https://www.nomadicpress.org/interviews/solbaileybarker