DEPOSIT
a sound installation
by Ricardo iamuuri Robinson
April 28 to May 21, 2023
Arcade Project Curatorial
56 Bogart Street #122, Brooklyn, NY 11206
Opening Reception:
Friday, April 28, 6-9 pm
Gallery Hours:
Friday – Sunday 12-6 pm (and by appointment)
Deposit is a new sound installation from interdisciplinary conceptual sound artist Ricardo iamuuri Robinson. Deposit is a meditation on insecurity. It reflects our attempts to preserve, save and store everything – from objects to memories. The installation explores the limits of hoarding analog memory. Though some elements suggest capture and containment, others speak to the chaotic forces of nature – outside of the scope of human control. Implied destruction and decay indicate the fear of losing it all or maybe a sense of freedom in letting it all go.
Thirty-three metal safety deposit boxes hang from the ceiling over a traditional ten-foot fishing net. Montages of seascapes play on three flatscreens accompanied by ambient electronic sounds. The immersive installation consists of a visual sculpture paired with temporal and spatial elements that place the participants in a state of deep listening.
Through research, field recordings, archiving, media archeology, filmmaking, performance art, and creative listening engagements, Robinson invites his audience to cultivate a deeper understanding of how one informs their sense of place and awareness of space while exposing the listener to the sociopolitical dimensions of the auditory medium to encourage a heightened engagement with systems of power. Sounds are mediated through their context and the listener's environment: cities sound differently from suburbs, affluent neighborhoods sound differently than working-class communities, mountain ranges sound differently than urban pavement, and yesterday sounds differently than today. Each pocket of Earth holds its own stories woven into soundscapes.
Ricardo iamuuri Robinson is an interdisciplinary conceptual artist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Entering the art world through singer songwriting, Robinson’s folk songs were featured in two PBS documentary films, “In Country, A Vietnam Story” and “Jim Crow Pennsylvania”.
Throughout the years Robinson worked in film and television as location sound mixer, sound recordist, and composer. This intimate relationship between sound, image and technology broadened his practice by integrating new forms of expression. In 2017, Robinson was named one of Pittsburgh's CREATORS OF THE YEAR by The Creative Industries for launching Sonarcheology Studios, a field recording and design service. His art became more conceptual during this period, including installation, radio art, sculpture, and archive projects: "In The Red: Never Mine" (2018) “Blackbody, White Noise” (2021) “Radio Gulf” (2022).
Robinson’s work activates and responds to his own personal mantra, “The listener is always the composer.” People navigate the world and its multi-faceted frequencies as they are; through their judgment and geography. Today, Robinson's practice includes: research, archiving, media archaeology, film production, composing and conceptual art. His artwork invites audiences to cultivate a deeper understanding of the ways in which we inform perception, place, belonging and awareness.
Buy an Analog Safe and Sound Deposit Box here!