A Different Kind of Sensitivity: Professor Seth Cluett on Sound Art

When asked to explain sound art, Assistant Director of the Sound Art Program Seth Cluett provides a nuanced perspective that highlights its position at the intersection of the art and music worlds. "For a long time, sound art was a kind of catch-all for all of the things that happened in between the art world and the music world," he explained. 

The term "sound art" first emerged in the art world around 1972-73, but the practice of incorporating sound into art exhibitions dates back even further. Sound artists, according to Cluett, are not fundamentally different from installation artists or sculptors. The key distinction lies in their chosen medium: "Sound is the medium in which we express our ideas," he stated. This perspective positions sound art not as a separate category, but as an integral part of the broader art landscape.

Cluett's work with sound is currently on view as part of the Seeing Sound exhibition at Pratt Manhattan Gallery, curated by Barbara London and featuring the work of Juan Cortés, Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard, Auriea Harvey, bani haykal, Yuko Mohri, Marina Rosenfeld, Aura Satz, and Samson Young. His large-scale installation, The Stratified Character of Nature, combines photographic and sculptural elements to create a multisensory experience. The piece features a 20 by 30-foot plot of fake grass, eight inverted loudspeakers with mounted photographs, and a wire frame representation of a thin section of Riverside Park.

The piece aims to deconstruct the layers of a small urban park, presenting photographs and sound recordings that correspond to different material strata of the environment. By isolating these elements, the installation allows viewers to perceive juxtapositions that might be overlooked in the natural setting, such as: a bicycle path, the breakwater, sounds of ferries on the Hudson, the traffic noise from the West Side Highway, and sounds of birds.

Cluett's hope is to challenge our perceptions and encourage deeper reflection on our surroundings. "When those things are in the natural environment, you're kind of overwhelmed by the total noisescape," Cluett explained. "But when you pare it away and you leave only individual items, it gives people an opportunity to kind of reflect on the nature of public green space and its role in our thinking about ecology and climate." 

While always having been involved in music, Cluett's path to becoming a sound artist is as unique as the medium itself. Growing up in a rural area of upstate New York, he was the first person from his high school to attend a conservatory program. His early exposure to music was diverse, including composing, choir singing, playing in youth orchestras, and even forming a punk band. As a first-generation college student, Cluett's journey into higher education was marked by a desire to explore beyond the familiar. "I basically wanted to get out," he recalls, describing his decision to audition for various music programs against the advice of his guidance counselors.

His background has profoundly influenced his approach to teaching sound art. "I think, more than anything else, it's given me a great deal of compassion for people who feel like they don't belong in higher ed," he said.  For Cluett, it’s important to create a culture around persisting past imposter syndrome, especially for artists working in a medium that is less well-known than others.

Cluett's approach to teaching sound art at the School of the Arts could be viewed as a reflection of the medium itself. He describes the students as being open minded, often defying traditional artistic disciplinary boundaries. "We put these artificial borders around what we do—there's our six Sound Art students, and there's a couple dozen Visual Arts people, but they just think of themselves as all the same people," Cluett explains. 

"Sound is a medium for expression here," he continued, and not about adhering to a specific genre but about exploring how sound can enhance and transform other artistic practices. This approach allows for a wide range of creative expressions, from installations to multimedia performances.

Sound art itself can manifest in various forms as utilized by the students. “We don’t necessarily care about sound art as a genre," emphasized Cluett. "We care about, do you make videos that have a sound component and how is that sound component structuring or informing the visual vocabulary of the moving image? If you come to the program as a sculptor, with a material practice, the extension is, how does sound play a role in the form and shape of your sculptural practice? We have people who come from painting and drawing backgrounds, or conservatories who are pivoting towards installation art making. In general, sound art can be the byproduct of a sculpture that’s kinetic, or implied by the image in a photograph…. None of what we do is different from any other art, it’s just that there’s a sensitivity to the role of sound.” 

While it may seem that sound art is having a "moment" in the contemporary art world, Cluett stresses that sound-themed exhibitions have been consistently present since the 1950s, and sound has long been an integral part of various art forms including experimental films, video art installations, performance art pieces, fluxus movement works and certain styles of photography.

Sound art's significance in the broader art world lies in its ability to challenge traditional modes of perception and engagement. Cluett notes that sound art often resists the commodification and object-hood typical of the art market. While some sound artists sell their work through galleries, its true value is in cultivating a unique sensitivity in audiences. Cluett contrasts visual and auditory perception: while vision is objective and focuses on one aspect at a time, sound is polar and omnidirectional, enveloping the listener continuously.

"That kind of sensitivity to everything is what real communication is about," Cluett argues. "It's listening to the other person, trying to understand what is being said."

In this way, sound art becomes not just an artistic practice but a model for improved human interaction and understanding. It encourages active listening and openness to diverse experiences, qualities that Cluett sees as crucial for fostering compromise and cultural growth.

Seeing Sound will remain open through December 17, 2024.