Joan Hacker '19 is an MFA Sound Art student in her first year.
What themes or subjects are you currently addressing in your work?
Because my recent work draws upon sounds of war, animal slaughter, domestic violence, and so forth, people often categorize my work as “political,” but this is not my intention. The work is about creating shared-experience situations. Through shared experience, empathy naturally arises.
What materials are you working with at the moment?
Sound as a medium interests me precisely because of its immateriality. The challenge then becomes how to translate it into the perceptible realm—or abide in the liminality in an interesting way. Sheer fabric, like a veil, has been an apt way to gently distinguish between inner and outer space. Also, light.
Are there any themes or materials you’re interested in exploring in the future?
After I get my backlog of ideas worked out, I think I will move into pieces which speak to the nature of reality itself. I would love to work with mirrors and illusions of dimensionality.
What challenges do you face in your practice?
I need more money, space, time, and hands! I also actively assuage my impulse to be too literal; I have to have patience and give myself time to work through ideas.
Who are artists or works of art that inspire you? Who are contemporary artists that are doing interesting work?
I’m a big fan of the Finnish painter and video artist Jukka Siikala. He does beautiful work using pornography. I found Samara Golden’s piece at the Whitney Biennial inspiring. Hildegard von Bingen, Kiefer, Rothko, medieval art; the band Whitehouse, Phill Niblock, Keiko Uenishi, Lustmord, Coil, Throbbing Gristle; Beyond the Black Rainbow, Wings of Desire, Germany Year Zero, Un Chant d’Amour; Céline, David-Neel, Gira, Burroughs; Yoko Ono, Yayoi, Araki, Tillmans.
What has been your favorite class at Columbia so far?
That’s a tough one as I love all my classes and professors! Critical Issues with Seth Cluett has opened my brain up to a lot of interesting theoretical approaches. The head of my department, Miya Masaoka, has brought in several wonderful visiting artists who have been immensely helpful, such as Camille Norment, Mendi and Keith Obadike, and Christoph Cox. Sculpture with Jon Kessler, of course, has been a lot of fun. Everyone shares her or his breadth of knowledge in such a warm, encouraging way.
