SU Studio Talk 59: Madeleine Flynn & Tim Humphrey - We Contain Multitudes

Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey are leading Australian audio conceptual artists who create unexpected situations for listening. Their longterm collaborative practice is driven by a curiosity and questioning about listening in human culture and seeks to evolve and engage with new processes and audiences, through public and participative interventions.

Madeleine and Tim's Sounds Unheard Studio Talk series, "Unusual Situations for Listening", explores their work as serial collaborators and takes a closer look at four of their projects: '5 Short Blasts', 'Witness Stand', 'Wave Gate' and 'Listening Club'.

In the final episode of this series, "We Contain Multitudes", Madeleine and Tim dive deeper into ideas about collaborating from afar. 'Wave Gate', a project created with Cambodian artist Vuth Lyno for the 2021 Sea Art Festival in Busan, is inspired by the Grandma and Grandpa Shrines in Ilgwang. Unable to travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Madeleine and Tim developed a series of relationships with members of the local community - drawing on their knowledge to imagine a soundscape that could blend and converse with the existing atmosphere.

'Listening Club' is another project that has been re-imagined as a virtual collaboration. As Artists in Residence at the Science Gallery, Madeleine and Tim thought creatively to bring people together when Melbourne's lockdowns prevented working together in person. 'Listening Club' invited one artist and one scientist to talk about sound in their practice, to discuss their work or research, and to leave audiences with a question about listening in their own lives.

Sounds Unheard is a free music education program for gifted and talented Victorian secondary music students. Hosted by the internationally acclaimed Speak Percussion, this program offers unique opportunities for young musicians and composers from all areas of music making to expand their knowledge and creativity, inspiring innovative approaches to music making.

www.soundsunheard.com