Last Monday, Feb. 23 the Faulconer Gallery hosted a talk by Greek composer and sound artist Stelios Manousakis. In his talk, Manousakis shared his goals in creating music with students and faculty.
“I want to collaborate with others to create a more complex artwork, I want to examine new ways of thinking while making art,” Manousakis said. “Sound has the ability to bend time and change the subject’s perception of reality.”
The talk started with Manousakis explaining his journey to becoming a composer.
“I broke my tendons from practicing too much, yet I knew I still wanted to make music and create for others’ magic moments using sound,” Manousakis said.
Manousakis also shared anecdotes about his sources of inspiration.
“I was reading this surveillance article and I learned some strategies the SWAT team uses to examine a room before coming in and I thought that could be a performance,” Manousakis said.
The talk also featured recordings of Manousakis’ work, which amazed audience members with complex combinations of art and technology.
“I liked how he described his use of sound patterns in his artwork,” said Serena Hocharoen ’17.
Manousakis also served as an inspiration to students who aspire to develop their own creative works.
“I liked what Stelios said about his thought process when creating his sound art and installations. As an artist myself, I struggle with the same thoughts. He mentioned that he doesn’t want to make something ‘too contemporary that it becomes obsolete’ and I question the same, if the art I am making is worth the while,” Kathlyn Cabrera ’14, a Post-Baccalaureate Fellow who helped to facilitate Manousakis’ visit, wrote in an email to The S&B.
The talk ended with Manousakis’ comments on how he views failure when creating an exhibition.
“I like to keep the option of failure, it keeps the possibility of creativity open,” Manousakis said.
