Joshua Le Gallienne

At the Saari Residence I will adopt the theme of ‘immateriality’ to examine how air (and gases in general) can be utilised in the creation and perception of sound. On a fundamental level, sound can be considered as variations in air pressure. My artistic practice examines the core processes of sound creation and perception, focusing on the relationships between the audible and inaudible; visible and invisible; material and immaterial. Air is the primary medium in which sound travels, but what other roles can it play in perception? I am looking forward to using my time during this residency to deeply consider the theoretical and philosophical framework surrounding these ideas. I will develop texts on this subject whilst undertaking developing practical works in the studio and landscape that demonstrate these concepts. I am looking forward to finding inspiration in the beautiful surroundings. 

The primary goal of my artistic practice is to present contexts in which meaningful experiences with acoustic sound can be encountered as directly as possible. I am an artist working predominantly with sound, but I do not utilise audio recordings, digital technologies, musical instruments, loudspeakers, or conventional sources of energy in any of my works. With each new piece, new materials and configurations are introduced. Previous works have employed materials as diverse as pyrotechnics, blocks of ice, compressed air, carbonated liquids, glass bells, and biodegradable plastic sheeting for their sonic qualities. At the Saari Residence I will continue to work in this manner, exploring sustainable and unconventional methods of sound production using air as the primary medium.  

Joshua Le Gallienne is a non-binary British artist exploring the materiality of acoustic sound in an artistic context. Through sculpture, installation, and performance, the artist stages intimate experiences that focus on the relationships between sound, physical materials and environmental phenomena. Since 2012 Joshua’s work has been regularly exhibited and presented in the UK and internationally; operating primarily outside of a traditional gallery context. In 2019, Joshua was the recipient of The Auxiliary’s Sonic Arts Emerging Artist Exhibition Award, and received Sound and Music’s Francis Chagrin Award in 2020. Their work is unmediated and mostly undocumented, in line with this the artist has no website or online presence.