“Look How We Wander”
Look How We Wander is a collaborative interdisciplinary exhibition rooted in sound and visual media. It aims to explore the intersections between the diasporic Jewish and the diasporic Palestinian experience, observing them both independently and as a function of the other. It examines the existential oscillation between discomfort and hope, as experienced by Jewish artist Adam Ben David. Through a series of personal and religious recordings, Ben David works to distinguish between his faith and its politicization, especially within the context of Palestinian erasure as a result of military violence and oppression. These recordings echo throughout visual projections by Palestinian artist Lougien Dawoudiah. The screen-based projections capture her experience between grief, numbness, and survival as an exiled Palestinian in the digital age.
The table upon which the hand wheel sits is crafted from olive wood, plastic tarp, pomegranate juice-dyed pine and recycled tin & aluminium. These materials are an examination of themes pervasive amongst both the Jewish and Palestinian experiences, such as displacement and temporary dwellings. It should be noted that the audiovisual component loops continuously throughout the installation, but is only revealed to the audience when the wheel is turned; the moving of the wheel increases brightness and volume of the audiovisual simultaneously. This setup serves as a physical representation of the emotional labor involved in staying engaged and educated in the ongoing struggles of others. When the wheel isn’t being turned, the audience is essentially deprived of this educational resource, highlighting the tension between the need to educate ourselves and others, and the need to rest between these efforts. This duality reflects the constant balancing act of engaging in important conversations while also coping with the guilt that often accompanies moments when we are not actively addressing these issues.
In preparing for this presentation, I found myself deeply engaged with Jasper Marsalis' work, especially Instrument 2. This piece uses unconventional sound sources in a way that directly emphasizes the audience's role in activating and sustaining the installation. Unlike traditional artworks, which often exist independently of the viewer, Instrument 2 relies on the audience to help create or perpetuate the sound environment. This concept of active and passive audience engagement is central to Look How We Wander, where the audience’s interaction—whether conscious or not—is integral to the experience.
For our exhibition, Lou and I chose to dedicate one day to a full performance of the piece. We each took turns spinning the wheel until physical exhaustion set in, at which point the other would step in to continue. This approach highlighted our commentary on the burden that minority groups often carry in educating others about their struggles—an experience shared by both Jewish and Palestinian communities. By sharing this labour and lightening the load for each other, we aimed to emphasize the strength of our mutual commitment to solidarity.
“Rainforest IV at 50”
- a re-examination of David Tudor’s work, 50 years later
Rainforest IV at 50 is a collaborative installation that reinterprets David Tudor's iconic sound artwork Rainforest IV through a contemporary perspective. Fifty years after the 1973 workshop, our goal was to capture the creativity and community of that original work while introducing new approaches and technologies.
In this version, we used 30 recycled objects found around Kingston, Ontario, each outfitted with a transducer. These transducers were connected to audio compositions created by individual group members, each composed from a variety of field recordings. The objects were suspended and played together, creating a shared "sonic ecology" — a collective soundscape shaped by the interaction of these objects. Unlike the original, we used impulse responses in place of contact microphones to enhance the sonic qualities.
During a five-hour live performance, the session was recorded and later played back through the objects as part of a stand-alone installation, which remained in place for ten days. I selected a rain gauge for my contribution, attaching transducers to both the hollow cylindrical body and its dense, top portion. Suspended in an “exploded” arrangement, the two parts resonated in tandem, emphasizing their contrasting sonic qualities.
This new exploration of Rainforest IV offered a unique reflection on how we project our personal experiences and emotions onto inanimate objects. These objects, as extensions of ourselves, become vessels for memories, joy, nostalgia, and countless other associations. The result was a soundscape born of the diverse experiences of all participants, forming a shared, evolving collective experience. The installation highlighted the balance between individuality and collective action, reminding us of the importance of each person's contribution in a diverse and interconnected society.
Jónsi’s immersive installations, such as Hrafntinna (Obsidian), have profoundly influenced my understanding of how sound, texture, and sensory elements can craft emotional landscapes—an influence that I incorporated into my participation in Rainforest IV at 50. His awareness of the sonic interaction between space and listeners guided my treatment of the rain gauge in the installation, ensuring it contributed to the soundscape and spatial dynamics key to reexamining David Tudor’s original work.
“you look just like someone i knew in a past life”
“for you, sarah”
Written by Adam Ben David
prose, February 2023
you look just like someone i knew in a past life is a a sonic exploration of loneliness, self-worth, and meaningful connections in the digital age. Incorporating prose and both maximalist & minimalist audio production, the project is an experimental effort to bridge pop music with both electroacoustic and acoustic composition.
Released under my thenheturnedaround project, this is the name of a music endeavour that seeks to push the boundaries of modern popular music. By using linear, unfolding songs, I aim to subvert the norms of music composition, arrangement and delivery. I am immensely intrigued by the way in which we communicate music, and challenging our perceptions of what exactly we constitute as “music”. Jasper Marsalis’ Slauson Malone 1 project is a significant influence for me, exemplifying the concept of a fine artist who endeavours to create music, not as a “side project” but as an important facet of his artistic creation. As such, music works its way into both our practices in a holistic way, expanding the disciplines and mediums through which we can convey our art.
Creative writing has been instrumental in weaving a common thread across my works. Etel Adnan, particularly her Journey to Mount Tamalpais, has profoundly influenced my creative approach. For instance, the recordings ,,&’’ and charcoal.cries()!;, incorporate spoken word poetry, narrated by either myself or artificial intelligence, respectively. In ,,&’’, my poem for you, sarah serves as a centrepiece, blending personal narrative with the instrumentation that envelopes it. Unlike Adnan, whose work embraces natural and humanistic textures, I frame my writing within cold, digital atmospheres that mirror my complex relationship with technology.
Furthermore, Laurie Anderson’s prophetic commentary on the alienating effects of technology, particularly in her piece United States I-IV (1983), resonates deeply with me. Her critique mirrors my own experiences of confronting the unfiltered digital world as a child and pre-teen, where I often wound up exposed to live-streamed graphic suicides, pornography, and violent forums; the narrative present in charcoal.cries()!; alludes to these experiences.
Comprehensively, Jónsi, Marsalis, and Anderson's incorporations of avant-garde musicianship into their practices highlighted the role that my own music could play in my art, both holistically and expansively.
Album cover art, digital photo
Self-portrait by Adam Ben David
“BANDAGES”
Released alongside my album you look just like someone i knew in a past life, BANDAGES is a film that delves deeper into the world I created through the project. It serves as a visual extension of the thematic exploration found in the album, exploring the complexities of identity, trauma, and the struggle for self-liberation. In this short, experimental film, the character, “Bandages" navigates the tension between internal and external realities, using his physical transformation as a metaphor for emotional and psychological rebirth. The wrappings that constrain him symbolize the layers of past experiences, social expectations, and personal limitations that define and confine our sense of self. The act of removing these wrappings, though painful and uncomfortable, becomes an attempt to reconnect with the world beyond the self-imposed barriers, questioning what freedom and healing might look like in a world that constantly demands conformity. The film also engages with critical conversations around disability, disfigurement, and the alienation of those who exist outside conventional standards of beauty or health. Drawing upon Francis Bacon’s “Three Studies for Self-Portrait”, Bandages reflects the tension between the struggle for self-worth and wrestling with perpetual self-loathing. The discomfort and uncertainty embedded in the film are designed to challenge viewers' biases and perceptions about the body, while the choice to juxtapose this narrative with a musical album invites a broader, interdisciplinary exploration of healing and transformation. Together, these works delve into how trauma, identity, and the body are inseparable, and how, in moments of extreme vulnerability, there can be a profound, albeit painful, opportunity for self-reclamation.
The following three stills explore the broader narrative of the film’s story.
This film follows a character, Bandages, as he endeavours to remove the coverings wrapped around his face. This still sets the stage for the film, introducing the character and putting the principle subject in frame. Notice his still demeanour, how accustomed he is to his reality and his situation. We are introduced to a character who is presumably apathetic and perhaps defeated.
Bandages is now beginning to move, conveying his curiosity and his rejection of apathy. He fiddles with his wrappings, curious about the world that lies beyond them. At this point, a sense of discomfort and unease is well expected of the viewer - the film is intended to expose us of our personal biases regarding disabilities, disfigurements, and the unknown.
Having gained a sense of renewed consciousness, Bandages is determined to free himself of these wrappings by force. Although perhaps viewed as an extreme (and dangerous) option in removing the coverings, this still emphasizes the lengths those who are mentally, physically or emotionally bound by abuse or illness will go to free themselves.
Michael did a phenomenal job here composing the shot. Will the razor cut Bandages' skin? Is he harming himself or freeing himself? What stellar cinematography that effortlessly communicates such a gut-wrenching moment.
“caraway seeds”
Written by Adam Ben David
prose, September 2024
“did you punch a nazi today?”
Written by Adam Ben David
poem, July 2022
Creative writing has been instrumental in weaving a common thread across my works. Etel Adnan, particularly her Journey to Mount Tamalpais, has profoundly influenced my creative approach. For instance, the recordings ,,&’’ and charcoal.cries()!;, incorporate spoken word poetry, narrated by either myself or artificial intelligence, respectively. In ,,&’’, my poem for you, sarah serves as a centrepiece, blending personal narrative with the instrumentation that envelopes it. Unlike Adnan, whose work embraces natural and humanistic textures, I frame my writing within cold, digital atmospheres that mirror my complex relationship with technology. Ultimately, my writing provides a canvas on which to illustrate my experiences as a diasporic Jew; works like caraway seeds and did you punch a nazi today?, guide my effort to reconcile my position within multiple social worlds and struggles: Zionism, antisemitism, family, and community.