{"id":4685,"date":"2012-12-14T06:15:41","date_gmt":"2012-12-14T06:15:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.saic.edu\/cate\/?p=4685"},"modified":"2025-01-09T23:22:25","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T05:22:25","slug":"interview-with-brenna-murphy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.saic.edu\/cate\/2012\/12\/14\/interview-with-brenna-murphy\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Brenna Murphy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Ian Ostrowski in conversation with Brenna Murphy on the occasion of her program created especially for CATE with Lampo on September 27, 2012. \u00a0Murphy\u2019s performance explores a brand new virtual space and is accompanied by textured soundscapes generated from a home-made analog synthesizer and her own voice. <\/em><\/p>\n

I had the pleasure of interviewing Brenna Murphy on September 28th, 2012. \u00a0Having interest in virtual spaces, games, and electronic media I thought it was an incredible opportunity for me to be able to interview such a prolific new media artist. \u00a0This was really exciting. \u00a0In this interview Brenna and I discuss her performance for CATE and how this performance relates to her practice. \u00a0We discuss her uses of time and repetition and how her digital images mimic 90’s computer games like MYST. \u00a0We also touch upon her love for Indian music and how it relates to her work, and also how her practice is evolving into several different performance collaborations. \u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Ian: Could you begin by talking about your performance last night?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brenna: I structured the night so it would go back and forth between videos and video games–four sections of videos and three sections of video game walk-throughs.\u00a0 I made the game spaces with the Chicago performance in mind\u2014they were made to be performed, but not to be played.<\/p>\n

The first game \/ virtual space consisted of an arrangement of boxes on the ground.\u00a0 The boxes were textured with images and I controlled my avatar to walk along, looking down at them. It sort of functioned like an animation that I was making live.<\/p>\n

If I was going to make a game for other people to play, I don\u2019t know if I would make this particular kind of game, because you have to think about people and where they want go and explore.\u00a0 I just wanted to set up something that I could show people in a very specific way.\u00a0 I attached sound to different parts of the game and different objects within each space.\u00a0 As I would move through the space, the sound would change depending on my location. This enabled me to improvise in such a way, but also have a sort of structure I set up before so I knew where I was going to walk.<\/p>\n

Have you ever designed a game for other people to play?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, I have a few on my website that can be downloaded and played.\u00a0 I made those games with other people in mind, so they are fun to navigate wherever you go hopefully.<\/p>\n

Are you only interested in creating that virtual space for people to walk around in or do you wish to attach a set of rules to what people do within the space?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have never thought about the possibility of attaching rules.\u00a0 But I think that because of the way I structure the architecture within the virtual spaces I create that those sorts of rules are inherent.<\/p>\n

Well, come to think of it, one thing I would like to explore is experimenting more with the sound aspect in these virtual spaces.\u00a0 For example, figuring out how to make it where people can turn the sound on and off by hitting a certain object. \u00a0This would enable people to play music by moving around.\u00a0 It\u2019s sort of that way right now, because as you get closer to something it makes a sound.\u00a0 I like the idea of the user being able to jump on one object to turn on sound and hitting another object to turn it off.\u00a0 That would be a cool way to make it more interactive.<\/p>\n

It is obvious that music is a component of your work, but I also notice that time and repetition are inherent to your creations as well.\u00a0 So I was wondering if time and repetition are reflected within your method\/practice? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, I think you are referring to my videos.\u00a0 A lot of times my videos can be really repetitive.\u00a0 I will take a clip and repeat it twice and then the next clip is repeated twice and it sort of creates this rhythm.\u00a0 And that does come out of just experimenting within the programs; it is sort of natural for me to copy and paste things.\u00a0 It is an easy way to create a rhythm and as soon as you start repeating it, then it becomes this weird like song instead of just these video clips.<\/p>\n

Are you working on any other things at this point?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, I have a group called MSHR.\u00a0 We do a lot of things including building analog synthesizers.\u00a0 They are very sculptural and have fun interfaces like gloves that control the sound by moving your hands around light sensors and it makes different sounds.\u00a0 We use touch sensors to make sound too.\u00a0 We make sculptural installations with interactive sounds in them so that visitors can play with them.\u00a0 The art is sort of a surreal environment that\u2019s kind of like a virtual reality realm, but physical.<\/p>\n

What are your influences?\u00a0 Are there any artists you pay attention to?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Definitely!\u00a0 I get influence from other artists all the time.\u00a0 I find a lot of inspiration from music.<\/p>\n

What sort of music?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Raga music. I have been taking Raga music lessons for a couple of years.\u00a0 I listen to Raga influenced music or Raga all the time. The structure of Raga music has influenced my work a lot.\u00a0 There\u2019s a framework but improvisation within the framework.\u00a0 The harmonies feel very elemental and natural to me.\u00a0 For me, my work reflects the Raga structure.<\/p>\n

This is very evident in your videos with the trance, psychedelic imagery.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was also reading that when you begin a piece, you like to take walks and take pictures of nature.\u00a0 Do you just work from nature at the beginning and move on from that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I like to go on walks as much as possible and pay attention to the way things are arranged and the surface qualities of the textures.\u00a0 I like to pay attention to houses, trees, plants, and the sidewalks and how everything is arranged and looks.\u00a0 I think it reflects the human mind a lot.\u00a0 I\u2019m not really IN nature as much as I am in neighborhoods and the way nature is arranged in a neighborhood.\u00a0 You get a feeling of nature but you also get a feeling of how people have planted these things, these certain configurations.\u00a0 And how the houses are shaped next to those things.\u00a0 I like to try to just focus on the form and texture of all of that.\u00a0 And let that shape influence me and when I go home and start working I try to let those shapes come through in my designs.<\/p>\n

Ian Ostrowki is an MA candidate in Modern Art History, Theory and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with an interest in virtual spaces, games, and electronic media.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ian Ostrowski in conversation with Brenna Murphy on the occasion of her program created especially for CATE with Lampo on September 27, 2012. \u00a0Murphy\u2019s performance explores a brand new virtual space and is accompanied by textured soundscapes generated from a home-made analog synthesizer and her own voice. I had the pleasure of interviewing Brenna Murphy […]<\/p>\n

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