Miguel Álvarez-Fernández
Encyclopedia
Miguel Álvarez-Fernández (Born 1979 in Madrid
, Spain
) is a sound art
ist, composer
, theorist and curator based between Madrid and Berlin
, where he has taught at the Electronic Music Studio of the Technical University of Berlin
. He also lectures regularly at the Department of Art History
and Musicology
of the University of Oviedo
(Spain), and at the European University of Madrid as a specialist in Sound Art
and Electroacoustic music
.
His artistic and theoretical work addresses problematic concepts like the relationships between sex and music (both understood as socio-cultural constructions, rather that 'natural categories'), or the connections between interactive proccesses
and the illusion of control
. Álvarez-Fernández has explored these issues in his sound installation
s and musical compositions, both alone and as a member of the art group DissoNoiSex.
The works of Álvarez-Fernández have been presented in several venues in Europe and America, including the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
and the Residencia de Estudiantes
(where Álvarez-Fernández was composer-in-residence from 2002 to 2005) in Madrid, the Technical University of Berlin
, The Huset gallery in Copenhagen, or the Eyebeam Gallery
in New York, among many others. He has also composed music for different audiovisual productions, including the film "A via láctea", by Brazilian director Lina Chamie, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival
in 2007.
As a musicologist and sound-art theorist, Álvarez-Fernández has lectured (and his writings have been published) in Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Denmark, Sweden, Macedonia, Serbia, Lithuania, Russia...
His work as a sound-art curator is widely recognized in Spain. For the project "Itinerarios del sonido" (co-curated along with María Bella) fourteen internationally recognized artists were invited (in many cases, for the first time) to Madrid, in order to create a new sound piece that later would be listened to in specific bus-stops around the city. Participants of this project included Vito Acconci
, Jorge Eduardo Eielson, Julio Estrada
, Luc Ferrari
, Bill Fontana
, Susan Hiller
, Christina Kubisch
, Adrian Piper
and Trevor Wishart
, among others. In 2007, Álvarez-Fernández curated in Berlin "Offener Klang / Sonido Abierto" as part of the "Linux Audio Conference", with concerts and workshops at the Technical university
and at the Instituto Cervantes
Berlin. In April 2011 he curated, along with Chema de Francisco and Rubén Gutiérrez del Castillo, the "SON" Festival , which presented for the first time at the Auditorio Nacional de Música (Madrid) the newest generation of Spanish sound artists in a series of concerts, performances and sound installations.
Also in 2011, Miguel Álvarez-Fernández received the IV "Cura Castillejo" prize, awarded at the Nits de Deshielo i Art Festival, organized in Valencia by sound artist Llorenç Barber (the three previous recipients of the award being Francisco López
, Fátima Miranda
and sound installation pioneer Luis Lugán).
Since 2008 Miguel Álvarez-Fernández hosts in Radio Clásica
/Radio Nacional de España
the weekly radio broadcast Ars Sonora, a cult program (founded in 1985) devoted to sound art and experimental music.
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) is a sound art
Sound art
Sound art is a diverse group of art practices that considers wide notions of sound, listening and hearing as its predominant focus. There are often distinct relationships forged between the visual and aural domains of art and perception by sound artists....
ist, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, theorist and curator based between Madrid and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he has taught at the Electronic Music Studio of the Technical University of Berlin
Technical University of Berlin
The Technische Universität Berlin is a research university located in Berlin, Germany. Translating the name into English is discouraged by the university, however paraphrasing as Berlin Institute of Technology is recommended by the university if necessary .The TU Berlin was founded...
. He also lectures regularly at the Department of Art History
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
and Musicology
Musicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
of the University of Oviedo
University of Oviedo
The University of Oviedo is a public university in Asturias . It's the only university in the region. It has three campus and research centres, located in Oviedo, Gijón and Mieres.-History:...
(Spain), and at the European University of Madrid as a specialist in Sound Art
Sound art
Sound art is a diverse group of art practices that considers wide notions of sound, listening and hearing as its predominant focus. There are often distinct relationships forged between the visual and aural domains of art and perception by sound artists....
and Electroacoustic music
Electroacoustic music
Electroacoustic music originated in Western art music during its modern era following the incorporation of electric sound production into compositional practice. The initial developments in electroacoustic music composition during the mid-20th century are associated with the activities of composers...
.
His artistic and theoretical work addresses problematic concepts like the relationships between sex and music (both understood as socio-cultural constructions, rather that 'natural categories'), or the connections between interactive proccesses
Interactivity
In the fields of information science, communication, and industrial design, there is debate over the meaning of interactivity. In the "contingency view" of interactivity, there are three levels:...
and the illusion of control
Illusion of control
The illusion of control is the tendency for people to overestimate their ability to control events, for instance to feel that they control outcomes that they demonstrably have no influence over. The effect was named by psychologist Ellen Langer and has been replicated in many different contexts. It...
. Álvarez-Fernández has explored these issues in his sound installation
Sound installation
Sound installation is an intermedia and time based art form. It is an expansion of an art installation in the sense that it includes the sound element and therefore the time element...
s and musical compositions, both alone and as a member of the art group DissoNoiSex.
The works of Álvarez-Fernández have been presented in several venues in Europe and America, including the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is the official name of Spain's national museum of 20th century art . The museum was officially inaugurated on September 10, 1992 and is named for Queen Sofia of Spain...
and the Residencia de Estudiantes
Residencia de estudiantes
The Residencia de Estudiantes, literally the "Student Residence", is one of the original Spanish cultural centers in Madrid, Spain. During the first half of the twentieth century, the Residence was a prestigious cultural institution that helped foster and create the intellectual environment of...
(where Álvarez-Fernández was composer-in-residence from 2002 to 2005) in Madrid, the Technical University of Berlin
Technical University of Berlin
The Technische Universität Berlin is a research university located in Berlin, Germany. Translating the name into English is discouraged by the university, however paraphrasing as Berlin Institute of Technology is recommended by the university if necessary .The TU Berlin was founded...
, The Huset gallery in Copenhagen, or the Eyebeam Gallery
Eyebeam Atelier
Eyebeam, is a not-for-profit arts and technology center in New York City. Their stated purpose is to promote the creative use of new technologies by funding artwork, education and exhibitions. The founders were John S. Johnson III, David S. Johnson and Roderic R...
in New York, among many others. He has also composed music for different audiovisual productions, including the film "A via láctea", by Brazilian director Lina Chamie, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
in 2007.
As a musicologist and sound-art theorist, Álvarez-Fernández has lectured (and his writings have been published) in Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Denmark, Sweden, Macedonia, Serbia, Lithuania, Russia...
His work as a sound-art curator is widely recognized in Spain. For the project "Itinerarios del sonido" (co-curated along with María Bella) fourteen internationally recognized artists were invited (in many cases, for the first time) to Madrid, in order to create a new sound piece that later would be listened to in specific bus-stops around the city. Participants of this project included Vito Acconci
Vito Acconci
Vito Hannibal Acconci is a Bronx, New York-born, Brooklyn-based designer, landscape architect, performance and installation artist.-Education:...
, Jorge Eduardo Eielson, Julio Estrada
Julio Estrada
Julio Estrada Velasco was born in Mexico City, April 10, 1943. His family was exiled from Spain in 1941. He is a composer, theoretician, historian, pedagogue, and interpreter.-Life:...
, Luc Ferrari
Luc Ferrari
Luc Ferrari was of an Italian heritage but French born composer, particularly noted for his tape music.-Biography:...
, Bill Fontana
Bill Fontana
Bill Fontana is known internationally for his pioneering experiments in sound art.Fontana attended New School for Social Research in New York and studied both music and philosophy. He traveled to Australia, and also stayed in Japan and Germany composing. Fontana began making sound sculptures in 1976...
, Susan Hiller
Susan Hiller
Susan Hiller is an American-born artist who lives in London, UK. Her art practice encompasses installation, video, photography, performance and writing.-Early Life and Education:...
, Christina Kubisch
Christina Kubisch
Christina Kubisch is a German composer and sound-installation artist. She was born in Bremen and studied flute and music composition at the Hochschule fur Musik in Bremen and at the Jazz Academy in Graz, Austria...
, Adrian Piper
Adrian Piper
Adrian Margaret Smith Piper is a first-generation conceptual artist and analytic philosopher who was born in New York City and lived for many years on Cape Cod, Massachusetts before emigrating from the United States...
and Trevor Wishart
Trevor Wishart
Trevor Wishart is an English composer, based in York. Wishart has contributed to composing with digital audio media, both fixed and interactive...
, among others. In 2007, Álvarez-Fernández curated in Berlin "Offener Klang / Sonido Abierto" as part of the "Linux Audio Conference", with concerts and workshops at the Technical university
Technical University of Berlin
The Technische Universität Berlin is a research university located in Berlin, Germany. Translating the name into English is discouraged by the university, however paraphrasing as Berlin Institute of Technology is recommended by the university if necessary .The TU Berlin was founded...
and at the Instituto Cervantes
Instituto Cervantes
The Cervantes Institute is a worldwide non-profit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes , the author of Don Quixote and perhaps the most important figure in the history of Spanish literature...
Berlin. In April 2011 he curated, along with Chema de Francisco and Rubén Gutiérrez del Castillo, the "SON" Festival , which presented for the first time at the Auditorio Nacional de Música (Madrid) the newest generation of Spanish sound artists in a series of concerts, performances and sound installations.
Also in 2011, Miguel Álvarez-Fernández received the IV "Cura Castillejo" prize, awarded at the Nits de Deshielo i Art Festival, organized in Valencia by sound artist Llorenç Barber (the three previous recipients of the award being Francisco López
Francisco López (musician)
Francisco López is an avant-garde experimental musician and sound artist.He has released a large amount of sound pieces with record labels from more than fifty countries and realized hundreds of concerts and sound installations worldwide; including some of the main international museums, galleries...
, Fátima Miranda
Fátima Miranda
Fátima Miranda is a Spanish singer and researcher born in Salamanca. She has a bachelor's degree in history of art, with a specialisation in modern art. As a singer, her compositions touch several genres like Mongol Song or Indian Dhrupad. She has investigated the human voice and created...
and sound installation pioneer Luis Lugán).
Since 2008 Miguel Álvarez-Fernández hosts in Radio Clásica
RNE Radio Clásica
Radio Clásica is a Spanish radio station, owned and operated by Radio Nacional de España, formerly known as Radio 2. Broadcast Classical music 24 hours a day.-External links:*...
/Radio Nacional de España
Radio Nacional de España
is Spain's national public radio service. Since 1973 it has formed, together with , a part of , the corporation responsible for managing national public-service broadcasting in Spain.-Origins of RNE:...
the weekly radio broadcast Ars Sonora, a cult program (founded in 1985) devoted to sound art and experimental music.
External links
- Official Site
- DissoNoiSex
- "Álvarez-Fernández: Sound Amateur", article by Silvia Scaravaggi published by Digimag (Italy)
- "Dissonance, Sex and Noise: (Re)building (Hi)stories of Electroacoustic Music", article by Miguel Álvarez-Fernández published by the HZ Journal (Sweden)
- "Itinerarios del sonido", public sound-art project curated by Miguel Álvarez-Fernández
- "Miguel Álvarez Fernández recibe el Premio Cura Castillejo de las 'Nits de Deshielo i Art'" (press article)
- "SON" Festival, sound art project curated by Miguel Álvarez-Fernández at the Auditorio Nacional de Música (Madrid)