Els Viaene (°1979, Belgium) started her work as a sound artist / field recordist in 2001. With a set-up of two small microphones she listens, zooms into and enlarges the aural landscapes surrounding us. The natural rhythms and textures of the sounds hidden in those landscapes form the basis of her work. Working on these sound materials for performances, sound compositions or installations she makes the listeners travel in imaginary and organic environments. Through the specific use and set-up of sound within a space her installations create new spaces within existing ones, either emphasizing or making dissapear the physical borders of that space. In doing so she often plays with the notions of seeing and hearing, the perception of what we see and hear and how both interfere.

I use sounds surrounding us cause of their rich textures and organic shapes. Sometimes one sound within a location attracts me to create a new project sometimes it's the memory connected to the recording and location. The sounds hidden in the field inspire me in many different ways.