Camille Norment, 
— Fleet Library October 17, 2022

After I saw the Camille Norment lecture, I talked with Alex Chechile, a sound artist, composer, and electronic artist who joined RISD as a Research Fellow this year and teaches in the Studio for Research in Sound and Technology (SRST). Alex co-moderated the conversation with Camille.

CVA:  For people who aren't familiar with Camille's work, how would you describe it?

AC: Camille Norment is a multimedia artist whose work spans a range of disciplines including sound art, installation, drawing, sculpture, and performance. She also investigates relationships between sound, body, society, and culture, which is part of a framework she describes as “cultural psychoacoustics.”

CVA: What were some of the key takeaways from the talk for you?

AC: Camille, Jess Myers (Assistant Professor, Architecture), and I discussed a range of topics around Camille’s practice, such as how her exhibition catalogues function within the context of her installations and her methodologies in working with sound and materials such as glass. We unpacked elements of her recent installation Plexus, which is currently on view at Dia Chelsea in NYC. The installation has two rooms: one with an inverted, bell-shaped brass object with a hanging brass clapper that emits live feedback mixed with faint archival radio broadcasts, and another with large planks of timber that transduce sounds made by twelve vocalists.

Two particular topics that emerged were her use of live feedback and haptics in the piece and the broader context of how the installation fits within the social and cultural history of Chelsea.

CVA: What’s the best way to stay connected with the SRST and to find out more about future events?

AC: In addition to the regular RISD channels, SRST will post our upcoming activities on our Instagram page @risd_sound, and on our webpage here. Fleet (@risd-library) and RISD Architecture (@risdarch) have Instagram pages that post current and future events as well.

Clinton Van Arnam is a media artist and graphic designer. His work focuses on sound, geometry, motion graphics, and reimagining visual communication.