Followers of local media are beginning to see coverage about the various art projects which are part of Prospect 3+—New Orleans’ international art biennial. However, most of it has focused on visual art and experimental installations. Music fans need to check out DD214—the latest effort from the musician known around town as WATIV.
DD214 is a sound composition that makes use of audio samples recorded by William A Thompson, IV while on a one-year military tour of duty in Baghdad during 2004. These audio samples range from various field, or “found sound,” to interviews with other combat veterans after deployment. The chief goal of this project is the creation of a body of musical works that express the thoughts, conditions, and inner lives of combat veterans from all wars.
In the composition, WATIV makes use of audio speech samples he collected and recorded. These speech samples are analyzed according to inherent pitch, rhythm, and implied harmony. The composition’s results vary accordingly. This “found sound” process of composition was first employed by WATIV in his 2005 release, Baghdad Music Journal. To read an NPR “All Things Considered” piece about Baghdad Music Journal, click here.
The title of the piece is from Form DD214, which is the document a soldier receives upon release from the military. It contains his or her entire service record and is the most important document a veteran will ever possess.
DD214 will premiere on October 25, 2014 as part of BAMBOULA / NOLA, a Prospect 3+ satellite show at Tulane University featuring artists approaching sound from different disciplinary backgrounds, embracing both the musicological and contemporary art discourse. While the focus and impetus of the show is contemporary sound art, there are a wide range of photographic image practices employed by the artists in installations of video, projections and still images.
