Lauren Tortil

Lauren Tortil is a sound artist and PhD student at École Universitaire de Recherche Creative Approaches to Public Space (EUR CAPS) in Rennes. Influenced by sound studies and media archaeology, she is interested in processes of listening through the prism of sound technologies and the interactions that exist between these media, humans and their sound environment. This approach takes the form of iconographic and theoretical research, which feeds into her artistic practice (printed objects, installations, performances and workshops). Her work has been shown at a number of institutions in France (including Bétonsalon, Centre Pompidou, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Fondation Pernod Ricard, ADAGP and Villa du Parc) and internationally (Joliette Museum of Art (CAN), Sound Gallery (CZ) and the 11th Sao Paulo Architecture Biennial (BR)).

Headphones and earbuds have been part of everyday life since the late 1990s. Millions of people use them for entertainment, communication or to filter out unwanted noise. Lauren Tortil is interested in the effects these personal sound technologies have on how we perceive our surroundings. Using them creates a private sound bubble which isolates from the rest of the world and encourages an individualisation of public space. This raises questions as to the very definition of these spaces.

Lauren Tortil investigates the technologies leading to this phenomenon, for example the Sony Walkman TPS-L2. Launched in 1979, it revolutionised listening habits by making listening private and portable. Lauren Tortil began her research in Tokyo in March 2023 at the Sony archives. She continues her exploration at Villa Kujoyama with the intention of writing a performance piece and an artist’s book on the theme.