Kevin Furlong | University of Chester

Kevin grew up listening to latin recitation, bird song, rté, radio four and his parent’s tacky vinyl souvenir collection.

This aural exposure steered his emergence as an audio artist in the early eighties, tinkering with tape loops, effects pedals, synthesisers and drum machines to create new sounds from old and new technology.

Using microphones, cut up tape and echo machines, he and his peers absorbed and interpreted environmental sound into disjointed audio art. The cut up culture was also applied to moving image creating motion design that complimented the audio. His visual work has always been driven by audio, including moving image or design layout inspired to illustrate any composition. This relationship of sound with image, the sound moving the image, inevitably led to his interaction with art school and eventually his research and his teaching.

He studied at Liverpool Art School where he also spent some of his formative teaching years, developing his teaching through his research. He joined the University of Chester in September 2005 as acting programme leader for graphic design. He later spent nine months as deputy head of design, nine months as acting head of design and twelve months as deputy head of art & design. He is currently focused on his research and teaching as senior lecturer in graphic design.

Kevin lectures in graphic design, specialising in motion design and visual communication.

Kevin is currently researching the interaction of sound in digital media and virtual space while looking at the designer’s perception of time in relation to sound material and moving image. The research is investigating the reasoning behind the final decisions and the production of sound design in moving image making, the methods, design, story, script, the screenplay and direction.

Moving image structure relates digital sound material with the aim of presenting a memorable experience, inviting repeated listening. The methods by which moving image maker’s perceive and remember sound information are important to the moving image making process. Sound is shown to have an underlying and unifying role with moving image design.

Methods of unifying the structure and capturing the listeners’ attention over long duration are investigated by considering sound behaviour and influence throughout the moving image making process.

There is a narrow distinction between the interpretation of music and the interpretation of sound design. Compared with visuals, audio has been undervalued, and less, under developed.

The research is looking at:

the identification of key units of decision making in the composition of sound in digital media
addressing the issues that emerge for designers when designing sound for digital moving image environments
the investigation and identification of issues of visual bias in digital media spaces.

To establish a new approach for designing sound in digital media it is felt necessary to first identify the design problems.

Kevin’s collaborative audio work with Black State Choir and Hal was released between 1986 and 1997 the work was published on Brainwar, Scam, Permis de Construire Deutschland (PDCD), Virgin and WeBite.

Audio Publications

[1987], “Jihad”, Black State Choir, Brainwar, Antler Records, Belgium

[1988], “Bogurodzica”, Black State Choir, Antler Records, Belgium

[1989], “Akuku”, Black State Choir, Scam Records, England

[1989], “Hardshell Preacher”, Black State Choir, Scam Records, England

[1994], “Permaculture”, Black State Choir, Permis de Construire, Deutschland

[1995], “Pachakuti”, Black State Choir, Permis de Construire, Deutschland

[1996], “Gorilla Conspiration 12345678”, Hal, Permis de Construire, Deutschland

[1997], “Extremis”, Hal, Virgin, England

[1997], “Poetomachia”, Black State Choir, WeBite, Germany

[1998], “Hope”, Zero, Audio Research Editions, England

[1999], “Myam”, “Trace”, Audio Research Editions, England

[2000], “Barobsolete” “Zero”, Audio Research Editions, England

[2013], "Freqtonic" [EP], Zeronoise, Spaceships Over Deeside, Wales

[2014], "Zoo" [EP], Zeronoise, Freqtonic, England

[2014], "xone" [EP], Zeronoise, England

[2014]. "esker" [EP], Zeronoise, SpeyeshipTransmissions, Wales

Collaborative Television

[1997], Title music, “Extrema” for BBC1 TV series, “Future Fantastic”, England

[1997], Video Screening, “Extremis”, MTV, England

Collaborative Radio Performance

[1986], “On the Wire” BBC Radio Lancashire, England

[1989], “The Works” BBC Radio3, England

[1993], “Mixing it” BBC Radio3, England

[1993], produced and presented “Signals from the Ether” for “Freedom fm” [Chester]

[1994], “On the Wire” BBC Radio Lancashire, England

[1995], produced and presented “Signals from the Ether” for “Festival fm” [Chester]

[1997], produced and presented “Signals from the Ether” & “Kzero”. Produced “ArtShed” for “On the Fringe” [Chester]

Solo, Collaborative, Multimedia and Online Exhibitions

zeroconversation

zeronoise

freqbot

[1986], Sound Performance, “The Sun at Night”, “Thrash Culture”, Cafe Berlin, Liverpool, England

[1986], Sound & film performance and installation, “The Beamish Complex”, and “Thrash Culture”, The Golden Square, Warrington, England

[1987], Sound Performance, “Earthbeat” Festival, “Thrash Culture”, Sefton Park, Liverpool, England

[1988], Sound and film performance, “Black State Choir”, The International, Manchester, England

[1988], Sound and film performance, “Black State Choir”, The Riverside, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England

[1995], Sound designer for design production team that created a CD ROM illustration of the Sigmar Polke exhibition at the Tate Gallery Liverpool, England

[1996], Video Screening, “Epizootie” and “Bacon Bread and Bouncers”, Hope Street Gallery, Liverpool, England

[1997], Interactive Sound Installation, “EmptyVessals”, Hope Street Gallery, Liverpool, England

[1998], Video Screening, “Epizootie” and “A Crook, a Sheaf, a Life and a Mother”, North x Northwest - Independent Film Festival 1998, Liverpool, England

[1998], Sound Installation, International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA 98), “ZeroHope”, Hope Street Gallery, Liverpool, England

[2000], British Council Exhibition of film script for, “Rewind - Deep is the Sound” at the Melbourne Subway, Australia

[2000], Video Screening, “Rewind - Deep is the Sound”, Sunday Shorts, Bar Centro, Manchester, England

[2000], Sound Installation, Video Positive Festival, “Zero” “BarObsolete”, Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool, England

[2000], Sound Performance, “This is Recording”, Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, Liverpool, England

[2007], Video screening for the “RepeatRepeat” conference at the University of Chester, England

[2009], Sound Performance, “EarthTrigger” at the “Silence” Conference, University of Chester, England

[2010], Sound Installation, “This is Recorded”, The Cube Gallery, Manchester, England

[2014], "ZeroConversation", a collaborative online photography exhibition with Huw Williams

MA Multimedia, PGCE , BA (Hons) Graphic Design.