Sophie Gibson is a vocalist, electronic sound artist, composer, lighting designer and performer from the South Coast of NSW. Working in both the music and theatre industries, Sophie is able to draw on a variety of technical elements and incorporate them in the production of her work. Influenced by current affairs, her work explores and critiques global issues that negatively impact mental health.
‘Breath’ is a conceptual work which explores the current global pandemic and its implications on the mental health of individuals. With a constant reminder of what is happening locally and globally in the news, my project aims to draw awareness to the anxiety and stress brought on by the media. ‘Panic’ is a sound art piece which consists of my breath, along with samples taken from Channel 9 news clips detailing Covid-19 developments throughout the year. Underneath this is the data sonification of Australian statistics taken from the World Health Organization. With sound mixing and engineering, this piece creates a sense of anxiety in the listener similar to the anxiety created by the media. ‘We Now Will Rise’ is a song that I composed as a reminder to those who are feeling alone or isolated that we are in this together. This is accompanied by Amber Newell on the violin and Chet Tucker on the keyboard.