sam hamilton
Sam Hamilton is an artist and musician from Auckland, New Zealand.
His exhaustively continues exploration of the world of sound have found him deep in the far flung acoustic crevices of reality as can be found by spending months traipsing the Amazon rain forest in Brazil, Colombia and Peru investigating the rich sound environment of the poisonous tree frogs, howler monkeys, squawking parrots barking ants.
The rest of the time he's sunken into the worlds of sonic sub-consciousness exploding from ecstatic meaningless and joyful free noise punk rock outs or producing experimental film and video works and Expanded Cinema explorations with Eve Gordon. Mapping out rich textural excavations of electronic sound plains to buidling architecturally relational sound installations. Melting into psycho-occultist group improvisations with old giant gongs in weird public places, performing 5 hour surround-sound Musique Concrete compositions. Working with renowned contemporary dance company MAU in rural communities or putting together 30-piece choirs to replicate the sounds of masses of Amazonian mating frogs.
In other words, an over abundance of interests, and an explosive eagerness to explore the boundless wonders possible when exploring artistic dialogues with the world we are a part of.
He has produced recorded works, performances and installations that have been presented in galleries, cinema's, radio and web in NZ and Australia as well as South America, UK, USA and Europe. He has had favourable reviews and featured articles in the WIRE magazine, Metro Magazine, Morph, Real Time Arts and more. He has toured both sound and film performances through-out NZ, Australia and South America playing outdoor festivals, concert series, bookstores, record stores, house parties, warehouse shows, galleries and playing on the street.
He has worked with a diverse range of musicians, scientists, film makers and other such illuminating artists from NZ and abroad such as Andrew Scott, Mark Sadgrove, Eve Gordon, MAU, Tim Coster, Paul Winstanley (NZ version), Chris O'Connor, Dean Roberts, Phil Dadson, Francisco Lopez (Spain), Richard Francis, Adam Willetts, Zebignew Karkowski (Poland), James McCarthy, the Tall Dwarfs, Christian Galarreta (Peru), Wilber Gonzales (Peru), NZ Trio, Zoe Drayton, Campbell Kneale, Antony Milton, Stephen Neville, Guy Sherwin (UK), Slavek Kwi (Ireland), Charlie Charlie (France), Mark Trayle (US), Joel Stern (Australia), Scott Sinclair (Australia), David Watson and more.
He has been commissioned and supported by The Starving Artists Fund, SOUNZ, Creative New Zealand and the Screen Innovation Production Fund.
Sam is also a very active promoter and organiser of events, festivals and workshops with focuses from experimental music programs, (post) acoustic ecology workshops, experimental film and expanded cinema and more.
He has created, directed and curated such festivals and programs of experimental film as "fps" for the Auckland International Film Festival with Phil Dadson and Eve Gordon, the Cinema Ascension Festival with Eve Gordon, experimental music festivals and events such as the Alleluya Noise Festival, Alleluya Noise Events the Borderline Music Club, SHIFTING CITY SOUND PLAINS and more.