Drawing from his continual experiences of working with scientists in the field of biomedical life Sciences at a Scottish biological research centre, Straiph explores the tension between art and science incorporating it into the mediums of music. One main aspect of his work is focused around utilizing the majority of raw vocal material accumulated entirely of Scientists talking freely about their chosen expertise of interest in work and play.Straiph frequently records each Scientists to which each has respectively contributed to the project compositions loyal to a random collection of abstract frenzied dialogue. Subjects in discussion- Morphology. Cardiology, Behavioral Sciences, Genetics. Love, Life and death.
While the scientists he uses in his work are contained by their subject matter and approach, Straiph stands in stark contrast.
In his audio recordings, he manipulates the voices of the scientists, turning the observers into subjects themselves. Unlike them, he is free to create his own reality rather than trying to study a pre-existing one. Straiph simultaneously makes the ‘objective’ observers a subject for his own observation, but they are also active participants in his art.
Moreover, unlike the scientists, Straiph is not disconnected from his subject matter but, in fact, participates in it himself.
In various works, Straiph has put together a collection of overlapping and non-overlapping scientists’ voices talking about various subjects. Some scientists speak English, others French or Gaelic, or English with aparticular accent. Some scientists talk about their work, others about politics or whatever is on their minds, but none of it is scripted. Straiph has the speakers walk the line between what is comprehensible and what is not, and uses repetition and recurring themes to hold the work together. He manipulates the volume of the voices, and superimposes some voices on top of others, both of which influence the degree to which we can understand what the speaker is saying. But the logic of the spoken content is not really the subject here – instead, listening to the collage crea899tes an overall aesthetic effect far beyond the content of what is said.