Margaret Watts Hughes: The Forgotten Pioneer of Sound Art

• LLadós, Ferran Lega ^[1]
  1. [1] Universitat de Lleida

     Universitat de Lleida

     Lérida, España

     
• Localización: BRAC: Barcelona, Research, Art Creation, ISSN-e 2014-8992, Vol. 10, Nº. 3, 2022 (Ejemplar dedicado a: October), págs. 116-136
• Idioma: inglés
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Margaret Watts Hughes: La Pionera olvidada del arte sonoro
• Enlaces
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• Resumen
  • español

    Margaret Watts Hughes es la primera mujer en concebir el sonido como una herramienta plástica en el contexto del arte visual, adelantándose en décadas a los considerados hasta ahora precursores de dicha disciplina. Se presentarán pruebas y evidencias documentales, que demuestran su papel innovador incorporando métodos científicos a la hora de construir obras visuales centradas en las vibraciones sonoras ya a finales del siglo XIX. Su legado artístico de gran interés, debe hacernos replantear la figura y el papel que ejercieron las mujeres pioneras en el arte y su papel contemporáneo.

  • English

    When we carefully analyze the role of women in the history of art, we will observe how the vast majority of museums and collections in the world have in their funds deposited works by prominent artists to whom the deserved attention they require is seldom paid. In the context of sound art, from a historical point of view there have been many women who have stood out for their careers, but the visibility of their work has been practically anecdotal and marginal in most of the reference manuals that study it.

    This article aims to give visibility and relevance to the prominent role played by the Welsh Margaret Watts Hughes, the first woman to conceive of sound as a plastic tool in the context of visual art, ahead of those considered until now precursors of this discipline. Documentary evidence will be presented, demonstrating its innovative role by incorporating scientific methods when constructing visual works focused on sound vibrations as early as the end of the 19th century. Her artistic legacy of great interest should make us rethink the figure and role played by these women pioneers.