BIO

M.W. Burns is an audio artist using sound to conceptually activate space. Many of his installations rely on tactics of public address, projecting the voice into existing urban conditions. Other projects integrate pre-recorded sound into an environment, instigating the perception of events taking place. Burns has had solo exhibitions at the TBA Exhibition Space, Chicago; Northern Illinois University Art Museum; Tough, Chicago and the Lab, San Francisco. His sound installations have been included in numerous group exhibitions, including the 2000 Whitney Biennial at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Sound/Video/Film, the Donald Young Gallery; Contextual: Art and Text in Chicago, at the Chicago Cultural Center; Time Arts at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; The Body at the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago; and Takeover at the Hyde Park Art Center. Other projects include Sound Canopy, a public sound system supporting audio work created to participate in the urban environment.

2001    The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago “Audible Imagery”. Installed Posing Phrases on the exterior of the Donald Young Gallery. (Pedestrian activated audio installation).

2001    Chicago Cultural Center, "Con/textual". Installed Fountain, (multi-channel audio installation).

2000    Donald Young Gallery, "Sound/Video/Film" Chicago. Installed BIGMOUTH, (an outdoor sound installation).

2000     The Whitney Biennial, The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Exhibited Conveyer, (a multi-channel audio installation).

2000     Temporary Services, Chicago, Installed Apertures, (a multi-channel piece installed in the building's stairwell) .

1999     Donald Young Gallery Invitational, Chicago, Installed Run On ,2nd installment of Notes on Details of observations made in transit , (a multi-channel audio installation).

1999     The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Designed a series of untitled audio events for "Trans23", a multidisciplinary art event.

1997     Tough Gallery, Chicago. Exhibited Airborne Bodies Contact the Moshpit, (audio-text installation).

1996     The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Messenger, (audio-text installation) for "Time Arts" exhibition.


Selected Solo Exhibitions and Projects

2004     Chicago Loop, Adams and State Streets. Sound Canopy 2004, Conceived and organized a public audio art project, presenting international sound work designed for the site. The work is presented over a 32 speaker sound system mounted inside an existing construction canopy. Project duration: Jan. - April.

2002    Chicago Loop, Randolph and Wabash. Sound Canopy (Prototype), Conceived and organized a public audio art project, presenting five artist's sound work, designed for the site. The work is presented
over a 32 speaker sound system mounted inside an existing construction canopy. Project duration: May - Aug. .

2001     Gahlberg Gallery, College of DuPage campus, Pedestrian Speed Monitoring and Posing Phrases.

1998     TBA Gallery, Chicago, Excerpts from notes on details of observations made in transit . TBA mix (sound installation).

1997     Tough Gallery, Chicago, Mediations (sound installation).

1997     Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, Il., Exhibited Sinker (sound installation).

1995     Space Gallery, Chicago, Traverse (sound installation).

1994     The Lab, San Francisco, Wanderings. Exhibited installations and photographs.

1994     N.A.M.E., Chicago, Wilderness. Exhibited Blip (sound installation).

Education

1990     MFA, Time Arts. -The School of the Art Institute of Chicago .

1989     BFA, Illustration/Graphics.-The University of the Arts.