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TAG ARCHIVES: field recording

STEPHAN CRASNEANSCKI FOR LACHAINETELE


Interview du créateur du collectif Soundwalk, Stephan Crasneanscki

The French webchannel Lachainetel.tv has just interviewed Soundwalk founder Stephan Crasneanscki about Soundwalk’s beginnings, Le Son du Nous, the Exit Festival at MAC Créteil, the Ulysses Syndrome, and what Crasneanscki considers to be his own individual sound.

For English readers: a brief summary of the interview -

On SOUNDWALK: ["I began by making synchronized audio tours of my favorite places in New York City using my own voice, for my friends...the tours then evolved into a way to enter into the life of another person for an hour and see the city through their eyes, while following the narrative of their story."]

On LE SON DU NOUS: ["The idea is to create these three movements of sound - natural and organic sounds existing before humanity, internal sounds of the human body, then sounds created by humans' influence on their environment, both small & large: a spoon against a glass, the sound of a building being constructed or crumbling to the ground...to lead us together to find the true Sound of Us."]

On MAC Créteil’s EXIT FESTIVAL: ["An interesting and exciting platform for experimental projects in art and design, where creatives like Starck and Soundwalk can meet and collaborate...."]

ULYSSES SYNDROME: ["The project entails capturing Hertzian frequencies on the Mediterranean Sea, like  fishermen have snared fish throughout history, and melding the sounds into a 24-hour audio collage, resonant of the 24 songs of Homer."]

On his INDIVIDUAL SOUND: ["Since I work with sound as a material every day, in the end I prefer silence, but among sounds my favorites are natural: the sounds of the body, of breath, and of nature - of wind, of falling rain...."]

Click here to tell us about your individual sound and WIN TICKETS to LE SON DU NOUS with Philippe Starck at MAC Créteil! Also watch for more interviews, sound clips, and exclusive sneak-peaks at the show during the next week!

Machinefabriek | Editions – Issue #5

Artist:         Machinefabriek | Rutger Zuydervelt
Title:           The Breathing Bridge, part 2  | ©
Date:          2010
Duration:    10′01

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photo by: Rutger Zuydervelt

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THE SOUND

Composed for the International Film Festival Rotterdam, this piece is created using recordings made at the famous Rotterdam Erasmus Bridge.  It’s a sonic portrait and one of two sound-works that attempts to capture the bridge as a living creature while revealing the aural dynamics of everything that happens on and under it.  The first section of the piece focuses on the bridge itself and the second part is mostly constructed using recordings of the Nieuwe Maas river that runs beneath the bridge.

Both pieces were played in a darkened theater.

THE ARTIST

Born on 28 July 1978 in Apeldoorn (The Netherlands), now living in Rotterdam, Rutger Zuydervelt started working as Machinefabriek in 2004.  Machinefabriek’s music combines elements of ambient, modern classical, drone, noise and field recordings, to create ‘films without image’. He released on labels like Type, 12K, Dekorder, Digitalis and Staalplaat. Gigs were played in countries all over the globe, including Russia, Israel, Canada, Switserland, Spain, Chech Republic, Germany, England, and -obviously- The Netherlands.  Rutger collaborated (on record, or live) with artists like Ralph Steinbrüchel, Aaron Martin, Peter Broderick, Frans de Waard, Wouter van Veldhoven, Simon Nabatov, Xela, Simon Scott, Gareth Hardwick, Stephen Vitiello and Tim Catlin amongst others.

links: www.machinefabriek.nu

Aaron Ximm | Editions – Issue#5

Artist:         Aaron Ximm | Quiet American
Title:           Lassitude  | ©
Date:          2010
Duration:    10′12

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photo by: Aaron Ximm

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THE SOUND

If in the city of Kashi all things are sanctified; to drown in the city of light one is to walk home upon the water. Take care what you drink, we heard, for the chai is made of river water, and the river is veiled in light but full of death. Take care for the lassi is full of bhang, and the bhang is full of light and darkness in unknown measure. Drop off the ghats and into the river if you dare. The afternoon is gone and the ears are full of night.

On our honeymoon my wife and I spent several weeks in Varanasi, India.  As a city sacred to Shiva one may, even as a western tourist, partake, with discretion, of bhang in many preparations, including the moderately infamous bhang lassi. Opium from the government bhang shop amplified a gold and pastel afternoon; but denser in the memory is the city I entered through the trapdoor of bhang: the plunge into deep water where the sacred city of ritual and the filthy city of junkies became indistinguishable.

Lassitude was constructed with field recordings made during those few weeks, including a long nightwalk home along the ghats, during which we witnessed the idle torment of a scavenging dog; the snuffling of a sacred cow in a private courtyard; the chant of “Ram’s name is truth” as a passing body is taken down to the river to be cremated; and devotional music echoing in the atrium of New Vishwanatha chapel at Banares Hindu University.

Best heard with headphones.

THE ARTIST

Aaron Ximm is a San Francisco-based field recordist and sound artist.  He is best known for his composition, installation, and performance work as Quiet American. From 2001 to 2005, Aaron curated and hosted the Field Effects concert series, which, like his own work, sought to showcase the quiet, fragile, and lovely side of sound art, particularly that working with found sound and field recordings. Recently he has become increasingly interested in taking as his subject the problems and limitations of documentation itself.

links: http://quietamerican.org http://www.facebook.com/pages/Quiet-American/134809495529

HIS FAVORITE THINGS: PHILIPPE STARCK ON FAMILY, DESIGN, AND SOUNDWALK

philippe-starck

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Philippe Starck named “24 Hours: The Starck Mix” as one of his favorite things.

Soundwalk designed the mix as a gift for the designer mixing 24 hours of music, voices, and ambient sound. In October 09, Starck was invited as a guest editor of Wallpaper* and, in association with Soundwalk & Clicmobile, made the “24 Hours: The Starck Mix” public as an ephemeral iPhone application and webradio available for one month only.

Check out the Financial Times interview to read more about what makes Philippe Starck happy: cast-iron fireplaces, mahogany, the Louis Ghost chairs, his wife, phantasmagoria…and keep an eye out for Soundwalk’s upcoming performance with Philippe Starck in Paris next month.

Andrea Polli | Editions – Issue #4

Artist:         Andrea Polli
Title:          Commonwealth Scrape Ice  |  Observation Hill Hike  |  ©
Date:         2008
Duration:   10′11

photos by: Andrea Polli

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THE SOUND

section 1.

Today Hassan and I went to visit a couple more LTER met stations, one on top of Commonwealth Glacier in Taylor Valley. If you put a mic right down to the surface, the sound of a glacier is incredibly reverberant, almost as sound was going into a giant hollow space with highly reflective walls or through a tangled matrix of hollow glass tubes. It was too cold to record any melting sounds underneath the surface, but I was able to scrape and otherwise manipulate the surface to get some interesting and weird sounds. What I find weird in this short mono recording is the kind of high pitched squeaking and clicking that occurs behind the main scraping sound.

section 2.

Everything about this binaural recording is wrong: there’s wind noise, sounds of clothing rustling, radically fluctuating audio levels, but somehow when I listen to it (through headphones), I feel like I am right back on that hill.

THE ARTIST

Andrea Polli is a digital media artist living in New Mexico.  Her work addresses issues related to science and technology in contemporary society. She is interested in global systems, the real time interconnectivity of these systems, and the effect of these systems on individuals.  Polli’s work with science, technology and media has been presented widely in over 100 presentations, exhibitions and performances internationally, has been recognized by numerous grants, residencies and awards including UNESCO. Her work has been reviewed by the Los Angeles Times, Art in America, Art News, NY Arts and others. She has published two book chapters, several audio CDs, DVDs and many papers in print including MIT Press and Cambridge University Press journals.

links: http://www.andreapolli.com/

“KILL THE EGO” AU CENTRE POMPIDOU : 10 TICKETS A GAGNER !

Soundwalk le plaisir d’annoncer la projection de son film “KILL THE EGO le 26 février au Centre Pompidou à Paris dans le cadre du festival Hors Pistes 2010: Un Autre Mouvement des Images.

Depuis 2006, le festival Hors Pistes “s’attache aux nouveaux usages de l’image contemporaine et témoigne des ruptures et des détournements qui nourrissent les formes traditionnelles du film et de la narration. Pour cette 5e édition, un double dispositif illustre l’abondance et l’autorité des images. Les œuvres projetées en salle donnent à voir le monde contemporain à travers les regards singuliers, décalés et affirmés d’artistes internationaux.”

KILL THE EGO” a débuté comme une chanson, un poème épique de 40 minutes construit à partir de 10 ans d’enregistrements sonores capturés dans New York par Soundwalk entre 1998 et 2008. Les mémoires fragmentées de poètes et de dominatrices, de maquereaux et de prophètes, de visionnaires et d’enfants perdus… Les situations de rue les plus diverses, les recoins les plus improbables, l’agitation underground, les fables intimes et universelles de Manhattan, de Brooklyn ou du Bronx… Soundwalk a capturé puis mélangé des bruits, des paroles, des mélodies urbaines. Le peintre Rostarr s’est emparé de cette bande-son de la ville pour l’interpréter visuellement et s’est lancé dans un marathon de peinture documenté par les réalisateurs Jim Helton et Ron Patane. Inspirés par la technique utilisée dans le chef d’œuvre d’Henri-Georges Clouzot, «Le Mystère Picasso», ils ont cherché à donner vie au processus de création et donné naissance à cette œuvre sonore et visuelle qu’est le film “KILL THE EGO”.

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GAGNEZ DES TICKETS POUR “KILL THE EGO” AU CENTRE POMPIDOU !

Soundwalk offre dix tickets pour la projection de “KILL THE EGO” au Centre Pompidou. Le concours aura lieu du 10 au 18 février. Pour gagner un ticket, laissez un commentaire sous cet article. A la fin de la période du concours, dix gagnants seront tirés au sort parmi les auteurs de commentaires !

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PROJECTION : 26 février 2010, 20:00, Centre Pompidou, Paris

Tickets en vente le jour même sur place. 6€ (4€ tarif réduit).

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COLLECTOR SERIE | Application iPhone lancée par Label Dalbin, 21 mars 2010

“KILL THE EGO” sera également la première œuvre vidéo en vente dans l’application iPhone Collector Serie. Ce concept, lancé par Label Dalbin en collaboration avec l’agence mobile Clicmobile, va révolutionner la collection et la distribution de l’art vidéo en plaçant celui-ci littéralement au bout des doigts du collectionneur.

Le film Furtivo du chanteur Sebastien Tellier et de l’artiste Xavier Veilhan sera la deuxième œuvre disponible sur Collector Serie, et sera également projeté à Hors Pistes cette année (20 février 2010, 19:00).

www.collectorserie.com

PRESSE: télécharger le dossier de presse de l’application iPhone Collector Serie ici.

“KILL THE EGO” AT CENTRE POMPIDOU: 10 TICKETS TO WIN!

Soundwalk is very pleased to announce the screening of its movie “KILL THE EGO at Centre Pompidou’s Hors Pistes 2010: Un Autre Mouvement des Images festival in Paris on February 26.

Since 2006, the Hors Pistes festival has, “in examining new usages of contemporary imagery, shown the ruptures and departures that nourish traditional forms of film and narration. For this 5th edition, a double device illustrates the abundance and authority of images. The contemporary world firstly appears in the screened works, through the uncommon, unconventional and asserted vision of international artists.”

KILL THE EGO” began as a song, as an epic 40-minute-long poem composed of 10 years of sound recordings captured in New York by Soundwalk between 1998 and 2008. The fragmented memories of poets and dominatrixes, of pimps and prophets, of visionaries and lost children – the gamut of stories from the street: of the most obscure corners, of underground unrest, intimate and universal biographies of Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx – Soundwalk has captured and woven together the sounds, conversations, and songs of urbanity. This soundtrack of New York City has been represented visually onscreen by the artist Rostarr, who used the sound recordings as a launch for an art series documented by directors Jim Helton and Ron Patane. Inspired by the technique used in Henri-Georges Clouzot’s masterpiece “Le mystère Picasso”, the directors sought to give life to the creative process and gave birth to the aural and visual work that is the film KILL THE EGO.

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WIN TICKETS TO “KILL THE EGO” AT CENTRE POMPIDOU!

We are giving away ten tickets to the screening of “KILL THE EGO” at Centre Pompidou in Paris. The contest will run from February 10-18. To win a ticket, leave a comment on this blog post – at the end of the contest period we will select ten winners at random!

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SCREENING: 26 February 2010, 20:00, Centre Pompidou, Paris

Tickets available for sale before the screening at the Centre Pompidou ticket counter for 6€ (4€ reduced price).


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COLLECTOR SERIE | Launched by Label Dalbin, 21 March 2010

“KILL THE EGO” will also be the first piece available for purchase through the Collector Serie application for iPhone. This concept, developed by Label Dalbin in collaboration with mobile agency Clicmobile, will revolutionize the collection and distribution of video art by placing it literally at the collector’s fingertips.

Singer Sebastien Tellier and artist Xavier Veilhan’s film Furtivo will be the second film available for sale through Collector Serie, and will also be screened at Hors Pistes this year (20 February 2010, 19:00).

www.collectorserie.com

KILL THE EGO will also be the first piece available for purchase through the Collector Serie application for iPhone. This concept, developed by Soundwalk co-founder and CEO Alex Kummerman, will revolutionize the collection and distribution of video art by placing it literally at the collector’s fingertips. Xavier Veilhan’s film Furtivo will be the second film available for sale through Collector Serie, and will also be screened at Hors Pistes this year.
[09/02/10 17:05:15] Isabella Neale Yeager: add: Soundwalk contributor Xavier Veilhan?


ULYSSES SYNDROME: ANKARA TURKEY

location: 39° 55′ 0″ N, 32° 50′ 0″ E

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photo by: Stephan Crasneanscki

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This is Soundwalks 6th excerpt of The Ulysses Syndrome, a sound journey following the route of Ulysses along the Mediterranean Sea.  We return 3000 years later. Without being seen, hundreds of millions of soundwaves are constantly flying over the surface of the water. Equipped with radio scanners, we have spent the last few months casting a 10 mile net from our boat into the sky, collecting sound fragments and bringing them back in. What you are now hearing is the complex texture and floating resonance of Turkey!

We hope you enjoy this poetic journey. Stay tuned…

Christopher DeLaurenti | Editions – Issue#3

artist:     Christopher DeLaurenti
title:       Stanley Sleeps (part 2) | ©
date:     17 November 2009
length:  11′00

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photo by: Christopher DeLaurenti

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THE SOUND

My wife and I adopted Stanley, a 10 year old Norwegian Elkhound, 6 months ago from an animal rescue.  Assessed by the veterinarian as “morbidly obese,” Stanley weighed more than double the normal weight for a dog his breed. Now, he lives a dog’s life, eating (not as much as his former owners fed him), walking (which he relishes), and sleeping (expertly). As Stanley continues to lose weight, his breathing and sleeping continues to change. “Stanley Sleeps (part 2)” captures his susurration, snoring, and other exhalations gusting against a microphone.

THE ARTIST

A phonographer, sound artist, teacher, and performer, Christopher DeLaurenti makes field recordings at unusual confluences of sound, silence, performance, and everyday life. His albums include Seattle Phonographers Union (and/OAR), Wallingford Food Bank (Public Record), Favorite Intermissions: Music Before and Between Beethoven-Holst-Stravinsky (GD Stereo), and N30: Live at the WTO Protest November 30, 1999 (unAmerican Archive). Aside from creating electroacoustic music, text-sound scores, compositions for acoustic instruments, and installations, Christopher is co-founder of the Seattle Phonographers Union, a protean collective that improvises with unprocessed field recordings.

links: www.delaurenti.net

BJ Nilsen | Editions – Issue #1

Artist:        BJ Nilsen
Title:         Are the birds gonna eat us, Mommy? | ©
Date:        2006-06-28
Duration:  7′18

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photo by: BJ Nilsen

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THE SOUND

This field recording was made at Vatnsleysuströnd, Landakot on the southwest coast of Iceland.

In this remote location I was drawn to the amazing birds nesting there, especially the Arctic Tern (Kría) who are fiercely protective of their nests and known for dive bombing towards any intruders, usually striking humans on the top or back of the head. The crow in the beginning of the recording lives in the house seen in the photograph, obviously he got upset by my furry microphone. Besides the birds we hear the rain, wind and ocean waves coming in from the North Atlantic.

THE ARTIST

Benny Jonas Nilsen was born in 1975. He has been active with experimental music for nearly 20 years. For the past 10 years he has been releasing albums on Touch, making music and sound design for documentary film and television.  He focuses on the sound of nature and its effect on humans, field recordings and the perception of time and space as experienced through sound, often electronically treated.

Links: www.bjnilsen.com | www.touchmusic.org.uk