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Audio extract from The Passenger rehearsal for its debut performance one week from today at FIAF, Florence Gould Hall in NYC on Monday, May 9th at 8:30 PM. Admission is free, please RSVP by clicking here to attend.
As we mentioned briefly in our last post, Kill the Ego will be screened on September 4, 2010, at the prestigious Circuito Off Venice International Short Film Festival in Venice. The festival program describes the film thus: “This film is the encounter between the work of American painter Rostarr and sound recordings that Soundwalk did in New York between 1998 and 2008. Rostarr captured the sound material and placed in matter in motion and color the words of fragmented memories, poets and prophets, visionaries and lost children. A story, a tribute to the city, is emerging in the assembly of these micro-narratives.”
Head here for a preview of the film.
PRACTICAL INFO
Screening: 5:30 P.M., 4 September, 2010 | Auditorium Santa Margherita Venezia
Click here to find the auditorium on the map.
For more information about the Circuito Festival, check them out on Twitter and Facebook.
French Morning, a French online news magazine based in New York City, has featured Stephan Crasneanscki in a May 18 article about the inspiration behind his creation of Soundwalk and why Soundwalk is different from any other audio guide series. The magazine describes Soundwalk’s stages of incubation this way: “Like any great invention, this one began with a madness among friends. Nearly twenty years ago, Stephan Crasneanscki arrived in New York from France to study at NYU’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. His French friends regularly visited him in his “dilapidated loft” in the Lower East Side, and, ever the good host, he provided neighborhood guides for them.” Upon deciding to turn these guides into audio walks, consisting of a tape of directions, practical information, and more, the magazine quotes Crasneanscki in remembering, “I had [the listeners] play a role, perform a scavenger hunt or enter friends’ houses, climb up to roofs, take off layers of clothing or buy things.”
Now, with a cache of successes marked by names like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Philippe Starck, and the Louvre, French Morning cites Crasneanscki in continuing to insist upon the importance of the human element at the heart of Soundwalk tours, both existing and in development: “I am not interested in the history of the city in general because there are a million guides for that. What we’re searching for in our Soundwalks is something deeply felt, the thrills of joy and of fear.”
Behind each guide, continues French Morning, are “months and months of editing, timing, assembly and testing.” But, as the city changes, they inquire, in what ways does Soundwalk attempt or not attempt to change along with it? In response, Crasneanscki states, “Like a flower wilts, places close. I’m not looking to reinvigorate these places; the idea is that when a walk dies, it dies. Happily, certain things will never fade, like the Jewish element of Williamsburg. The force of the Hasidic Jews – it is endurance!”
The article closes in mentioning Soundwalk’s and Ulysses’ Syndrome’s presence at the Universal Shanghai Expo 2010, which we’re also very excited about.
Thanks to French Morning for the coverage!
Download the Lower East Side Soundwalk (mp3)
Download the Williamsburg Hasidic Soundwalks (mp3 or iPhone app)
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!
We were so pleased that so many of you turned up for Kill the Ego last Friday at Centre Pompidou, as a part of their Hors Pistes festival – both screenings were sold out and received with enthusiasm. Thanks to all of you for your support, and we hope you enjoyed the show!
Following the 8:00 screening was a discussion in which the artists spoke to the audience about the inspiration and motivation driving the film’s creation. According to the sound designers, among them Stephan Crasneanscki and Dug Winningham, the film plays with a recording’s unique ability to alter the reality of a sound: temporally, by allowing it to be heard long after it has in fact ceased, and contextually, by layering and mixing it with other sounds to create a new sonic text. The painter, Rostarr, commented on the project’s personal value to him as a means of expressing the important role that New York City has played in his life throughout the years he has called it home.
It was a great evening, and we’re looking forward to next event with Philippe Starck at the International Exit Festival in Paris later this month. Stay tuned for more details!
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.
“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).
PRESSE: télécharger le dossier de presse de l’application iPhone Collector Serie ici.
Many thanks to The Lobby, the travel trend site from Starwood Preferred Guests, for featuring Soundwalk’s NYC tours!
“Simply purchase, then download the recording online and print out the map and watch a video beforehand, if you like. You have no physical tour guide to speak of as you navigate the subway and city streets — you’re on your own in that respect! But each tour is hosted and narrated in your headphones by someone with a connection to that area or subject. With that many choices, how do you pick one? The beautiful part: You don’t have to limit yourself.” -Tamara Palmer, The Lobby
Click here to read the full article.
Find the Bronx Hip Hop Soundwalk iPhone App here.
For more videos from Soundwalk, click here.
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“On the 8th anniversary of New York City’s Twin Towers collapsing, I downloaded the Ground Zero Sonic Memorial Soundwalk, offered for free during 09.11.09, and headed to the World Trade Center to pay my respects.
As soon as I got off the E train, I was greeted by a pair of seemingly omniscient eyes in the wall of the subway stairwell. What did those eyes see on this day eight years ago…? I emerged out of the subway at the audio tour’s starting point – St. Paul’s Chapel.
As I walked around Manhattan’s oldest public building in continuous use, I could sense the past and present were entangled in this neighborhood. Amidst the tall skyscrapers, the remnants of old New Amsterdam were evident – the streets were curvy and the blocks irregular, designed to fit old Dutch farmstead. Indeed, the air was thick with history. As I walked to the cemetery behind the church I discovered hundreds of people gathered around the WTC memorial, in the rain and cold, some crying, some mourning silently.
Next, narrator Paul Auster guided me across Church St. and onto Liberty St. Passing the FDNY Engine and Ladder Co. 10, I saw FDNY firemen saluting their lost comrades. Then just a few steps down the street, the intersecting alley was lined up with flowers, words, pictures, and people paying respect. People of all races, from all across the country, the world, gathered in this single alleyway to remember, mourn, and celebrate… It was radiantly beautiful I couldn’t help but to let my eyes flood.
I had to pause my iPod. I thought of just going home and calling it a day. I had lost my umbrella somewhere earlier on the walk, my feet were soaking wet from the puddles, it was abnormally freezing, and I was too emotionally wrought up. But…I pressed ‘Play’ and continued to walk, following Paul’s voice and footsteps into the World Financial Center.
As I navigated through the maze of the World Financial Center, I saw the WTC site from a completely different angle. I could peer into the the ongoing construction, and realized that the out of the ashes there was a new foundation being built. Struck by this revelation, I found myself exiting the maze and arriving at the Winter Garden. It is an amazing open space, overlooking the Hudson River, where people gather for coffee, lunch, or free concerts. Slightly uplifted by the lively atmosphere, I went outside to the water.
Upon Paul’s suggestion, I sat on a bench, furthest away from the Winter Garden, at the edge of the water. In the distance, I saw my city’s first lady – the Statue of Liberty. She was covered in a veil of mist and rain, but she was standing and perhaps remembering the smoke filling the sky of the city on this day eight years ago.” – Brian Hirono (New York)
Check it: Ground Zero Sonic Memorial Soundwalk narrated by Paul Auster
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With the summer heat and humidity mellowing out, I decided to explore the ’armpit’ of NYC - the Meatpacking District – while listening to Soundwalk’s audio tour of the neighborhood.
Starting in the heart of the Meatpacking District on the corner of Little West 12th Street and Washington Street, I was greeted by the cobble stone streets, steel-enforced brick warehouses, meat trucks buzzing by, and in the air the hint of…well guts. Walking along the Highline – a remnant of the 1930s when freight trains zigzagged 30 feet above ground to transport fresh produce and meat to and from the district, which is now an elevated public park – I was led by Ivy Jean Brown’s voice down towards the Meatpacking Plaza to Pastis, a trendy French bistro opened by New York restauranteur Keith McNally.
Turning left onto West 13th Street, towards the Hudson River, I passed several fashion boutiques, and stumbled upon three pigs that seemed quite eager for some nice hats. Hey, the store was having a sale after all… As the West 13th Street collided into Washington Street, there stood the “glass anthouse made for human beings” – the new Standard Hotel.
As I continued exploring the Meatpacking District with Ivy Jean Brown in my iPhone, I finally found her building. Ivy Brown Gallery, Apt. 4N. I rang the bell, but the door was already open. So, I went in. As I was climbing the stairs, I felt a tinge of anxiety. ”What if there was no Apt 4N? Maybe this is all a game…? Am I trespassing?” But as soon as I found the red door, just as she had whispered through my earphones, I felt a rush of excitement, like a kid finding the X on a treasure map. Now, what happens on the other side of the door, it’ll be a surprise until you take this tour… After I left her apartment, upon her recommendation, I went to the BDSM bar in the basement of her building…that too is a surprise until you do the Meatpacking District Soundwalk.
As she told me about her neighborhood, I witnessed the intersections of industrial grunge and high-end fashion. Although the Meatpacking District has become littered with trendy stores, galleries, studios, and boutiques, I was transported back to an era when the smell of blood and guts were ever-so pungent and trannie prostitutes held shop on the streets. I felt that I was experiencing two versions of the district simultaneously. What an adventure it was. Now, I’m kinda hungry. Hmm…maybe a juicy steak?” -Brian Hirono (New York, NY)
Check it: Soundwalk Meatpacking District narrated by Ivy Jean Brown
Images (in order): meatpacking company sign, Diane von Furstenberg’s flagship store, von Furstenberg penthouse, Little W. 12th St. from the Meatpacking Plaza, Pastis, boutiques, 3 pigs, 14th St. Apple Store, Highline and Standard Hotel, Ivy’s buzzer, Ivy’s door, BDSM bar, Hector’s Cafe & Diner, Spice Market, temple from India inside Spice Market, Chelsea Market, the Projects.
A shout out to blogger Danielle Levanas – Bargain Soul Huntress – of Broke-Ass Stuart’s Goddamn Webiste, which featured Soundwalk in a recent article about walking around in NYC.
“Soundwalk is a totally unique company who has created off-the-beaten-track audio tours for many NYC hoods[...]they offer insights into neighborhoods you always frequent, but have never truly discovered. Unstuffy, hip, and completely engaging, Soundwalk’s New York tours include DUMBO, Williamsburg, LES, Chinatown, Bronx (hip hop and graffiti tours), Wall St, Meat Packing District, Ground Zero, Times Square, Little Italy, and Times Square. Don’t miss the FREE Bryant Park tour narrated by Matthew Broderick!! Oh and if you find yourself in China, Paris, or Varanasi any time soon, you might want to download those tours to bring along too. Check out the website for free listening samples and maps of the tours.”
“Cinematic sound effects, fascinating local insights, spot on music, experimental soundscapes, and a hearty sense of humor, my tour of Wall Street (an area I formerly had avoided at all costs) provided depth and textures to this area of New York I had never imagined before.”
For our FREE Bryant Park audio tour (narrated by Matthew Broderick) click here.
For more info on our other audio tours click here.
To read the full article click here.