Showing posts with label audio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label audio. Show all posts
Tuesday, 4 September 2018
What's on your doorstep? - My discovery of Bobby Baker's Great & Tiny War
I live on what I believe is the friendliest street in Newcastle (arguably the UK). We have a facebook group for residents to post things related to the street. As the vast result of residents have some art/music/theatre connection, there are regular posts by residents spreading the word about gigs, performances and exhibitions that they are involved in. A few months ago there was a post on The Sidney Groovers about a project that would be happening on our street. A few days later a letter was posted through my door with details of the project; Bobby Baker's Great & Tiny War.
I was immediately excited - Bobby Baker is an inspirational woman and an artist whom I hold in very high regard. I have followed her work for a number of years and could not believe that I would now get the chance to witness one of her installations in a house down my street.
Fast forward a few more months and I received notification from Wunderbar, another arts organisation that I rate highly, that they are working on a project called Great & Tiny War and are looking for people interested in working with them to realise the project.
Naturally I responded immediately with enthusiasm about the opportunity to work with two artistic entities (and their teams) that I greatly admire and respect.
I won't bore you with the many coincidental discoveries and revelations of connections that arose throughout the following 'recruitment' process, but to cut a long story short, I am delighted to be one of the hosts that will be guiding visitors around 133 Sidney Grove for Bobby Baker's Great & Tiny War.
Today was the first time that all the hosts met with Bobby and the Wunderbar crew in the house. Bobby (Lead Artist and Artistic Director, Daily Life Ltd), Illana (Artistic Director, Wunderbar) Hannah (Producer, Wunderbar) and Ree (Participation Producer, Wunderbar) introduced the project and explained our roles as hosts. We were given a run-through of the tour, and saw the installation in its final stages of being completed. One thing is for certain; visitors are in for a treat.
I'll be blogging regularly about the project, and hope that readers of this will visit the installation.
For more information about this Wunderful project, including how to book tickets, please visit
I was immediately excited - Bobby Baker is an inspirational woman and an artist whom I hold in very high regard. I have followed her work for a number of years and could not believe that I would now get the chance to witness one of her installations in a house down my street.
Fast forward a few more months and I received notification from Wunderbar, another arts organisation that I rate highly, that they are working on a project called Great & Tiny War and are looking for people interested in working with them to realise the project.
Naturally I responded immediately with enthusiasm about the opportunity to work with two artistic entities (and their teams) that I greatly admire and respect.
I won't bore you with the many coincidental discoveries and revelations of connections that arose throughout the following 'recruitment' process, but to cut a long story short, I am delighted to be one of the hosts that will be guiding visitors around 133 Sidney Grove for Bobby Baker's Great & Tiny War.
Today was the first time that all the hosts met with Bobby and the Wunderbar crew in the house. Bobby (Lead Artist and Artistic Director, Daily Life Ltd), Illana (Artistic Director, Wunderbar) Hannah (Producer, Wunderbar) and Ree (Participation Producer, Wunderbar) introduced the project and explained our roles as hosts. We were given a run-through of the tour, and saw the installation in its final stages of being completed. One thing is for certain; visitors are in for a treat.
I'll be blogging regularly about the project, and hope that readers of this will visit the installation.
For more information about this Wunderful project, including how to book tickets, please visit
Friday, 29 June 2018
Simulation of THEMSELVES HERE TOGETHER now available on YouTube
https://youtu.be/-9B2cY3hZ7k
A simulation of THEMSELVES HERE TOGETHER, an audiovisual installation in which a series of animations and audio are projected on 4 walls of the StoryWorld gallery space at The Word, South Shields
A simulation of THEMSELVES HERE TOGETHER, an audiovisual installation in which a series of animations and audio are projected on 4 walls of the StoryWorld gallery space at The Word, South Shields
Thursday, 21 June 2018
Q & A with Helen Shaddock in relation to THEMSELVES HERE TOGETHER at The Word
To coincide with my exhibition, THEMSELVES HERE TOGETHER, I was interviewed by Emma Ormiston at The Word about the audiovisual installation.
Read the Q and A here:
http://theworduk.org/q-a-with-helen-shaddock/
Read the Q and A here:
http://theworduk.org/q-a-with-helen-shaddock/
Sunday, 6 May 2018
Installing audio-visual installation at The Word - day 1
On Tuesday between 2:30pm and 4pm Sarah and I had access to the StoryWorld space at The Word in which my forthcoming exhibition will be held. Demand for the room is high, with lots of events and activities happening in there and so it is difficult to get access. Hence why every minute was precious during our 1.5 hour time slot.
I had prepared all the video files so that each one was 'mapped' to the specific wall that it would be projected onto. The walls have some curvature, and so I had to apply a different template to each of the videos that corresponded with the curvature of each wall so that the projection would not spill onto the floor or ceiling. The audio has been synched to correspond with the videos, and the videos have been edited so that not all the walls have projections on at the same time, but footage appears intermittently on all of the walls, adding a surprise element and creating an immersive environment.
Playing the footage for the first time alerted us to the very high bass levels of the speakers. Unfortunately the speakers are concealed within a wall and so we were told that it was not possible to access them to turn down the bass. This resulted in some of the higher, and more subtle sounds becoming lost. The audio would need to be edited again to allow for the high bass speakers. Later that night Sarah and I created some alternative versions of the footage to be tested when next in the space.
I was disappointed with how the projections did not appear very strong and the colours were not as vibrant as I had intended. I realised that the window blinds had large gaps around the rim of the windows and so light was still entering the room. Simply taping over these gaps should help reduce the light entering the space.
I was also conscious that the videos were not properly aligned with the walls, and they were not all at the same level. In order to rectify this, we needed to manually change the position of the projectors. With lots of fine tweaking, we managed to get all of the videos to align.
I had prepared all the video files so that each one was 'mapped' to the specific wall that it would be projected onto. The walls have some curvature, and so I had to apply a different template to each of the videos that corresponded with the curvature of each wall so that the projection would not spill onto the floor or ceiling. The audio has been synched to correspond with the videos, and the videos have been edited so that not all the walls have projections on at the same time, but footage appears intermittently on all of the walls, adding a surprise element and creating an immersive environment.
Playing the footage for the first time alerted us to the very high bass levels of the speakers. Unfortunately the speakers are concealed within a wall and so we were told that it was not possible to access them to turn down the bass. This resulted in some of the higher, and more subtle sounds becoming lost. The audio would need to be edited again to allow for the high bass speakers. Later that night Sarah and I created some alternative versions of the footage to be tested when next in the space.
I was disappointed with how the projections did not appear very strong and the colours were not as vibrant as I had intended. I realised that the window blinds had large gaps around the rim of the windows and so light was still entering the room. Simply taping over these gaps should help reduce the light entering the space.
I was also conscious that the videos were not properly aligned with the walls, and they were not all at the same level. In order to rectify this, we needed to manually change the position of the projectors. With lots of fine tweaking, we managed to get all of the videos to align.
Saturday, 14 April 2018
Themselves Here Together at The Word
Join artist Helen Shaddock as she incorporates video, sound and performance in her latest exhibition, Themselves Here Together – part of Voices: Within and Without.
Helen uses her personal experience of mental illness to inform her work and seeks to immerse the audience in multi-layered psychological and physical situations.
Themselves Here Together will be on exhibit in StoryWorld from Sunday 13 May to Thursday 21 June.
Please note: the exhibition will be on display at the following times:
ABOUT HELEN SHADDOCK
Helen Shaddock’s audio visual installation is the culmination of a project funded by the Arts Council England Grants for the Arts in which she is has worked with other voice hearers, artists, researchers, academics and Mental Health organisations to investigate visual and auditory hallucinations.
Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Drone Ensemble record Friction Drums
Over the past couple of months I have been working with the Drone Ensemble on some audio for my forthcoming exhibition at The Word, South Shields. We have recorded some vocal experiments and have been using a limited selection of instruments. I have chosen to focus on the friction drums to produce a constant background hum sound that I think relates to the notion of hearing a relentless voices or voices.
With practice, Ben has mastered the technique of playing the friction drums in a way that eliminates any slapping or wavering as the players hands move from the end of the dowel, off the dowel and to the other end of the dowel nearest the drum. This week we focused on achieving some high quality recordings of a range of the friction drums played in different combinations. I will then layer these and edit them with my other recordings to form the audio part of my installation.
With practice, Ben has mastered the technique of playing the friction drums in a way that eliminates any slapping or wavering as the players hands move from the end of the dowel, off the dowel and to the other end of the dowel nearest the drum. This week we focused on achieving some high quality recordings of a range of the friction drums played in different combinations. I will then layer these and edit them with my other recordings to form the audio part of my installation.
Saturday, 10 March 2018
Vocal work with Sarah Grundy and her loop pedal
In addition to working with the Drone Ensemble on some audio to my forthcoming exhibition at The Word, I am collaborating with Sarah Grundy. Sarah is an interdisciplinary artist who works in sound, performance, theatre, and music. The majority of her work looks to worldmaking – creating an idealised alternative for living in or dealing with society. She is also part of ‘The Anima Collective’ who explore the potential of the voice through singing. Sarah also performs with Edwin Li as Leroy McSex in the musical, drag duo Shirley Mann and Leroy McSex.
Sarah and I had spoken about the work a few weeks ago, and we both agreed that using the loop pedal with Sarah's voice could be a good way to achieve the layering of voices that I want to create. When we met today I gave her a sheet with words on that she could use to play around with.
In her usual remarkable way, she soon began to thread words together and create some rhythmic patterns and harmonies, exemplified through the use of the loop pedal. We made a great start, and are to continue with developing this piece.
Thursday, 19 October 2017
Live Stream footage of The Drone Ensemble performance at TUSK 2017
The TUSK Festival website features the live stream footage of the performance by The Drone Ensemble at The Sage.
It can be viewed via this link:
https://livestream.com/tusk/tusk2017/videos/164206934
Our set begins around 7mins 50seconds into the footage.
We also documented the performance ourselves and made a high quality audio recording. We will share these once we have edited the footage. So watch out for another blog post with more documentation.
It can be viewed via this link:
https://livestream.com/tusk/tusk2017/videos/164206934
Our set begins around 7mins 50seconds into the footage.
We also documented the performance ourselves and made a high quality audio recording. We will share these once we have edited the footage. So watch out for another blog post with more documentation.
Tuesday, 5 September 2017
Wildlife Discotheque at the Great North Museum:Hancock
Tyneside Sounds Society and Devon based community radio station Soundart Radio teamed up to present the Wildlife Discotheque at the Great North Museum:Hancock
The Wildlife Discotheque was billed as "a sonic extravaganza and unique listening experience that will guide you through the esoteric and lost world of vinyl wildlife recordings and spoken word albums."
Devon based Soundart Radio founder Chris Booth and DJs Nathan Carter and Tony Whitehead developed The Wildlife Discotheque.
"Wildlife Discotheque plots the course of the often neglected and overlooked history of nature sound recording and the pioneers who spent hours in the field with cumbersome gear and an ear for sound and song. Names such as Ludwig Koch, Eric Simms and the Woodland Bird BBC Series, Victor C Lewisand his Bird Sounds in Close Up. John Burton and David Tombs - British Wild Birds in Stereo, Sture Palmer and Jeffery Boswelland the seminal Field Guide to the Birds of the British Isles. Alongside these, many lesser know names and releases; Ray Goodwin’s - A Gloucestershire Wildlife Tapestry, the delicate sounds of British Wild Mammal and Amphibians and not to forget……Johnny Morris and Animal Magic."
Tony Whitehead, Soundart Radio “Not knowing if there was an audience for such an eclectic, and obscure mix of sounds we were pleasantly surprised when our first night attracted a crowd, an appreciative bunch who filled the room, sat, chatted, drank local ale and cider, listened and had a good time. I didn’t notice dancing, but we did have a couple of requests. We’re really excited to be taking this on the road and Great North Museum will be a fantastic venue for it!"
Author, Sunday Times and Guardian Columnist Tom Cox“Properly Psychedelic!”
Listen to the first Wildlife Discotheque here
Having attended one of the other Tyneside Sounds Society events I was keen to be introduced to a new sonic experience and hear some unusual field recording. Although it was advertised as a family friendly event, I was expecting the audience to consist of others interested in sound and field recording. It was great to see lots of children attending and participating in the craft activities that were provided for them, but I felt that this conflicted with my ability to fully appreciate the sound aspect of the event as the subtleties of the recordings were lost due to the excited children who were running around enjoying the event. Unfortunately, I felt that by making the event family friendly, it actually compromised a major aspect of the event. I would have rather it have been concentrated just on children, or focus more on the sound part and allow those who want to listen to be able to! Another frustration of mine was that I didn't know what I was listening (or trying to listen) to. It would have been good to have a description of what the recording was, or a brief introduction to each piece before it was played.
In theory I think this kind of event is an excellent idea, but I hope that the organisers would consider their target audience and adjust the nature of the event appropriately.
The Wildlife Discotheque was billed as "a sonic extravaganza and unique listening experience that will guide you through the esoteric and lost world of vinyl wildlife recordings and spoken word albums."
Devon based Soundart Radio founder Chris Booth and DJs Nathan Carter and Tony Whitehead developed The Wildlife Discotheque.
"Wildlife Discotheque plots the course of the often neglected and overlooked history of nature sound recording and the pioneers who spent hours in the field with cumbersome gear and an ear for sound and song. Names such as Ludwig Koch, Eric Simms and the Woodland Bird BBC Series, Victor C Lewisand his Bird Sounds in Close Up. John Burton and David Tombs - British Wild Birds in Stereo, Sture Palmer and Jeffery Boswelland the seminal Field Guide to the Birds of the British Isles. Alongside these, many lesser know names and releases; Ray Goodwin’s - A Gloucestershire Wildlife Tapestry, the delicate sounds of British Wild Mammal and Amphibians and not to forget……Johnny Morris and Animal Magic."
Tony Whitehead, Soundart Radio “Not knowing if there was an audience for such an eclectic, and obscure mix of sounds we were pleasantly surprised when our first night attracted a crowd, an appreciative bunch who filled the room, sat, chatted, drank local ale and cider, listened and had a good time. I didn’t notice dancing, but we did have a couple of requests. We’re really excited to be taking this on the road and Great North Museum will be a fantastic venue for it!"
Author, Sunday Times and Guardian Columnist Tom Cox“Properly Psychedelic!”
Listen to the first Wildlife Discotheque here
Having attended one of the other Tyneside Sounds Society events I was keen to be introduced to a new sonic experience and hear some unusual field recording. Although it was advertised as a family friendly event, I was expecting the audience to consist of others interested in sound and field recording. It was great to see lots of children attending and participating in the craft activities that were provided for them, but I felt that this conflicted with my ability to fully appreciate the sound aspect of the event as the subtleties of the recordings were lost due to the excited children who were running around enjoying the event. Unfortunately, I felt that by making the event family friendly, it actually compromised a major aspect of the event. I would have rather it have been concentrated just on children, or focus more on the sound part and allow those who want to listen to be able to! Another frustration of mine was that I didn't know what I was listening (or trying to listen) to. It would have been good to have a description of what the recording was, or a brief introduction to each piece before it was played.
In theory I think this kind of event is an excellent idea, but I hope that the organisers would consider their target audience and adjust the nature of the event appropriately.
Saturday, 19 August 2017
Practice Makes Practice at The NewBridge Project: ‘the listening room’ – conversation with Jez Riley French
This event took the form of a discussion about the role of located and performance-based sound in the contemporary sonic arts.
Jez Riley French gave a presentation/talk on some of aspects of his work with extended listening along with anecdotes, and he shared some key artists working with located sound including:
Klara Lewis
Signe Liden
Sally Ann McIntyre
Dawn Scarfe
Halla Steinunn Stefansdottir
Julia Holter
Manja Ristic
and Jana Winderen.
This lead us into an open conversation where we discussed topics such as
How does fit recording sit with the idea of nature and the idyll?
The role of misogyny in the distorted histories of sound cultures
The act of listening
I really appreciate Jez' way of working and highly respect his approach to making work. He likes discovering and sharing existing sounds, as opposed to manufacturing his own. He uses a range of microphones including hydrophones, electromagnetic, ultrasonic and contact microphones to record sounds that are beyond our normal hearing capabilities. His use of photography adds another element to the audio rather than illustrating the sound.
Wednesday, 26 July 2017
Voices at Tate Modern
I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to the newest space at Tate Modern, The Tanks.
"The Tanks are designed to showcase live art, installation and the moving image. The artworks all explore different aspects of the human voice.
Whether used as an instrument, an affirmation of identity, a way of connecting and communicating or for storytelling, the voice is one of the fundamental means of human expression. It can convey meaning through language, be used as pure sound or a combination of both. The works on display show how artists have made use of its versatility to achieve evocative effects."
Whether used as an instrument, an affirmation of identity, a way of connecting and communicating or for storytelling, the voice is one of the fundamental means of human expression. It can convey meaning through language, be used as pure sound or a combination of both. The works on display show how artists have made use of its versatility to achieve evocative effects."
The installation by Janet Cardiff was a spectacular sonic experience.
"Janet Cardiff’s Forty Part Motet is an audio installation reworking the sixteenth-century choral work Spem in Alium by English composer Thomas Tallis
Janet Cardiff worked with the Salisbury Cathedral Choir to record 40 individual singers, playing each voice through its own corresponding speaker. The speakers are carefully positioned in eight different groups of five, responding to the structure of Tallis’s complex vocal piece, or motet. Each group forms a choir of five singers with different vocal ranges: a bass, baritone, tenor, alto and soprano. The eight choirs produce harmonies which blend into a polyphonic landscape of sound. Visitors are encouraged to walk among the speakers to hear the individual voices, as well as the immersive sound of the motet. Cardiff said: ‘I am interested in how sound may physically construct a space in a sculptural way and how a viewer may choose a path through this physical yet virtual space.’
Sung in Latin, the first line ‘Spem in alium nunquam habui …’ translates as ‘I have never put my hope in any other but in you, O God of Israel’. Although Tallis wrote his music for a Christian setting, Cardiff has shown her audio installation in a variety of spaces, both religious and secular. The artist is interested in the ways in which music can evoke different emotions."
"Janet Cardiff’s Forty Part Motet is an audio installation reworking the sixteenth-century choral work Spem in Alium by English composer Thomas Tallis
Janet Cardiff worked with the Salisbury Cathedral Choir to record 40 individual singers, playing each voice through its own corresponding speaker. The speakers are carefully positioned in eight different groups of five, responding to the structure of Tallis’s complex vocal piece, or motet. Each group forms a choir of five singers with different vocal ranges: a bass, baritone, tenor, alto and soprano. The eight choirs produce harmonies which blend into a polyphonic landscape of sound. Visitors are encouraged to walk among the speakers to hear the individual voices, as well as the immersive sound of the motet. Cardiff said: ‘I am interested in how sound may physically construct a space in a sculptural way and how a viewer may choose a path through this physical yet virtual space.’
Sung in Latin, the first line ‘Spem in alium nunquam habui …’ translates as ‘I have never put my hope in any other but in you, O God of Israel’. Although Tallis wrote his music for a Christian setting, Cardiff has shown her audio installation in a variety of spaces, both religious and secular. The artist is interested in the ways in which music can evoke different emotions."
Wednesday, 17 May 2017
Everything Will Be Alright at Cheeseburn on May 20th/21st, 27th/28th/29th, 11am-4pm
I am delighted to be exhibiting 'Everything Will Be Alright' in the Stables at Cheeseburn Sculpture during the May 2017 open weekends (20th/21st, 27th/28th/29th).
http://cheeseburn.com/events/everything-will-be-alright/
I hope to see you there!
http://cheeseburn.com/events/everything-will-be-alright/
Cheeseburn supports artists projects and provides a showcase for sculpture, sound and educational projects with a unique atmosphere where people can encounter the work of new and established artists in the setting of the historic architecture and gardens of Cheeseburn Grange, Northumberland.
Cheeseburn Sculpture is a fantastic new destination for contemporary art in the North East of England. Our sculpture and exhibition programme for 2017 will feature three curated gallery exhibitions and new artworks and installations throughout the gardens.
Joanna Riddell and Matthew Jarratt
In addition to my installation and the permanent sculptures situated within the Cheeseburn grounds, the May open weekends will be an opportunity to see Cheeseburn's largest commission to date; 'Scurry', an installation in the Walled Garden of 2000 red and grey ceramic squirrels by Dan Gough, winner of the Gillian Dickinson North East Young Sculptor of the Year Award 2016.
Having viewed the exhibition of proposals from the 12 young North East artists nominated for the Gillian Dickinson North East Young Sculptor of the Year Award 2018, visitors will get the chance to register their vote.
Visitors are very welcome to visit the May 2017 open weekends, 11am - 4pm on May 20th/21st, 27th/28th/29th
Cheeseburn is on the B6324 (Stamfordham Road) 10miles West of Newcastle.
I hope to see you there!
Tuesday, 14 February 2017
I feature in the 'Six question series' in the new format PDF zine, verdure engraved
I was invited by Jez Riley French to feature in the first issue of the new format pdf zine, verdure engraved.
Verdue engraved in a pdf zine containing interviews and art from a range of practitioners. A regular feature in the zine is the 'six questions series' in which artists are asked to respond to a set of six questions. You can read my answers to the questions by downloading the zine from
https://verdureengraved.bandcamp.com/album/2017-1
Verdue engraved in a pdf zine containing interviews and art from a range of practitioners. A regular feature in the zine is the 'six questions series' in which artists are asked to respond to a set of six questions. You can read my answers to the questions by downloading the zine from
https://verdureengraved.bandcamp.com/album/2017-1
As ever the pdf zine contains interviews and art but it now also comes with a download album of sound pieces. Its free to download or you can donate to the costs of putting it together if you are able.
For issue 1 of 2017 the featured artists are:
Helen Shaddock
Iris Legendre
Izabela Kowalczyk
Cathy Lane
Sharon Renee Stewart
Manja Ristic
Esther Bubley
Ames JN
Rowan Forestier
Pheobe Law
& Jez Riley French
Iris Legendre
Izabela Kowalczyk
Cathy Lane
Sharon Renee Stewart
Manja Ristic
Esther Bubley
Ames JN
Rowan Forestier
Pheobe Law
& Jez Riley French
The zine comes as part of the download of the audio album - so to access it you need to download the audio album.
Saturday, 21 January 2017
Thursday, 23 June 2016
Chris Watson at Tyneside Cinema
Monday night was the preview of the latest exhibition at Tyneside Cinema, namely a 16 channel sound installation titled The Town Moor A Portrait in Sound by Chris Watson.
"Esteemed sound recordist, Chris Watson spent a year recording the diverse sounds of Newcastle’s iconic Town Moor for a BBC Radio Newcastle series. The material has now been re-composed to create an immersive sound installation for Tyneside Cinema’s Gallery."
Chris Watson was interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Front Row. Despite travelling the world recording sound with the BBC, he spoke with passion about the exciting sounds he recorded so close to home. You can listen to the interview here
http://bbc.in/1UV4kJN
The preview was introduced by Chris Watson himself. He gave a bit of an insight into some of the sounds that we were about to hear, specifically those of the bats in Leases Park and the lesser water boatmen in the pond at The Town Moor.
Chris used a hydrophone to record the lesser water boatmen. Lesser water boatmen are the loudest animal on earth in relation to body size. To produce such an intense sound, the water boatmen "stridulate" by rubbing a ridge on their penis across the ridged surface of their abdomen.
Chris explained the speaker set up and how has been able to create the impression that you are listening to the sound happening in the same space as where you are.
The lights went off and we remained seated in the gallery. Chris had informed us that it would last for 38 minutes, and how that time flashed by! In those 38 minutes we witnessed 4 seasons on the Town Moor. I lost track of time, but kept recognising sounds from certain times of the year such as the fireworks on Bonfire night and the fairground attractions of The Hoppings. I had thought that being seated would restrict the extent to which you could appreciate all the different sounds coming from the separate speakers because you would not be able to get move between speakers and experience the sound from different directions. However, it soon became apparent that the speaker setup created an incredibly realistic experience with various sounds coming from all directions.
As for the visuals, or lack of, in no way did this spoil the work. Infact, the sound was so rich that it was hard not to imagine what would be seen.
"Esteemed sound recordist, Chris Watson spent a year recording the diverse sounds of Newcastle’s iconic Town Moor for a BBC Radio Newcastle series. The material has now been re-composed to create an immersive sound installation for Tyneside Cinema’s Gallery."
Chris Watson was interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Front Row. Despite travelling the world recording sound with the BBC, he spoke with passion about the exciting sounds he recorded so close to home. You can listen to the interview here
http://bbc.in/1UV4kJN
The preview was introduced by Chris Watson himself. He gave a bit of an insight into some of the sounds that we were about to hear, specifically those of the bats in Leases Park and the lesser water boatmen in the pond at The Town Moor.
Chris used a hydrophone to record the lesser water boatmen. Lesser water boatmen are the loudest animal on earth in relation to body size. To produce such an intense sound, the water boatmen "stridulate" by rubbing a ridge on their penis across the ridged surface of their abdomen.
Chris explained the speaker set up and how has been able to create the impression that you are listening to the sound happening in the same space as where you are.
The lights went off and we remained seated in the gallery. Chris had informed us that it would last for 38 minutes, and how that time flashed by! In those 38 minutes we witnessed 4 seasons on the Town Moor. I lost track of time, but kept recognising sounds from certain times of the year such as the fireworks on Bonfire night and the fairground attractions of The Hoppings. I had thought that being seated would restrict the extent to which you could appreciate all the different sounds coming from the separate speakers because you would not be able to get move between speakers and experience the sound from different directions. However, it soon became apparent that the speaker setup created an incredibly realistic experience with various sounds coming from all directions.
As for the visuals, or lack of, in no way did this spoil the work. Infact, the sound was so rich that it was hard not to imagine what would be seen.
Monday, 30 May 2016
My work featured on the Listening Booth
Today is the launch of my audio track 'Harder, Faster, Better, Stronger' on the Listening Booth.
http://thelisteningbooth.co.uk/latest-submission/
It is available for free streaming and downloading so you can listen to it anytime and anywhere!
It will remain on the Listening Booth from today.
While you are there, check out some of the other tracks by other artists/musicians/audio folk!
http://thelisteningbooth.co.uk/latest-submission/
It is available for free streaming and downloading so you can listen to it anytime and anywhere!
It will remain on the Listening Booth from today.
While you are there, check out some of the other tracks by other artists/musicians/audio folk!
Wednesday, 27 April 2016
Kielder Site visit
Although we had previously visited Kielder Forest and scoped out some possible sites for our work, the majority of the artists involved in the Kielder Forest project had not chosen their sites. We went as a group to decide on the location of each of our artworks.
Most of the artworks are to be sited along the Duchess Trail, but Pipi and I had already ascertained that this would not be a suitable location for our artwork. This is because the path goes through fairly dense forest, blocking out the sunlight. We need sunlight in order to charge the solar panel which is powering the speaker.
We had proposed that we position the artwork near to the Observatory, but needed to test out the various sites around there. We were told that we would need to ensure that the sound from our speaker would not disturb the visitors to the observatory, and so had loaned some battery powered equipment to allow us to find out how close we could go to the observatory without being able to hear the sound playing at the kind of volume that we would like.
We looked at a couple of potential places just off the road on the way to the observatory.
This track was about 25metres long and had no apparent destination. It receded off the main road to the observatory, and was shielded by the trees, so the structure would not be easily visible to an audience. The view was of the surrounding trees and the road, so did not provide the overview of the Kielder landscape that we are aiming for.
Using the battery powered speaker we played the sound file that we have been editing. We angled the speaker downward, creating a shower of sound. As Pipi held the speaker with the audio playing at the volume desired, I walked towards the observatory and found the place where i could no longer hear the audio. I had not reached the observatory, so fingers crossed that the observatory staff will be happy for us to locate our artwork in their back garden!
Most of the artworks are to be sited along the Duchess Trail, but Pipi and I had already ascertained that this would not be a suitable location for our artwork. This is because the path goes through fairly dense forest, blocking out the sunlight. We need sunlight in order to charge the solar panel which is powering the speaker.
We had proposed that we position the artwork near to the Observatory, but needed to test out the various sites around there. We were told that we would need to ensure that the sound from our speaker would not disturb the visitors to the observatory, and so had loaned some battery powered equipment to allow us to find out how close we could go to the observatory without being able to hear the sound playing at the kind of volume that we would like.
We looked at a couple of potential places just off the road on the way to the observatory.
The ground at this site was uneven and would be difficult to embed our structure into. The trees blocked some of the light coming from the south. There was not a good view over the landscape, and the patch of land seemed like a passing place for cars.
This track was about 25metres long and had no apparent destination. It receded off the main road to the observatory, and was shielded by the trees, so the structure would not be easily visible to an audience. The view was of the surrounding trees and the road, so did not provide the overview of the Kielder landscape that we are aiming for.
This little area of land was connected to the main road to the observatory by a small bridge. The land across the bridge was shielded by the trees, but we wondered whether the structure could be positioned on the logs of the bridge. This would be very close to the road and so not ideal.
As we reached the observatory carpark our eyes lit up as we were reminded of the excellent views over Kielder from this site. There is a large expanse of land that is totally open without any shielding from trees. It would be ideal for powering the solar panel (all we would need is the sun to shine!). The land is fairly soft and so we could dig the legs of the structure into the ground.
The structure would be positioned behind the observatory.
Using the battery powered speaker we played the sound file that we have been editing. We angled the speaker downward, creating a shower of sound. As Pipi held the speaker with the audio playing at the volume desired, I walked towards the observatory and found the place where i could no longer hear the audio. I had not reached the observatory, so fingers crossed that the observatory staff will be happy for us to locate our artwork in their back garden!
Sunday, 17 April 2016
Front Row reviews 'This is a voice'
THIS IS A VOICE
Wellcome Collection
183 Euston Road
London NW1 2BE
183 Euston Road
London NW1 2BE
14th April - 31st July 2016
THIS IS A VOICE creates an acoustic journey through art, sound and film to capture the elusive nature of the human voice. From its origins within the body, to the sounds ringing in our heads, this exhibition celebrates the oral and the aural, with live performances in the gallery each day.
The exhibition features the work of artists and vocalists including Joan La Barbara, Imogen Stidworthy, Sam Belinfante, Enrico David, Meredith Monk, Marcus Coates, Anna Barham and Emma Smith, and visitors can add their own voices to the mix as part of an interactive new commission by electronic musician Matthew Herbert.
Friday, 1 April 2016
Circus Between Worlds introduces Deanna Smith
I will be one of the performers in Deanna's contribution to Circus Between Worlds. The rehearsals are proving to be very amusing and rather strange!
Deanna's live vocal performance will consist of a group of individuals appropriating noises associated or created through circus acts. Think dada poetry, think strangeness.
Deanna Smith is currently studying undergraduate Fine Art at Newcastle University. She is a mixed media artist, working predominately with sound and performance. Her work is concerned with societal power relations, using the voice as a metaphor for this.
Deanna's live vocal performance will consist of a group of individuals appropriating noises associated or created through circus acts. Think dada poetry, think strangeness.
Deanna Smith is currently studying undergraduate Fine Art at Newcastle University. She is a mixed media artist, working predominately with sound and performance. Her work is concerned with societal power relations, using the voice as a metaphor for this.
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