June 30th, 18:00 – Estonian National Museum

For the 4th Helikoosolek, I conducted a soundwalk through Tartu. The soundwalk was designed to highlight different sounding environments of this city. The idea of a soundwalk is primarily to simply listen and understand our surroundings from the perspective of our ears. By listening we shift our attention away from the visual world and question the ways in which we orientate ourselves. It is also an exercise in attention, to be reminded of the way we hear and select the sounds that are important for us as opposed to what we tune out.

The soundwalk participants stayed together as a group. The group was organized in such a way that the participants worked in pairs. One person was blindfolded while the other person acted as a guide. It is the responsibility of the guide to allow the blindfolded person to listen carefully and navigate through space with their ears and yet protect their partner from any potential dangers. Communication between the guide and the blind person should kept to a minimum to orient the attention to the surrounding environment and what is taking place there.

The soundwalk began at ERM at 18:00 and lasted approximately 1 hour. After 30 minutes the roles of the partners switched. So the one who was blind then became the guide. This gave each person the experience of being “blind” and being a guide. Both roles are equally important. The walk ended at ERM where we had a short follow up discussion sharing experiences.

For such an event, wear comfortable shoes and appropriate outdoor clothing. Anyone who did not feel comfortable being blindfolded was also free to join the walk.

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Eesti Rahva Muuseumi näitusemajas (Kuperjanovi 9)

Kolmapäeval, 30 juunil kell 18.00

MOKS esitleb – Helikoosolek: Tartu, vol 4

Kolmapäeval, 30. juunil viib helikunstnik John Grzinich Helikoosolekul osalejad helikõnnile läbi Tartu linna. Jalutuskäigu eesmärgiks on tuua esile Tartu linna erinevaid helikeskkondi. Helikõnni juhtmõtteks on panna tähele ja mõista ümbritsevat kuulmismeele kaudu. Helikõnd seab kahtluse alla tavapärase arusaama ruumis orienteerumisest. See on ka tähelepanuharjutus, millega uurida seda, kuidas me kuulame, valime ja teadvustame enda jaoks olulisi / ebaolulisi helisid.

Helikõnd toimub grupitööna. Grupp korraldatakse selliselt, et osalejad liiguvad paarides. Ühel paarilisest on silmad kinni seotud ning teine on talle juhiks. Juhi ülesandeks on võimaldada kinni seotud silmadega inimesel keskenduda ümbruse kuulamisele ning kuulmismeele järgi ruumis liikumisele, see tähendab ka kaaslase kaitsmist võimalike ohtude eest.

Helikõnd algab ERMi juurest kell 18.00 ning kestab umbes tund aega. Pärast 30 minutilist jalutuskäiku vahetavad paarilised osad, nii et juhitavast saab juht. See annab mõlemale paarilisele võimaluse olla nii ‘pime’ kui juht, kuna mõlemad osad on võrdselt tähtsad. Jalutuskäigu lõppedes kogunetakse Eesti Rahva Muuseumi näitusemajja, et vahetada kogemusi ja nende üle arutleda.

Osalejatel palume panna jalga mugavad jalanõud ja ilmale vastav riietus. Kes end kinniste silmadega seotult ebamugavalt tunneb, võib lihtsalt helikõnniga liituda. Meeles tuleb pidada siiski peamist reeglit: lubada juhitavatel segamatult tajuda maailma kuulmise kaudu. Tugeva vihmasaju ja halva ilma korral toimub ERMi näitusemajas Helikoosoleku alternatiivprogramm.

Eestis elav Ameerikast pärit helikunstnik John Grzinich töötab Põlvamaal MoKS Kunsti ja Sotsiaalpraktika Keskuses. Ta on tegelenud heliuuringutega üle 15 aasta ning töötab praegu Eesti helimaastike analüüsimise ning tutvustamisega.

Helikoosolek on regulaarselt toimuv kohtumine inimestele, keda huvitab heli meie ümber kõigis oma väljendustes. Kohtumiste raames leiavad aset jutuajamised, esitlused, kontserdid, töötoad, arutelud ning väljasõidud. Kõigi nende tegevuste eesmärgiks on uurida heli esinemist ning kasutusvõimalusi kõikvõimalikes kontekstides: kunstis, muusikas, arhitektuuris, ökoloogias, filosoofias, sotsiaalses ja kultuurilises vastasmõjus jms. Ka osalejatel endil on võimalus pakkuda välja tegevusi või arutlus-teemasid vastavalt oma huvidele või tegevustele. Helikoosoleku kohtumisõhtud toimuvad iga kuu viimasel kolmapäeval kell 18-20.

Helikoosolekute sari saab teoks tänu Tartu Linnavalitsusele, Eesti Kultuurkapitalile ja Eesti Rahva Muuseumile

Sonic Surveys of Tallinn

exploring, mapping and field recording of urban soundscapes

 

SOUND WORKSHOP
May 18-22, 2010
5 days, 12-15 people

led by: John Grzinich, Derek Holzer, Patrick McGinley
workshop module conducted in the frame of Tuned City, Tallinn 2011 Culture Capital

free and open to the public
questions and registration to: info[ät]maaheli.ee

This interdisciplinary workshop (of artists, architects, anthropologists, geographers) concentrates on exploring working methods for mapping and documenting urban spaces and architectural structures of the city of Tallinn. The methods used will combine research and practical skills in surveying and recording the “sonic geographies” found throughout the city. As Tallinn has radically different zones, both architecturally and socially  our research aims to reflect expose and reflect the variety of soundscapes to be found there.

This would include the practical elements of an overall “field recording” and “listening” workshop with an introduction to sound, soundscape and field recording techniques. The structure of the workshop divides the overall group of participants into several small scouting teams (3 groups of 4 or 5 people) that make excursions to different districts of the city. A range of locations could include the Soviet ‘plattenbau’ districts like Lasnamäe and Õismäe, the park areas of Kadriorg and Nõmme and the seaside districts of Pirita and Kopli (or whatever else can be introduced) for example.

Mapping the possible overlays of sonic regions or even specific sounds will help define potential “sonic landmarks”, as one of the main themes for the Tuned City event to be held in July of 2011. Afterward we can pool the coordinates and recordings into a “map” or Survey of Acoustic Geography of Tallinn.

satellite view on radio aporee maps

Program:

Tuesday 18.5
Introductory session: soundscape listening, sonic geographies, survey methodologies

Wednesday 19.5 – Friday 21.5
Survey sessions: field work with location scouting and sonic surveys of Tallinn city districts (parks, neighborhoods, buildings, abandoned spaces etc.), 3 groups

Saturday 22.5
working session: preparation of the Sonic Survey Map of Tallinn, assembling documents from the survey sessions (recordings, photos, videos, sketches, notes).

Saturday 29.5
presentation/exhibition at Tuned City public event, project introduction of “Tuned City – Sonic Landmarks Tallinn 2011″

About the workshop leaders:

John Grzinich (1970) has been conducting various forms of sound research for over 15 years, including field recording, kinetic sculptures, electro-acoustic composition, performance, group workshops and exercises in listening. Currently he lives in Estonia and works as a program and media lab coordinator for MoKS, a non-profit artist-run center in south Estonia.

Derek Holzer (1972) is an American sound artist living in Berlin, whose current interests include DIY analog electronics, sound art, field recording and the meeting points of electroacoustic, noise, improv and extreme music. He has played live experimental sound, as well as taught workshops in Pure Data and electronics, across Europe, North America, Brazil and New Zealand.Holzer is currently a fellow at the KHM (Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln) in Cologne. http://macumbista.net/

Patrick McGinley (1974) is an american born sound and performance artist who has lived and worked in europe since 1996. from 1996 until 1998 he lived in paris, where he studied theatre, and began his sound experiments in the context of those studies. he has composed works for several theatre performances, including the works of his own company, as well as performing live soundworks for others. in 2002 he co-founded framework an organisation that produces a weekly radio show on london’s resonance 104.4fm. his work concentrates on the framing of sounds from our environment which normally pass through our ears unnoticed and unremarked, but which out of context become unrecognisable, alien and extraordinary. http://www.murmerings.com/

About Tuned City:

Tuned City is a platform which proposes an examination of the relations between architecture and sound. This ongoing project draws the traditions of critical discussion about urban space within architecture and urban planning discourse – as well as its strategies and working methods – into the context of sound art. This expanded discussion reinforces the potential of the spatial and communicative properties of sound as a tool and means of urban practice. Tuned City continues as a platform, exploring other cities and locations with their own cultural and social settings, working theoretically and practically on the question how sound and architecture are related.
http://www.tunedcity.net/

B/W, 57 minutes
PAL HD, 16:9

filmed/recorded: 2006-2009
edited: 2009

concept, camera, editing: John Grzinich

additional sound: Patrick Mcginley

collaborative recordings made with: Patrick McGinley, Jim Haynes, Toomas Thetloff, Maksims Shentelevs, Kaspars Kalninsh, Eamon Sprod, Hitoshi Kojo, Evelyn Müürsepp

equipment and support: MoKS – Center for Art and Social Practice, Mooste Estonia.

Sound Aspects of Material Elements is a film that shows a specific approach to the artistic use of sound. It covers a 3 year period of the authors solo work and in collaboration with a number of close colleagues. The film documents the in-situ process of exploration and sonification of the landscape along with the numerous objects and structures found there using sound as a medium for interaction and activation.

As most of the sound recordings emphasize the use of certain materials (metal, wood, glass) in combination with natural elements (water, wind fire) the processes take on alchemical characteristics as we listen in. We see and hear aeolian metal wires in the wind, structures affected by fire, water, snow and the casual effects of human interventions in insect worlds. The sonic outcomes can be subtle and sometimes below our own perception so a variety of recording techniques are employed. Contact microphones are placed on surfaces shifting our attention toward the internal resonances of the materials themselves while mini microphones reveal spaces normally inaccessible by our ears.

With its minimal editing style and durational shots, Sound Aspects of Material Elements shifts our attention toward and extended view of time and place, of the ever changing micro-processes that hint to eternal growth and decay inherent to cycles of nature itself. The possibilities to intercept, shape, disrupt, recombine and capture the elements  through creative experiments is what this film attempts to document in he hope that it may inspire the viewer to do the same.

premiere screening April 17th, 2010 : CUFF – Calgary Underground Film Festival

DVD release info coming soon…

John Grzinich “Continued To Be” 30:05

composed from field recordings and electronic sounds made January-March 2010 in Ahja Estonia, Kiel and Berlin Germany, Istanbul Turkey and Austin Texas.

original composition for webcast on Wednesday, March 24th 2010

World TB Day

To Be Continued… 24 hours of live music from all over the world on http://www.stazioneditopolo.it

With World Tuberculosis Day marked every year on March 24, advocates and supporters in the fight against TB are preparing to raise awareness on the disease. Among the most unusual events is “To Be Continued…” which will take place in Topolò, Italy. To Be Continued – or TBC (which in Italian is the abbreviation for tuberculosis) – will be a unique sound experience – an original concert that will last a full 24 hours starting at midnight and ending at midnight on the following day, and therefore covering the entire March 24 World TB Day.

During this uninterrupted 24 hour marathon, invited musicians from all over the world will play live music and mark the day with sounds and musical pieces. Every musician, from all four corners of the world, will have at their disposal a 30 minute window, and thus create a relay of sounds and rhythms. The event will be streamed through www.stazioneditopolo.it website. Radio Onde Furlane from Italy and Radio Zero from Portugal will simulcast part of the event. The music featured will be varied, from classical music to the Jewish-influenced klezmer, from ambient to experimental sounds, from jazz to ethnic music, all uninterrupted for 24 hours.

The initiative is coordinated by Antonio Della Marina, a contemporary musician and computer music composer, and by Moreno Miorelli, artistic director of the annual gathering “Stazione di Topolò/Postaja Topolove”. The concert is under the aegis of the Global Health Incubator, the ‘laboratory’ established in July last year in Topolo’/Topolove within the ‘Stazione’ event, to create links between the worlds of creativity and science.

ToBe Continued… is part of the initiatives sponsored by Stop TB Italy for World TB Day. The event has been made possible thanks to a generous contribution by the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership and the collaboration with XDevel Stream Solution and the Culture Centre of the University of Klagenfurt, that will provide the facilities for the coordination of the concert.

January 23 – 29
Sound workshop for Art Pedagogy students of Christian-Albrechts-Universität, Keil

January 31 – February 2
radio aporee ::: sound/tracks workshop, CTM Festival (assisting Udo Noll)

February 5, 19:00
Panel Talk: “Put Your Ear on the Wall – Tuned City: Platform for Examinations in the Field Between Architecture and Sound” CTM Festival, with Carsten Stabenow [DE] / Sam Auinger [AT/DE] Derek Holzer [US/DE]

February 6, starts 21.12 ends 23.30
Das Kleine Field Recordings Festival mid winter edition, performance with Paulo Raposo and murmer at K77

February 8 – March 8
X-OP Residency at Apartment Project in Istanbul. Conducting second edition of “New Maps of Time” workshop/project

April 2010
Portland, San Francisco, Calgary (details coming soon)

‘tendencies of infinite expansion’ looks at the finer qualities of flow dynamics and of materials in the solid, liquid and gaseous states; observing transitional air and noise fields of slowly shifting layers and changing densities. For me, this experiment marked another phase in an ongoing audio/visual investigation of movement patterns in thermodynamic systems. Small particles of dry ice were placed in various temperatures of water to see what characteristics it took on within the rapid phase change.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This work presents a cross-section of my sound interests and projects as a live performance. The performance includes an ever-shifting, juxtaposition of site-specific recordings (acoustic sounds, field recordings and video images), along with live movement and activation of physical objects and installations. As the composer moves from various locations throughout the year (in this case UK, Finland, Germany) so does he carry and transform his recorded materials. In this way, “Sound Locations – Transpositions” as a live event, becomes part of a continuous process, bridging personal experience, recorded documents with live presentation.

“Sound Locations – Transpositions” takes on various aspects of place and location in relation to sound and image. Three main components are present in the performance; live sound actions (via materials), mobile sound reproduction (via portable devices), recorded video (of sound recordings). These three elements are used as independent sources, but are combined in the end to create more of an environment than a performed piece. The outcome continuously develops and is never the same.

Photos by Serra Ozhan. Special thanks to Apartment Project for organizing this event and X-OP for support.

Sound Locations – Transpositions has been presented as the following events/venues:

(11.2009) Apartment Project (Istanbul, TR)
(10.2008) Sonikas Festival, (Madrid, ES)
(10.2007) Experimental Sound Gallery, (St Petersburg, RU), DOM, (Moscow, RU)
(5.2007) Observatori Festival, (Valencia, ES)
(12.2006) Cinema REX, (Belgrade, Serbia), Studentki Centar, (Zagreb, HR)
(11.2004) DEAF (Dutch Electronic Art Festival) (Rotterdam, NL)

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Simon Whetham: Active Crossover
Arnolfini Dark Studio
16 Narrow Quay
Bristol
BS1 4QA

Thursday 1st – Sunday 18th, October 2009
Open 10.00am – 6.00pm Tuesday – Sunday

A sound installation utilizing two sonic chambers, but allowing for controlled sound-bleed between spaces, it features an immersive composition created while Simon was artist-in-residence at the Polymer Factory Culturehouse (in Tallinn, Estonia) juxtaposed with pieces by artists Simon collaborated, performed and worked with during the residency.

The opening night of the exhibition will feature performances from John Grzinich (EE), Maksims Shentelevs (LV), Jez Riley French (UK) and Simon himself. The closing night will also feature performances, where Simon will be joined by Douglas Benford and Iris Garrelfs of Sprawl, and a number of invited local artists.

To coincide with the exhibition John and Simon will also run listening and recording workshops from the 26th September 2009.

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Seeds and Bridges: Event One

John Grzinich (USA / Estonia)
Max Shentelevs (Latvia)
Simon Whetham (UK)

Saturday October 3rd @ RED Gallery, Ossbourne Street, Hull (behind Primark)

7pm – FREE to all !

The Location Sound Films installation will be exhibited during the Liquid Architecture festival in Australia. The festival is one of the largest events of its kind showcasing sound related art and experimental music in seven cities across the continent.

Details for the exhibition is as follows:

Alan Lamb | Rosalind Hall | Dale Gorfinkel | Peter Blamey | John Grzinich
11.07.09 – 25.07.09
Opening: Saturday 11 July 3 – 5pm
West Space Gallery – Melbourne

Special thanks to Camilla Hannan for helping set this up and Eamon Sprod for continued support.

Last week MoKS hosted Klima, a 5 day performance event conducted by polymedia artist Mike Hentz. Apart from numerous actions, excursions and exercises there was a good deal of attention on working with sound. Mike requested the unrenovated part of MoKS be used somehow so we decided to fill it with hay. Hay is of course a great material to lounge on, relax and listen to music. I’m sharing a short sound clip from the improvisation session. Sounds were by myself, Mike Hentz, Evelyn Müürsepp, Emma Lipp, Matt Marble, Erkki Luuk, Grigori Lotman and Krzyzstof Gutfranski. Photos by Kaisa Eiche.

Hay room sound improvisation during Klima II aka ‘Crisis Klima’ (3:29) mp3 file