[ from the archives... ]

suveFLUX was 4-way durational sound performance with Michael Northam, Loren Chasse, Hitoshi Kojo and myself. The idea was conceived by Michael Northam during his residency at MoKS in June of 2005 and was held at the Sõmerpalu Manor in South Estonia. The continuous sound performance was intended to last from 9pm to 9 am on the eve of the summer solstice. Estonian visual artist Albert Gulk did live drawing during the evening.

prele records has released a CD of revenant : topoló along with 12 page booklet of texts by the artists. Available from December 2008.

revenant : topoló took place on October 19th, 2006 in a forest near the border of Italy and Slovenia. participants in this action were yannick dauby, olivier feraud, john grzinich, hitoshi kojo and patrick mcginley (aka murmer).

live sound performance series: Finland Nov-Dec 2005

with pieces by:
john grzinich, seth nehil, hitoshi kojo

30.11.05 – Turku, Titanik Galleria

01.12.05 – Tampere, Galleria Rajatila

02.12.05 – Helsinki, Forum Box

Three scored pieces which combine amplified and acoustic sounds, recordings and objects, structure and improvisation. Multiple small speakers will disperse sound throughout the room and among the audience, with an emphasis on listening and movement. The artists will play recorded sounds, found materials and homemade instruments to create sound works of rich tonal and textural complexities.

John Grzinich (EST/US) is a mixed media artist who has been working mainly with sound since 1995. He has performed and worked extensively throughout Europe and the US and has published a number of CDs on such labels as Staalplaat (NL), CMR (NZ), erewhon (BE), Intransitive Recordings (US), Elevator Bath (US), Pale-Disc (JP), Cloud of Statics(CH), and SIRR(PT). These works consist of solo and and collaborative productions of experimental electro-acoustic sound pieces that result from studio and performance activity. Currently John is a project and media lab coordinator for MoKS – center for art and social practice, an artist-run international residency center and project space in southeast Estonia.

Seth Nehil (US) is a sound and visual artist. He has composed sound works for recorded media, multi-speaker installation, solo and large-group concerts, dance, theater and multi-media performance. Published recordings include collaborations with jgrzinich and Olivia Block and solo works such as Tracing the Skins of Clouds (Kaon FR); Uva (20City JP); and Umbra (…edition US), among others. He has performed throughout the US, in Europe and Japan. Seth Nehil is also co-editor and designer of FO A RM magazine, a yearly journal of arts and research with a focus on sound art.

Hitoshi Kojo (JP/CH) has worked in various artistic areas such as music composition and painting in both traditional and contemporary methods, as well as installation, performance, etc… He diagonally crosses the center and the surrounding of those creative areas, as he does in life. He has grown with the influence of an ancient culture and the thought of Asia since his birth. Yet he also was influenced by his relatives, a quantum physicist, a psychoanalyst and buddhist monk. He currently lives in Europe, where he absorbs old myths and manners along with contemporary philosophy. These influences, he prefers to masticate and to digest, just like his favorite foods. He laughs in the metaphysical labyrinth, swims in the stridulation of the Milky Way, and indulges in eroding sunlight. His artistic trails exude and drip by the names OCTPIA, SPIRACLE, and KODAMA (collaboration with Michael Northam) for now.

Special thanks to: the Artist-in-Residence program of Loviisa, Forum Box, Titanik, Rajatila, Petri, Annika, Inka, Johanna, Mailis and our hosts in Turku, Tampere and Helsinki

Clinamen Tides – is a scored performance piece which combines amplified and acoustic sounds, recordings and objects, structure and improvisation. Multiple small speakers disperse the sound throughout the room and among the audience, with an emphasis on listening and movement. The artists will play recorded sounds, found materials and homemade instruments to create sound works of rich tonal and textural complexities.

A performance in 3 parts. Each artist is a conductor and performer. The piece, half scored – half improvised, offers a frame and direction, but allows space for small variations of spontaneous actions to shape the sound. The piece plays equally on visual as well as sonic elements.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Clinamen Tides performed at the Pispalan Nykytaiteen Keskus.
Tampere Finalnd, July 2006

photos by Patrick McGinley

“Clinamen” is the name ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus gave to the spontaneous microscopic swerving of atoms from a vertical path as they fall. According to Lucretius who was influenced by Epicurus, there would be no contact between atoms without the clinamen, and so, “No collision would take place and no impact of atom upon atom would be created. Thus nature would never have created anything.” (De Rerum Natura, lines 220-225)

Clinamen Tides performance at Gallery Saoh and Tomos, Tokyo (28.10.06)
as part of the ‘Marginal Art’ exhibition organized by Abiko Open Air Exhibition

photos by Shirakawa Masahiro

above: Clinamen Tides performance in Osaka and Kyoto Japan, November 2006

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John Grzinich (EST/US) is a mixed media artist who has been working mainly with sound since 1995. He has performed and worked extensively throughout Europe and the US and has published a number of CDs on such labels as Staalplaat (NL), CMR (NZ), erewhon (BE), Intransitive Recordings (US), Elevator Bath (US), Pale-Disc (JP), Cloud of Statics(CH), and SIRR(PT). These works consist of solo and and collaborative productions of experimental electro-acoustic sound pieces that result from studio and performance activity. Currently John is a project and media lab coordinator for MoKS – center for art and social practice, an artist-run international residency center and project space in southeast Estonia.

EKU (Evelyn Müürsepp) is a visual artist residing in south- east estonia. her creation has taken different forms besides paintings, like poetry performances, installations and processes. here you can get acquainted with some of her works. if you would like to obtain some of her paintings or are somehow else interested what she does, do not hesitate to contact her. since 2001 she is also involved with moks – artist- in- residence program at Mooste, Põlva County, Estonia.

Hitoshi Kojo (JP/CH) has worked in various artistic areas such as music composition and painting in both traditional and contemporary methods, as well as installation, performance, etc… He diagonally crosses the center and the surrounding of those creative areas, as he does in life. He has grown with the influence of an ancient culture and the thought of Asia since his birth. Yet he also was influenced by his relatives, a quantum physicist, a psychoanalyst and buddhist monk. He currently lives in Europe, where he absorbs old myths and manners along with contemporary philosophy. These influences, he prefers to masticate and to digest, just like his favorite foods. He laughs in the metaphysical labyrinth, swims in the stridulation of the Milky Way, and indulges in eroding sunlight. His artistic trails exude and drip by the names OCTPIA, SPIRACLE, and KODAMA for now.

In Japan I took part in this years Abiko Open Air Exhibition. Each year a number of artists are invited to create site-specific works or performances in a nearby park located in the eastern part of Abiko city (1 hour from Tokyo towards the Chiba prefecture). The event is organized by a group of local artists and volunteers, some of whom took part in MoKS summer art symposium 2 years ago, Hiroshi Egami, Shirakawa Masahiro and Takashi Ikezawa.

Apart from the Abiko project, we took the opportunity to present a recent sound performance piece developed by Hitoshi Kojo, Evelyn Müürsepp and myself called Clinamen Tides. This piece was performed in Tokyo, Abiko, Osaka and Kyoto.

Here you can find 4 photo galleries from the Japan trip (under November).