Dock e.V. (Berlin) and MoKS (Mooste) presents:

TUNED CITY TALLINN

Sonic Landmarks – a sonic path through Tallinn
official program of the European Cultural Capital Tallinn 2011

4th – 10th JULY 2011 / Tallinn Estonia

“Most people would probably say that architecture does not produce sound, it cannot be heard. But neither does it radiate light yet it can be seen. We see the light it reflects and thereby gain an impression of form and material. In the same way we hear the sounds it reflects and they, too, give us an impression of form and material”
(Steen Eiler Rasmussen – Experiencing Architecture (1959)

Hear Tallinn with new ears! Buildings and architecture are usually described in visual terms. But it is often our sense of hearing which assists us in experiencing and navigating through the spaces of urban cities.
There is no sound without space and no space without a sound. In every day life we are surrounded by the sounds of diverse nature and various origins. Language, sounds of nature and civilisation – sound as a carrier of information or as a factor of disturbance permanently encircles our consciousness.

Tuned City Tallinn will undertake an acoustic exploration of Tallinn. The goal will be to identify and explore the sonic landmarks of the city which define its identity, shape its communication and transform the perceptions of its visitors and inhabitants. A fascinating cross-section of international artists, performers, scientists and thinkers will be brought together to present their ideas about sound and space. In addition, the public will be invited to participate directly through a series of workshops and sound walks and experience diverse site-specific installations, performances and demonstrations.

[1] WORKSHOPS

[2] SPEAKING WITH SPACE – CONCERT PROGRAM

[3] SONORITY OF PLACE – CONFERENCE PROGRAM

[4] SITE SPECIFIC PROGRAM

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WORKSHOPS

In close collaboration with our partner Ptarmigan (http://ptarmigan.ee), we are offering a series of workshops short before and during the event in July. Invited artists will each share their individual tools for listening to the city, and offer both a deeper insight into their artistic practice and a chance for the participants to become actively involved in the program of the event. And whether those tools be telephones, acoustic tubes, electronic transducers, radio waves or physical movement, the participants in these workshops will never hear the city the same way again.

These workshops are open for registration right now:

City sounds concerts / June 28 – July 3 2011
with Ici-Même (Grenoble, F)
http://www.tunedcity.net/?page_id=1881

Methaphones workshop / July 4 + 5 2011
with Unsworn Telecom (Stockholm, SE)
http://www.tunedcity.net/?lp_lang_pref=en&page_id=1472

12-tone filter / July 4 – 10 2011 (during the event)
with eyland 07, René Rissland, Jürgen Lehmeier (Nürnberg, D)
http://www.tunedcity.net/?page_id=1478

Tuning the City / July 5 – 10 2011 (during the event)
with Mads Bech Paluszewski (Copenhagen, DK)
http://www.tunedcity.net/?page_id=1715

framework radio – documentation and production / July 7 – 10 2011 (during the event)
with Felicity Ford (UK) and Valeria Merlini (IT / D)
on behalf of Patrick McGinley, framework radio (US / EE)
http://www.tunedcity.net/?page_id=1503

An overview can be found here: http://www.tunedcity.net/?lp_lang_pref=en&page_id=950

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SPEAKING WITH SPACE – CONCERT PROGRAM

07.07.2011 20:00
Charles Curtis (US) – Naldjorlak (by Eliane Radigue)

08.07.2011 21:00
Charlemagne Palestine (BE) – Schlingen Blängen (organ performance)

Click here to view the embedded video.

09.07.2011 21:00
Thomas Ankersmit (NL/D) – Saxophone and Synthesizer Improvisation

10.07.2011 21:00
Maja S.K. Ratkje (NO) – Electro-acoustic Vocals

Traditional and classical music often treat the performance hall as a tabula rasa to be inscribed with sound, and even improvised music can overlook the site it is performed within as an important factor. So what happens when a musician decides to play a duo with space as the partner?

Tuned City has invited four vibrant, innovative and influential contemporary performers to address the topic of sound and space through four individual music performances. Each artist has developed a special relationship over their career with their chosen instrument–the cello, the organ, the saxophone and the voice–which becomes like a spoken idiom to them. Using this unique language, the performers will engage in dialog with a variety of spaces, from the warm, wooden intimacy of a 14th Century horse mill to the cold, concrete depth of Soviet-era industrial structures.

Read more: http://www.tunedcity.net/?lp_lang_pref=en&page_id=1268

Buy Tickets: http://www.piletilevi.ee/est/piletid/tallinn_2011/muusika/?show=22397

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SONORITY OF PLACE – CONFERENCE PROGRAM

This series aims at drawing correspondences between ‚architecture‘ and ‚sound‘ to a more primary relation between notions of ‚place‘ and ‚practices of listening‘. In other words to underscore an interplay between the sense of being ‚situated‘ and the intentionality of what is being ‚heard‘. It is from within this primary level of interactions that a sense of ‚sound‘ as well as a notion of ‚site‘, and by extension ‚architecture‘, are derived in the first place. For the current constellation of talks and presentations a particular emphasis is placed on an understanding of listening, not a biological constant, but rather a ‚practice‘ that both shapes and is shaped by various contexts. In this sense every mode of hearing is understood to be distributed across a diversity of practices and disciplines.

Talks and presentations as well as pertinent artist projects and presentations included in this Tuned City event draw upon recent developments in such diverse fields as urbanism, art and architecture history and theory, philosophy, sensory history, sensory ethnography, archaeoacoustics and musicology, getting closer to what may be at stake in auditory models of ‚situated-ness‘. One common approach, shared by the various practitioners, understands the ‚sonic imagination‘ to be an operative mode of thinking. It is this mode of thinking that potentially engages the social, aesthetic and even ethical, political implications of an attentiveness to the sonority of place. Please have a closer look:

http://www.tunedcity.net/?page_id=1378

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SITE-SPECIFIC PROGRAM

To properly explore the sonic effects possible within the cityscape, it is often necessary to move beyond the traditional model of the seated conference- or performance-audience. For Tallinn 2011, we aspire to present a selection of innovative and fresh sound experiences across several specially-selected locations in the city.

Taking place each afternoon, the Site Specific Projects are a modular series of parallel programs featuring soundwalks, performances, installations and interventions. These projects involve the audience in a new way of experiencing sound and space through the use of sculptural, graphical, musical and sonic means. Some of the projects are designed for a small group of people, keeping the experience of the project both participatory and intimate. Such projects may be offered several times during the Tuned City event. Other projects may only be offered once within the context of the conference program, and some may require registration to keep the audience within a certain size. Please check the project descriptions at our website for more information:

http://www.tunedcity.net/?page_id=1446

Gallery #1

Gallery #2

Sponsors

The Sound Map of Tallinn project involves the research and production of a guide to the city of Tallinn from an auditory perspective. Working as an interdisciplinary group (Anthropologists, Architects, Urbanists, Artists), the initial phase involves researching the sonic qualities of the urban environment including its spaces, flows, characteristics and cultural life. We will be asking if a city has its own sound and if so, what defines this sound and how does this shape its identity?

The second phase will be to translate our research data and transform it into a visual language that reads as a map. This map, with its symbols, diagrams and text, must act as a guide to both the permanent inhabitant and the casual visitor, who will hear the city in a new way by tuning in and listening with open ears. The final form will be printed and distributed freely during the event of the Tallinn 2011 European Capital of Culture.

The Sound Map of Tallinn is being conducted in the frame of Tuned City, a platform which proposes an examination of the relations between architecture and sound. The project draws the traditions of critical discussion about urban space within the architecture and urban planning discourse, as well as its strategies and working methods, into the context of sound art.

Below is a gallery of images from the Sound Map Visualization workshop weekend held at MoKS and was led by Andreas Töpfer and Carsten Stabenow.

projected partners and sponsors: MoKS, Tuned City, Tallinn 2011 foundation, Dept of Social and Cultural Anthropology Tallinn University, Eesti Kultuurkapital

We had the good fortune during the recent Tuned City pre-event, to spend some time in the historic Sea Plane Hanger currently under renovation in Tallinn. The idea of working in the Hangar was initiated by sculptor Lukas Kühne who happened to walk by the structure on an earlier visit to Tallinn and hear some echoes emanating from inside. The particular acoustic effect of this site slowly developed into the notion of a ‘sonic landmark’ the general theme for Tuned City Tallinn 2011. While being a sonic landmark for us, the building is also a historic landmark on the national scale. It was commissioned by the last czar of Russia and built just before the communist revolution of 1917. The domes that make up the roof characterize a style of light freestanding concrete structures designed and built well before such forms were found in the modernist era. The fact that it survived two world wars and the soviet era is also rather remarkable. The hangar is now under renovation and will be turned into a Maritime Museum.

For the purposes of Tuned City, the unique arched dome structure of the hangar offered a great example of ‘aural architecture‘ with the possibility of artistic exploration and intervention. Below are some examples and clips from the pre-preparation events of May 18-29, 2010. The three examples shown here each take a different approach to working with the space, from the technical precision of Granchow’s ‘Crescents’ to the social improvisatory group process of Lukas Kühne’s ‘Sound and Form’ workshop. What is clear in the recordings is the effect the curved ceiling has on the impulse of the sound which comes out as a traveling echo that disperses throughout the space. What does not come across is how strongly the effect changes with the relative position of the listener in the space. The recordings below were made by me and are shorter excerpts from longer pieces by each author.

Raviv Granchow – Crescents

Raviv Granchow – Crescents

Thomas Ankersmit – site-specific performance

Full recording now available via Touch Radio: Touch Radio #56 Thomas Ankersmit full performance recording

Lukas Kühne – Form and Sound workshop

Lukas Kuhne form and sound

video showing the process within the space (sound quality is basic as this was filmed on a digital camera)

Click here to view the embedded video.

workshop: 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.

click on the radio aporee maps image below to hear recordings from the workshop

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/

On Tuesday there was an interesting event in Tallinn organized by Kiwa in cooperation with Galerii 008. What makes this “gallery” unique is that it is actually an architectural lighting showroom, making the whole listening environment rather stylish. I performed in a trio configuration with Murmer (Patrick McGinley) and Fantomas. Others on the bill were Camilla Hannan from Australia and Bertuf from France. Camilla is currently in the MoKS residency for the month of August along with Van Sowerwine.

Our performance consisted of a handfull of objects and self-made instruments that would be intrwoven with field recordings by Patrick. Patrick also controlled a looping pedal into which we slowly fed sounds such as my viola-like instrument made from a hayrack stick and piano wires. Fantomas played with glass beads. We both had prickly instruments made from chimney cleaners which were amplified by contact mics an connected to some mini-speakers for mobility. We ended with all acoustic sounds. Patrick played a Tibettan bowl while Fantomas and I bowed 2 old stell saws (the kind with two handles). The overall cobination came out as a blending of rich high pitched overtones.

I spent last weekend with my colleague Toomas Thetloff conducting a “workshop on sound” for youth which was organized by the Tallinn Youth Center in Lasnamäe. I’m going to give a quick rundown of everything that happened just to give readers a taste of all that happened. Together with Toomas we spent three days with a group of six youngsters (mostly around 17-18 years old) exploring ideas and concepts of using sound as an artistic medium as well as looking at the history of music experimentation from early tape music up to the possibilities of digital audio today. The main idea behind such a workshop is to look at our relationship to sound in the broadest sense. This can be done through a reflexive process of sound listening and sound creation.

Initially we looked at raising awareness of our ability to hear the world around us through different types of listening exercises starting with listening to examples of recorded music from the past (Ruttmann, Cage, Stockhausen, Xenakis, Riley) up to listening to the present environment around us (going out for a sound walk). From there we built simple instruments (rattles and shakers) which were used in group listening excersizes in both conducted and improvised sessions to experience a range of similar sounding instruments that are played in an ordered vs random manner. This moved into more “free” territories where each individual in the group was allowed play a unique instrument in a group improvisation session. Understanding of our ability to listen was key here. Meanwhile, when all of this live activity was happening it was also being recorded. We created our own material in which to manipulate and compose later on with free open source software on computers. This was of course a natural progression for the participants (all of whom use computers on a daily basis), but the ground had to be laid first. So several open periods were spent collecting sounds then working with analyzing and editing this material. We demonstrated the capabilities of sound cutting, layering and time stretching along the way.

As some form of “output” was expected from the workshop we shifted our attention back to the live experience in the end. The goal was to perform a composition that was made by the group using the constructed elements and knowledge gained so far. In this case we took on the idea of making transitions from pre-recorded compositions to live sounds from objects and instruments (rattles, cymbals, a radio, amplified coat rack and a saw). Intervals of free improvisation would bridge each of these sections. As time moved quickly it wasn’t easy to remember all the details of who plays what and when, but the basic structure was there. Just to be safe Toomas suggested to take down the visual score to encourage the players to use their memory and intuition.

In the end it seemed to work well. After 2 practice runs we made a final go in front of an audience of 30 odd people who braved the snow to come and hear our curious brand of noise. To top it off we ended on a classic note as the microphone documenting our performance was not turned on. Thus we are left to rely on our keen memory of the experience.

Special thanks to Rene, Raido, Mihkel, Ats, Olga and Marianne for their time and energy during the workshop and to Maris for her interest and organizational efforts.