lukotava notikumi dalibnieki lauka izdotie instrumenti darbnica

SOUNDSCAPE MAPPING

 

 

“Soundscape Mapping” is a site-specific research project that implies field recording and field mix technics in observation of small structural units in environment. Main highlight of the project is to uncover and record tiny sounds naturally left beyond hearing.

 

Project “soundscape mapping” was first implemented during residency in Nodar [Pt] in September 17-27 2007 and presented at “Fronteiras’07” in Pontevedra [Sp] and Barcelos [Pt]. Explorative sound work was carried on in Topolo [It] during “Stazione di Topolo XV” 5-20 07 2008 and during ”sound art camp” in Raminten forest area of Kaliningrad region [Ru] in 18-27 July 2009.

 

First part of the project is exploration of sound environment and sound intervention via method of ”field mixing”. Second – gathering of materials and construction of instruments. Third part is performance of the mapped soundscape.

During project careful documentation of sites and materials is cerried out and finally presented in form of booklet accessible to audience during final performance.

“Field mixing” enables learning space by selective decomposing of soundscape into complement sonor parts and then inductive recomposing it. Selected elements are narrated, forming sort of sonor map of the site that enables navigation inwards soundscape, according models proposed by sound-cartographer. Thus field mix represents cartographical approach to soundscape. Reconstructed soundscape appears as a map or image of a personal experience captured from a close contact with mapped environment. Despite its subjectivity field mix as documentation allows public access to hidden parts of soundscapes as a topographical map enables navigation in expanse of terrain.

 

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”Soundscape Mapping”
area of Raminten Forest.
Recorded during Kaliningrad Sound Art camp
July 18-27. 2009.

 

 

 

 

 

 


01. Dead Wood commune. -12:58 min.

Material: Wood, fungus, ants and various insects. Recording: 5 piezo transducers fixed in cracks of the tree, Stereo mixer.

Mixed and recorded on location in real time.

Location / Time: 22.07.09. Late aftrnoon.

Fairly massive dead tree on the side of small rural road. Deep cuts from powersaw on the bottom of the trunk mark forcible conditions of drying. What has left is a few meters high trunk housing varied insects, fungai and plants. Small black ants had build their nest inside tree using cracks, wasp burrows and fungai collony. Insects slowly process wood into crumbs sustaining expansion of fungai. This process is recorded with piezo transducers fixed in cracks, under bark (where the main ant communication flow is) and right into wet crumbs.

 

 

 

 

 

 


02. River dam. -12:18 min.

Material: Wood in water stream.

Recording: 8 piezo transducers attached to timber planks, Stereo mixer. Mixed and recorded on location in real time.

Location / Time: 23.07.09. Late aftrnoon-early evening. Forestside river, popular amongst beawers. Though dam captured on recording is obviously man maid. Pine trunk laid across the river is fixed with stones and finished with vertical timber planks fixed from the stream side. 7 piezos were selectively attached to dry tops of timber and one piezo to trunk itself. Recording was accompanied by appearance of local DJ from Krasnolesje village and dog that has nothing to do neither with DJ nor with recording, though both were highly entertaining. DJ participated in recording - made his own fieldmix, while dog tried to steal sandwich (she got it in the end).

 

 

 

 

 

 


03. Abandoned railway. -5:00 min.

Material: Wood, metal, ants.

Recording: piezo transducers fixed on rails and timber. 2 mono tracks recorded on location, mixed in studio.

Location / Time: 24.07.09. Evening.

Abandoned railway hosts vast number of ant colonies. Antheaps build under rails are regulary spaced and some almost cover rails. First of 2 monophonic single piezo recordings is made by attaching transducer on timber sleeper in center of nest built by small black ants. Captured rumble refers to sounds within the nest. While second piezo attached directly on metal rail picked tiny high pitch sound of brown ants running back and forth the rail. Thus abandoned railway has become home and main communication line for countless number of ant collonies of several species.


sound & image by maksims shentelevs