Sonic Interventionism
exploratory sound workshop Mooste Estonia
By Mads Bech Paluszewski
Period: 6 days, August 10-15 2013
Number of participants: Approximately 6, depending on group constellations etc. Skills and gear.
Conditions: Workshop is FREE, Accommodation at MoKS is FREE (please bring a sleeping bag), participants must cover their own travel and food costs.
Sonic Interventionism is a workshop about intervening with objects and structures in public and leftover spaces, and hereby converting them into special, temporary sound installations that participants explore with their own prepared material in order to perform a series of hit-and-run performances and concerts.
Requirements: Participants are typically composers, sound artists, experimental musicians, vocal performers and the like (students within these branches are also invited). The workshop requires a knowledge of how to perform a sound composition through multi-channel sound systems, and due to the nature of the workshop, a very open acoustic mind is preferable. The participants will do their own compositions, hence their own musical equipment is required to bring along (participants will communicate with me beforehand about which gear theyʼll bring).
Location: Various sites in the areas in and around the village of Mooste in public space (be prepared for day-long outdoor sessions).
Goal and method
The inner meaning of Sonic Interventionism is about bending the acoustic and semiotic qualities of objects in public space. This is obtained by turning objects and structures into sounding units that can be used actively to enhance a ʻundiscoveredʼ sound environment within public space itself. Participants of this workshop will produce an ad hoc composition based on these interventions in public space. Weʼll be using acoustics as a physical, tactile and vibrational energy to adapt and distort the significance of everyday objects and structures in our surroundings. The approach can be described as a mix between street art interventionism, field recording and a somewhat nerdish sound exploration.
Course
The workshop will take place in different sites of interest in public space and intervene with these locations by testing the acoustic nature and adding acoustic energy in the objects and structures of the given location. Based the learnings of this exercise, the participants will be given a task to produce compositions that is to be performed at these sites throughout the workshop. The participants are free to work either individually or in groups.
Behind the scenes
Mads will bring his Interventionist Sound System, that relies on principles of both transduction, where audio signals are ʻinjectedʼ into any objects or structures of choice, setting them in a resonating vibration in order to make sounding units, and piezo-electricity, where objects submitted to mechanical stress generate an audio signal.
This Interventionist Sound System consists mainly of a series of audio transducers and contact microphones. An audio transducer can be described as a speaker magnet separated from itʼs cone and cabinet, and specially designed to flexible attachment and optimal transferring of vibrational energy to any given material attached upon. This technology is being used in as vast areas as crash-testing bridge-constructions, sonar, and of course home theaters and butt-kickers. A contact microphone consists of a metal disc and a special crystal layer, that generate electricity when vibrating. It can intercept even the smallest vibrations and convert them into an audio signal. With a contact microphone you can record everything from the wind and waves in a sailboat to a melting icecube. These technologies are combined and optimised for a mobile and flexible unit that can be transported in vast areas and requires no external power connections.
See previous workshop on http://obernkarbi.dk/?p=1029
About the artist:
Mads Bech Paluszewski-Hau (1977) is a danish artist and independent cultural producer living in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Educated MA in Geography and Performance Design from Roskilde University, his interests are within the realms of urban space interventionism, sound-installation and performing with sound, circuit bending, experimental music and DJing. Since the early 2000's he has worked as artist, musician, composer, sound technician, cultural producer, project leader, workshop facilitator, conceptual developer, and cultural development consultant.
Workshop Schedule
8.9 Friday: Participants arrive to MoKS, evening introductions.
8.10 Saturday morning 10 a.m.: Demo of Sonic Interventionism and briefing of workshop content. Presentation of participants works and thoughts and first ideas on what interventions can be made. Location scouting around Mooste.
8.11 Sunday: Sonic Interventionism at site #1, discovery, test-setup, planning of content.
8.12 Monday: Sonic Interventionism at site #1, vernissage
8.13 Tuesday: Sonic Interventionism at site #2, discovery, test-setup, planning of content.
8.14 Wednesday: Sonic Interventionism at site #2, vernissage
8.15 Thursday: Roundup discussion and departure
