LocoSound is a flux audio experience that is synchronized with the landscape viewed from a train window. Through a system of GPS tracking, the audience can tune into a radio frequency when boarding a train wagon and become part of an audio visual experience that is based on: (1) a sound experience that has been created for a specific train visual (the landscape between Zurich and Basel for example); (2) a system that is sensitive and responsive to any delays, unexpected stops or other real-time changes in the train ride. The experience is therefore not linear but rather an interactive and responsive, taking into account the singular experience of a particular train ride. The audio concept allows for a new type of music composition, that can also include narratives. Continue reading

Sonic Fragments: Narrative and Mediation in Sound Art :: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ :: March 28-29, 2008 :: Call for Works: Deadline: February 15, 2008

We hear while we are in the womb, long before we see. For the rest of our lives, hearing essentially precedes the rest of the sensorium, as we move through a world of sonic fragments which affect us phenomenally and emotionally but of which we are often unaware. These fragments are mediated by our environment, our bodies, our individual and collective memories, and the technologies that pervade contemporary life: from books to radio to television to iPods. Continue reading

From djspooky.com:
Ghost World: A Story in Sound:

Brian Eno once famously remarked that the problem with computers is that there isn’t enough Africa in them. I kind of think that its the opposite: they’re bringing the ideals of Africa: after all, computers are about connectivity, shareware, a sense of global discussion about topics and issues, the relentless density of info overload, and above all the willingness to engage and discuss it all - that’s something you could find on any street corner in Africa. Continue reading

Landscape Denatured: Digitizing the Wild by Eric Alan Kabisch [PDF]: ABSTRACT: This paper presents motivation and documentation of four technologically enabled artworks. These artworks explore ways in which digital technologies impact society and culture, focusing particularly on the impacts of information technologies on physical and cultural geography. A framework is provided for analyzing these works of art. This framework addresses the impacts of technology as a three-part cyclical process that includes (1) sensing elements of the environment, (2) analyzing and creating narratives from the captured data, and (3) the propagation of these methods and representations back into the world. Continue reading

stationary æmotion by æther9 in the frame of Tremor_ 4: Live.doc :: Online :: November 9, 2007; 7:00 pm Columbia time (UTC/GMT -5) Performance duration: 15:00 min [Check your local time here]

The æther9 group presents stationary æmotion: 4 remote performers from 4 different locations united in a real-time broadcast. Remote performers: N3krozoft Group Brussels (BE), Paula Vélez (CO), N3krozoft HQ Geneva (CH) :: Live audio: Christiaan Cruz (California) :: Original screenplay: Nicola Unger & Audrey Samson Continue reading

ELECTRA by the Geneviève Favre :: October 27, 2007; 9 pm :: Festival NWEAMO at Roulette SoHo, NY :: October 28, 2007; 10 pm :: Galapagos Art Space, Brooklyn, NY.

ELECTRA makes reference to the mythological figure, but also to electronic music and to opera. White hair, in the middle of the stage, I stand, dressed with a long satin dress. On my head, a luminous crown reacts to the prerecorded elements which accompany my songs. As a modern diva, I move my arms, turn my face to the sky and play with the different jewels made of LED that I wear. These add mysteries to the story I tell you, such a clear and awake nightmare. ELECTRA evokes the psychological theme of the relation between parent and child and treats the subjects of death, violence and vengeance. Continue reading

Teri Rueb’s Core Sample, like many Land Art works, is dependent on weather conditions, has limited access, and demands physical exertion. Two subways and a ferry boat later, we arrived at Spectacle Island - one of the eleven islands in Boston Harbor Islands national park - and headed for the Visitor’s Center. Outfitted with a GPS enabled PDA and a set of Seinnheiser headphones, I stepped into the bright sunlight and waited - as per instructions - for the signal to activate the device. After about 4 or 5 minutes, the headphones came to life, and I began my walk. Continue reading

Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller create multimedia pieces that combine aspects of sculpture, cinema, sound installation, and short-story fiction. Installations such as ‘The Paradise Institute’ (2001) use forced perspective and a three-dimensional sound track to create the illusion that one is sitting in a large theater. Their ‘sound walks’ and ‘video walks’ are immersive pieces that use common consumer technologies, such as iPods and video cameras, to create experiences that blur the line between experienced reality and narrative fiction. Their works are exhibited internationally and they currently have a solo exhibit ‘The Killing Machine and other stories’ that will arrive at the Miami Art Museum on Oct. 15, 2007.

Due to Janet and George’s busy schedule, they will not be able to answer reader’s questions in the comments section following the interview. Continue reading

There are a number of fun and interesting things in Skelvik’s portfolio from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design in Norway. Among them is Listening Lamp (2004), just like an ordinary flexible reading lamp, except that the book is a audiobook, and the light is the transmitting medium. LED light has some very different properties than incandescent lamps. One is that you may modulate the electric current, making the LEDs oscillate in a way that may be received by photo sensitive receivers that is not very different from radio technology.

Sitting comfortably in your chair, one lamp on either side, you will get stereo quality, and a strange spatial sound experience. Moving your head wearing the headphones closer to one of the channels increases the volume. Adding physical response to the thrilling story, and, as Skjelvik writes, eventually a stiff neck…

Bombay Sonic, by Vishal Rawlley, is a collection of individual narratives which attempts to seek out the meta-narrative of the city. Every tale in this project is loaded with urban metaphors and ironies of city life. Each story reveals a love-hate relationship between the character and the city. For every pleasure comes with the pain. Coming to terms with the city requires the acceptance of this fact… John - the flower seller - has long been seeking a beloved. A life partner is essential in life, he proclaims, but for that, first one needs money and a house. All day he sells flowers for income, but will he like his clients, ever find someone to gift flowers to? Continue reading