|
You are here: Home > Cofradia> Urbansoundscapes |
|||
| Urban_Soundscapes. by Jakob Draminsky Højmark Is a series of live Musique Concréte concerts where a collection of everyday actions from different urban sectors and labor professions (construction, sanitation, roads&parks, transport etc.)are compiled and structured in a musical manner into an abstract sonic-collage. The result is an Intermedia-event where already familiar movements and sounds substitute the traditional concept of an orchestra. Every movement and action generates a noise - "Urban_Soundscapes"chooses to treat these noises as musical elements and the workers who generate them as musicians. The process of creating an "Urban_Soundscapes"event starts with defining the site of action. There are basically two approaches to choose between: 1) the event site is the daily worksite e.g. a construction site (buildings, road, bridges etc), a garage for public transport/cleaning, a storage place for equipment or other. 2) the eventsite is not related to any activity and is chosen for artistic or practical reasons like resonance, view, size or security. In case #1 all equipment and employees of the site form the basic elements of the composition. Other elements can be added but the beauty and goal is to extend and highlight the site´s normal sonic life. Case #2 opens up other possibilities where both interchanges between many sectors and the concentration on a single sound element can be the choice. Here a mix of "real"musicians and workers as performers is also a possibility. In any case the preparation process of "Urban_Soundscapes"employs a special dialogue between artist and workers because composer and performers have to have gained a basic knowledge of both the machinery involved and, to some extent, of music notation which above all asks for a very open mind from both sides. Until now the concept of "Urban_Soundscapes"has been incorporated in 4 major events in Denmark "The carhorn concert˛( Langelinie, Copenhagen,85), "Münchhausen"(Aarhus Festuge,Aarhus,89), "101 soundsevents"(Margrethe Fjorden,Roskilde,96) and "slip nšslide"(Nikolaj Udstillingsbygning,Copenhagen 96). In these cases professional sectors like – shipyard workers, truckdrivers, street construction workers, physiotherapists, building construction workers, employees in park-departments, sanitation, taxis, public transport, as well as conductors and musicians from classical conservatories, avant-garde noise bands, union-brassbands local, radio stations, young unemployed people, combat soldiers and private guards – have participated. jdh,barcelona dec.2000 |
|||