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Fragments of The Unheard 

Jordan Edge & Nour Sokhon

A sonic representation of Koumaria’s audio archive through a spatial sound installation. The original archived audio is manipulated to form a malleable soundscape, it is then dispersed through speaker drivers, horns translucent tubing, air valves and air splitters into different spaces throughout an Olive Factory. A bed of environmental sound conditions the space through various resonant machinery & metal housings. Sound proceeds through air valves and air splitters to singular tubes hung in space, the longer the length of tube, the more blurred the sonic material becomes. Each tube can be listened to individually, developing a fragmented listening experience. The archival material mainly exists as a digital database, fragments of the unheard is an experiential form of the past, which reorganises audio from previous pieces in the Olive Plant, and re-contextualises them to be experienced through space. 

Koumaria Residency, Greece.

Granted The Right To Be Granted

Eric Lewis, Jordan Edge, Joshua Legallienne, Nour Sokhon, Małgorzata Suś & Tunni Kraus

A group of 6 residents reconsider the work Instant Quartet, subjecting it to a complex transformation via data extraction from the original video, transforming this data into a symbolic language which was used as both a movement and musical score. This score was painted on the performers bodies, and then read by them in real time in collective performance.

Undulation

Jordan Edge, Joshua Legallienne, Nour Sokhon, Małgorzata Suś

Undulation is a performative work that took place at the Πίστα (dance floor) of an old tavern in the Sellasia village during the 2019 residency. The work is the result of inter-disciplinary collaboration between four residents – combining a fixed four-channel audio installation, mobile sound system, movement, stage props, costume and a performative narrative.

Working with the theme of ‘the archive’, the work was developed as a site-specific response to the history of the location. The residents spoke with local historian, Ioannis Kapetanakis, whose knowledge helped shape the narrative of the piece; allowing them to reference the space’s former identities as place which held theatrical and dance events many years ago. The work also references Canon, an improvised performance that took place at the same location during the 2013 residency. Undulation was developed over the course of a single day and is the result of many exploratory improvisations in the space which led to the final presentation.

Upon exploring the space, the swings were the first thing that seemed significant to us, noticing the acoustic sounds created when the swings are in operation. The garden was overgrown so when one swings up and down, one’s feet move in and out of the long grass. Once the possibility of using this as a point of reference for listening became obvious, we began to explore the swings in new ways, using the body to explore different timbres and rhythms. Through variations in speed and the position of the upper and lower body a range of sonic opportunities are created. Lowering the legs increases the contact of the feet to the grass in turn, increasing the amplitude and range of frequencies created. Leaning the upper body back off the rear of the swing skews the angle of the seat, in turn altering the body’s contact with the grass. We were interested in using these sounds, both as live acoustic sound, and recording the sounds in situ to playback in the performance. We were also interested in the metaphors that the undulating motions of the swings could provide as some sort of references to temporality and the present moment.

The sound was recorded in two binaural configurations, which for the performance were played back simultaneously, in two discrete stereo fields. Four speaker drivers were suspended at ear-height around the circumference of the circular concrete area. The speakers were positioned in a cross-formation to create a quadraphonic speaker array. The two recordings of the rest swings were spatialised on two 180° planes (North to South and East to West), allowing two stereo fields to co-exist in the space. Acoustic effects could then be explored by performers and participants through movement in the space. In contrast to this, we choreographed movements on the swings to provide an acoustic counterpoint to the recorded swings that were recorded in-situ. We decided to use a fifth channel of audio, routed to a wireless speaker that would play back an excerpt from this work during our performance. The speaker was held by a performer, allowing the sound to be diffused through space with their actions. Remote control of the volume by the performer under their costume would allow for volume automation to be linked with their movements.

CRITICAL GPS: PUBLIC INTERVENTIONS IN VIRTUAL SPACE, 2018 (29.10 — 1.11).

IMMANENCE, PANTHEISM.

Jordan Edge, Carolin Schnurrer. 

A place of immanence. Confessions only to be heard by a religious space. Within the Church, Sins are opened and withheld, how does this cross over to a virtual space? Could a virtual church be a place of worship for any practice of religion or belief? An abstraction of a pantheistic God or pantheism is the belief that the universe (or nature as the totality of everything) is identical with divinity, or that everything composes an all-encompassing, immanent God. Pantheists thus do not believe in a distinct personal or anthropomorphic god. This is a space in which to be fulfilled by your idea of higher being, more so to discover your own beliefs and confession system. Does the virtual world have any belief system where you can confess and confide in? This Virtual Church is an articulation of the physical attendance of church. Can your digital sins be kept within it? The objects placed in the virtual space are suggesting a place of worship, does this mean you can be safe to practice your religious views here? The fluidity of our scene represents a culturally diverse community, sharing our lives and growing in faith together.

CRITICAL GPS invited participants to explore the latent potential of public interventions in virtual 'space'. Calling upon the heritage of 60s site-specific art and analyses of so-called virtual ‘spaces’ and their already established networks present on the internet participants attempted to address the mixed-reality resulting from the overlay of digital dimensions upon the world, challenging the convergence of digital experiences of a space and its physical location. What does it mean when something which is more commonly regarded in abstract, ethereal terms becomes intrinsically linked to a specific physical space?

In the first part of the workshop participants were briefed to reflect and comment on the White City campus building where the workshop took place, using the Google Street View app photosphere feature to record their manifestations within their chosen space. They then published these to the Street View platform as a means of publicly available reflection.

The second part of the workshop, of which the outcomes are archived on this platform, invited participants to comment and react to a specific location of their choice within the White City district. These interventions aggregate multiple layers of engagement with the chosen locations; from data extracted from the Google Street View app (360 degrees photos and GPS coordinates), primary research such as the gathering of field materials, textures and objects and secondary research such as investigation into historical backgrounds or contexts. All of these layers were re-configured and assembled within 3d software.

The method of display in the online exhibition alludes to the aforementioned photo spheres, a feature available on Google Street View. If you are near a chosen location and viewing upon a mobile device you will see only the associated artwork while if this site is visited from anywhere else a flawed attempt to contextualise the reactions is made by layering them upon linked Street View scenes.

Website Development:
Max Ryan

Fort Process

Fort Process is a one day sound art and music event that utilises the extraordinary resonant spaces of Newhaven Fort. This third edition of the festival will feature performances, installations, talks, workshops and live art, and is part of an extended season that runs from July to October with events at De La Warr Pavilion, Cafe Oto and ACCA.

22nd Sept 2018

Sound Installation:

Singing Polymers represents unconventional materials such as developed metal & latex coinciding with the natural environment, heightening the methodology of causal listening. This Aeolian Sculpture highlights the subtle physicalities within the weather, amplifying the fluctuations in environmental change to develop an understanding of sound in the here and now.

This work invites you to heighten your listening, hearing the details captured in wind movement, rainfall and your already existing soundscape.

Performance:

Red Hook Grain Terminal is the work of UK-based Sound Artist & Experimental Composer Jordan Edge.

Jordan Edge is a Contemporary sound artist from the UK. Edge experiments with industrial objects, raw materials and spaces to manipulate the medium through which sound travels, creating sound environments that explore the physical and psychological effects of noise on the human body and mind. Utilising self-built instrumentation, developed latex, industrial fans, metal housings and processed vocals, he assaults the audience with crushing rhythmic noise pierced with sublime composed sequences.

R.H.G.T presents an expression of environmental industrialism communicated through a body bound.

Singing Sculpture Exhibition, Cobalt Studios.

8 Sound Artists with varied backgrounds each presented an existing or site specific out door Sound Installation work alongside a talk and / or a performance relating to the topics below at Cobalt Studios.

Artists: Jordan Edge, Joshua Legallienne, Guoda Dirzyte, Maja Mihalik, Ingrid Munk, Thomas Tyler, Rob Blazey, Robbie Crace, Tim Shaw & John Bowers.

This exhibition represents Sound Art, Acoustic Ecology, Heightened Soundscapes & Sound Awareness. Aeolian art is a sound sculpture or object that reacts to the natural environment, wind, temperature, anything that can naturally generate or amplify sound without using any electronics or using its own power source (Solar etc.)

Interview: Jordan Edge