Stressing Commuters was a show that Up The Beanstalk performed at the ICA London in March 2023. 

For this show, we dove into the most recent text by artist and writer Toby Christian, and responded to his most recent book, Commuters. Christian's text places everyday objects under a very unique microscope and uniquely reframes everyday, sometimes mundane activities, to imagine something quite different.

With our band of contributing readers, and longtime collaborators, we imagined a world based on Christian's text, and created a work that we call 'Stressing Commuters'.

'Stressing Commuters' imagines worlds of cacophonous activity, sparse electronic sounds, and explores the hidden sounds of both the industrial and natural world. There are moments of guided meditations, as well as disorientating, hectic travel.

The show was first premiered at the ICA in a red lit theatre, with soft furnishings, a Goliath speaker stack, and an audience of 120 people armed with eye masks. We've taken that show, remixed it specially for the radio waves and invite you to step into that world with us.

Welcome to 'Stressing Commuters'. We took the liberty of reading this text in a different way - and We hope you Enjoy it.

Up The Beanstalk: Stressing Commuters

This is an excerpt from an audio-visual installation. Location sound was recorded  on a reel to reel player at the base of a public stairwell, after which the tape took 2 minutes and 13 seconds to travel up to a second reel to reel player on the top floor. These sounds are a result of the tape looping and gradually becoming abstracted.

2:13

This piece is a mix of recordings made within the mangroves of Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park. Using hyrdophones, stereo, shotgun and contact mics, I aimed to create a sonic sculpture of this specific location.

Bobbin Head Bridge

An excerpt from Up The Beanstalk: Indecline (link below)
Featuring the voice of Terence Mckenna and the music of Aphex Twin

https://www.nts.live/shows/guests/episodes/up-the-beanstalk-indecline-16th-march-2024

Up The Beanstalk: Timewave Zero

Experimenting more with some quick sketches. For this one, I've fiddled around with some EQd high frequencies and artefacts.

SKETCH #1

Tide (2016)is a three part, improvised composition. The ambient soundscape was created by running sounds through a Granular Synth, programmed in 
Max/ MSP.

Tide Part II

An excerpt from episode II of the NTS special that I've made with the fantastic Dom Ridler (link below). Reading performed by Sophia Al-Maria.
www.nts.live/shows/guests/episo…rt-2-19th-may-2020

Up The Beanstalk Ep. II (excerpt, feat. Sophia Al-Maria)

A collection of field recordings of London during the first months of lockdown. As the sounds of people, road and air traffic faded away, the sound of the city was transformed. As the city continued to move during lockdown, the sound of air, water, and nature took on a different quality.

Dalston Saturday Night Lockdown 11.04.20

St Paul's Lockdown 24.04.20

Soho Bike Ride Lockdown 24.04.20

Black Friars Lockdown 18.04.20

Thames Lockdown 16.04.20

Oxford Circus Lockdown 29.03.20

A recording of an evening storm in Sydney, recorded by placing contact mics on a large umbrella.

Contact Mic Recording of Sydney Storm: Umbrella

Sound Designer / Producer 
SHOWREEL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlkg1i-It1U&t=1s

Alex Capps

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