TellusTools Originals

Tellus the Audio Cassette Magazine was a subscription only, bimonthly publication started in 1982.  This is the first issue.  Bass by Barbara Ess and percussion by Barbara Barg.

Tellus # 01

TELLUS #1: You Who Know No Pain by Barbara Ess with Barbara Barg

Published on TELLUS #21 Audio by Visual Artists. Y Pants: Magnetic Attraction, 1980.  Gail Vachon: ukulele, Barbara Ess: Bass, Verge Piersol: drums, Vocals: all (3:11)
Y Pants was an American all-female no wave band from New York City active from 1979 to 1982. The trio, made up of photographer/musician Barbara Ess, visual artist Virginia Piersol, and filmmaker Gail Vachon.
Cover by Cindy Sherman "Untitled Film Still #14".

Tellus # 21

TELLUS #21 Magnetic Attraction by Y Pants

A piano four hands composition played by the composer and Steve Marrow.

Tellus # 04

Julius Eastman - Touch Him When

http://www.sonami.net/

"A Historical Moment on a line between A and B" expands on Laetitia Sonami’s continued exploration of shifting sonic perspectives and the intrinsic impermanence of sound. Places and gestures are recalled to create invisible architectures of abstract and real sounds. The real-time control of these sonic structures is done with Sonami’s lady’s glove. Sonami has worked with the lady’s glove in various stages of development since 1991. Fitted with a vast array of sensors which track the slightest motion of the performer’s enigmatic dance, the lady’s glove has become a fine instrument which challenges notions of technology and virtuosity. Sonami recorded a surround version of "A Historical Moment on a line between A and B" and performed the work at the HERE arts center for New Instruments for Improvisation and Experimental Approaches. 

California-based composer, performer, and sound installation artist Laetita Sonami combines text, music, and found sounds from the worlds in compositions which have been described as "performance novels." Her signature instrument, the Lady's Glove, tracks the slightest motion of her fingers, hand and arms: through its use, Sonami can create performances where those tiny movements shape the music and environment. She was born in France and has received the Alpert Award in the Arts in 2002. 

This project was partly funded by Harvestworks Artist In Residence Program.

Artist in Residence: Laetitia Sonami - A Historical Moment on a line between A and B [Excerpt]

Gen Ken 
Close your eyes
Listen
Must there be a visual element to sound?
What is a musical instrument?
The Ice-O-Matic electric ice crusher is a sound making device, along with the rest of them.  But the intention of ICEBREAKER is not instrumentation, composition or presentation.  It’s about creating an experience through listening.  The Ice-O-Matic was used as a starting point to record and manipulate sounds which were then fed through 8 speakers placed in a circle facing the center of a dark room.  You are in the center.  There is a chair and some cushions but you are free to walk around or do as you please, The room is more than dark.  It is black. You can’t see your hand in front of your face.  Whether you close your eyes or not doesn’t really matter.  The sounds originating from the Ice-O-Matic begin to engulf you.  They come from various points in space and move around you, through you, over you, past you, within you.  You hear many things and they might be very different from what I hear or what the next person hears.  You may detect the sounds of ice being crushed or the humming and rattling of the motor along with outside noises but you will hear a lot of other things too.  And they might remind you of memories or inspire fantasies. Or you might just get bored.  And that’s okay too.

02 Icebreaker (Excerpt) by Ken Montgomery

A work that combines three closely intertwined narrative elements related to the subject of time: a time-poem by Oliveros made up of phrases related to time; time-stories told by Fanni Green about her personal relationship to time; time-illusions evoked in the sound design and music by Oliveros, the feeling of time suspended, of time beyond time.  "Time Piece" is an invitation for deep listening, a challenge to open our senses to the sounds around us and to one another.  This excerpt is taken from a larger work originally broadcast by New American Radio with Harvestworks as part of a consortium supported with commissions funds from Meet the Composer.

Pauline Oliveros is known worldwide as a composer, accordianist and teacher.  Her work in electronic techniques, teaching methods, classical improvisations, myth and ritual and meditative and physical consciousness-raising has strongly influenced American music since the 1960’s.  Oliveros tours extensively as a soloist as well as with the Deep Listening ensemble.  Recent works include "Njinga - the Queen King", a music theater piece premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, November 1993. 

Fanni Green, an actress, writer and singer, describes her collaboration with Pauline Oliveros on "Time Piece" as  "pure play".  Included in it is an excerpt from Ms. Green’s collection of short stories, "The Tillers",  and an original song titled "Time Flies".

07 Time Piece (Excerpt)by Pauline Olivers and Fanni Green

The modulation you hear in “Long Tube Trio” is not electronic.  The Long Tube is a 9 1/2 foot x 1 1/2 inch aluminum tube which I perform with by singing into it.  I first started playing the tube while working at The Exploratorium in 1990.  I had discovered a phenomenon which occurs in a tube which is open at one end where certain pitches are cancelled out.  Unable to sound.  I found out that singing into the tube physically modulated my vocal cords, producing a number of interesting sounds.  The physicist’s explanation for this is that sound waves travel down the tube to its open end and return 180 degrees out of phase, trying to cancel out the closed end of the tube (i.e. my vocal cords - it’s a weird sensation, as if someone were touching your throat). 

The other explanation offered has to do with impedance mismatch, both between the different diameters of the tube and my throat, as well as the difference in air pressure between the inside of the tube and the outside world. The pitches that are unable to sound are the ones that I concentrate on while singing.  In the 9 1/2 foot long tube, those pitches are the harmonics above roughly an “A” 55 Hz fundamental.

05 Long Tube Trio by Brenda Hutchinson

I brought two Korean traditional instruments to America with me 15 years ago.  They both now have a second generation of new invented electric instruments: the electric komungo (after the Korean fretted board zither) and electric changgo (from the Korean hour-glass shaped drum). Seven years ago I created a piece for komungo permutations and this last year I created a piece for electric change permutations.  Both works were produced during an Artist Residency at Harvestworks’ Studio PASS.  

The electric changgo was built by Cleve Pozar.  The electric changgo is comprised of two round pads with seven pick-ups which connect to a MIDI computer system triggering pre-programmed samples.  The permutations are created by accessing a MAX software patch created by Alex Noyes.  The permutations include samples of the acoustic changgo as well as other sound sources.

04 Electric Changgo Permutations by Jin Hi Kim

Paraphrases is a combined piece of pre-recorded tape and live performance for violin, voice and electronic processing.  This version was played by the composer at the Kitchen, New York, March 27, 1992, a co-production with Composers’ Forum and Harvestworks. It utilized a FM transmitter and multi-sound effectors in combination with the pre-construction work accomplished at Harvestworks/Studio PASS as part of his Artist-In-Residency.  The title refers to the essential concept which brings structure to this piece, the performances being quite improvisational.

An intermedia artist for music performance and sound installation, a member of the group Fluxus artists (1960), the Taj Mahal Travellers (collective music group in Japan in the 1970’s) Takehisa Kosugi has been a music creator for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company since 1977.

08 Paraphrase (Excerpt) by Takehisa Kosugi

Launched from the Lower East Side, Manhattan, in 1983 as a subscription only bimonthly publication, the Tellus cassette series took full advantage of the popular cassette medium to promote cutting-edge downtown music, documenting the New York scene and advancing experimental composers of the time – the first 2 issues being devoted to NY artists from the downtown no wave scene. The series was financially supported along the years by funding from the New York State Council of the Arts, Colab and the National Endowment for the Arts.

01 Devil's Music - Nicolas Collins

06 Eenie Meenie Chillie Beenie - Paul DeMarinis

30 second excerpt from the Arp 2600 in the new ETA (Equitable Technology for Artists) studio at Harvestworks.

Arp 2600 Oct 2017

Lettre Rock: Maurice Lemaitre (TellusBreaks)

The Indian Elephant: Jerry Lindahl (TellusBreaks)

A musical instrument composed of 50 foot wires coupled to a plywood box resonator. Played by the composer and David Weinstein. Recorded on June 17, 1984.

Longitudinal Vibration by Ellen Fullman on TELLUS #4

Life Wants to Live: Kiki Smith (excerpt)

Floor Polish Tango: Isaac Jackson (excerpt)

Excerpts from Messages: Isaac Jackson (excerpt)

Floor Polish Tango: Alan Tomlinson (excerpt)

Birdcalls: Louise Lawler (excerpt)

Devil's Music 1: Nicolas Collins (excerpt)

Flux Music Box: Joe Jones (excerpt)

Nivea Cream Piece: Alison Knowles (excerpt)

Tellus #23 The Voices of Paul Bowles  Paul Bowles reads “Allal” . Sound design by Brenda Hutchinson. Cover: Antonin Kratochvil. Media: Audio Cassette. Published by Harvestworks 208

Tellus # 23

"Allal" narrated by Paul Bowles for TELLUS #23

Isaac Jackson: Excerpts from Messages. A live radio program hosted by Isaac Jackson on WBAI-FM. This program was aired on September 20, 1982, guests and music include A-One, Toxic, Chuck Arbitrator Kool, Jean Michel Basquiat, Rammell-zee.  Edited by Joseph Nechvatal.

TELLUS the Audio Cassette Magazine was created in 1983 at the Rum Runner Bar on Canal Street in New York City. Joseph Nechvatal, a visual artist, Claudia Gould, a curator and Carol Parkinson, a composer and staff member of Harvestworks/Studio PASS met to discuss the idea of a magazine on cassette which would feature interesting and challenging sound works. With the advent of the Walkman and the Boom Box, the editors perceived a need for an alternative to radio programming and the commercially available recordings on the market at that time.

Tellus # 03

Excerpts from Messages

Excerpts from Messages published on TELLUS, the Audio Cassette Magazine

Nadine Robinson received the Harvestworks Artist In Residence Award in 2000 for the completion of the audio portion of an audio/painting installation project entitled Tower Hollers. The audio will be a chorus of voices of protest and labor to represent the blue collar and service employees of the World Trade Center. Nadine has been showing her work since 1996 at many spaces on the East Coast.

Tower Hollars Demo

Tower Hollers Soundtrack by Nadine Robinson

Patrick McGrath narrates Spike Rising from the early 80's in NYC. Published on TELLUS #7: The Word. Cover by Peter Nagy Entertainment Erases History (detail) '1983

Tellus # 07

Spike Rising by Patrick McGrath

Lynne TIiiman: Hung Up A short story first published in 
"Between C & D" (4 27) Cover by Peter Nagy 1983.

Hung Up by Lynne Tillman

Published on TELLUS #16 - Tango. Robert Scheff (1984) Performed by "Blue Gene Tyranny, acoustic piano with taped electronic keyboards at the Steirischen Herbst Festival, Graz Austria, October 2, 1985. ©1985 (6:46)

Tellus # 16

The More He Sings, The More He Cries, The Better He Feels...Tango by "Blue" Gene Tyranny

Auroboros is an interactive sound installation and performance system. Vocal recordings are made by the artist and visitors to the installation studio, and played back via an allearoric algorithm in a Supercollider patch. The sound is diffused through a dynamic audio diffusion system, composed of traditional speakers as well as homemade speaker objects made out of resonant materials with transducers attached to them. New recordings can be made on the fly in exhibition and performance contexts, creating a growing library of sounds. Supported in part by the Harvestworks Artist in Residence Program

Auroboros - Badlands by Bob Bellerue 2020

Founded as a not-for-profit organization by artists in 1977, Harvestworks has helped a generation of artists create new works using technology. Our mission is to support the creation and presentation of art works achieved through the use of new and evolving technologies. Our goals are to create an environment where artists can make work inspired and achieved by electronic media; to create a responsive public context for the appreciation of new work by presenting and disseminating the finished works; to advance the art community’s and the public’s “agenda” for the use of technology in art; and to bring together innovative practitioners from all branches of the arts collaborating in the use of electronic media. We assist with commissions and residencies, production services, education and information programs, and the presentation and distribution of their work.

Harvestworks

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