Recorded June 2, 2010; Venice, Italy

For several days fishermen in Venice went on strike against newly mandated EU  sustainable fishing legislation which required new mesh net sizes and banned trawl fishing close to the coast. In protest the fishermen of Venice motored their boats up and down the Giudecca canal, disrupting water traffic and blasted their fog horns in an effort to disturb the peace. 

I was delighted to be able to document the event for the unique sonic effect it had on Venice. As I walked through the widening and narrowing alleys of the city I was enraptured by how the distant tones microtonally phased and drifted in intensity.

This recording represents is not just a field recording of a location, it is a document of protest, which might have been forgotten- as the NYT article on the protests failed to mention the method of protest of these fishermen.

NYT Article on the event: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/world/europe/02iht-union.html?_r=0 (Note the article makes no mention of the horns)

-----If you are interested downloading this recording for personal listening or use in a project, please message me. I'm happy to share, but like to know how the recording is being used----

Fishermen Strike - Venice, Italy

A collection of pieces, field recordings, and works in progress.

Ian Battenfield Headley works with field recordings and electroacoustic music. His music has been described as, exploring the, ”beautiful dichotomies between organic recordings and processed sounds that imitate each other,” (Weird Ear Records), and “strikingly visceral, three-dimensional” (New Music Box).