Les trois eaux (Juin 2022)

Dobra voda is a small bay on the island of Silba. A remote beach is situated an hours walking distance from the only village on the island.

This mystical and completely secluded place was once a summer commune, gathering creative minds from Yugoslavia but also from all over Europe. A versatile art scene emerged, the one that preceded Ljubljana's alternative theatre scene, Rijeka's new wave and some of the most influential ex-Yu alternative bands; "[...] The music was coming from every single bush: violins, cellos, saxophones, trumpets, and, of course, mostly guitars [...]."

One of my dearest friends, Natasha Kadin, curator and cultural manager of SEA Silba Environment Art organised a wonderful exhibition in 2018 with found archive photos made by Marijan Blažina, one of the artists from the commune. Croatian multi-disciplinary artist and author Boris Greiner wrote more about this exhibition: www.silba-environment-art.hr/en/blog/boris-greiner-slikovne-poruke-s-dobre-vode/

I visited Dobre vode on a few occasions, but this particular time I wanted to record a sonic palimpsest, built from water memories and other environmental simulacra of this magical little bay. I recorded with hydrophones from various angles, listened to the interplay between water and salt and different geological formations. The movement of the pebbles from the sea bed, water sliding down the rocks and crevices, burying my "ears" under the sea bed but also inside the enormous piles of dry Posidonia oceanica, commonly known as Neptune grass or Mediterranean tapeweed, a seagrass species that is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. It forms large underwater meadows that are an important part of the ecosystem. The Posidonia has a very high carbon absorption capacity, being able to soak up 15 times more carbon dioxide every year than a similar-sized piece of the Amazon rainforest.

Dobra voda bay is positioned to accumulate dry Posidonia once it is washed ashore. It is absolutely impossible to be still in those clouds of dry seaweed and be completely silent. Even so, I tried.

The sound piece is a mix of 16 chosen recordings placed in a dronesque metaphor of passing time. 

released August 25, 2022

All sounds recorded, edited and composed by Manja Ristić
Recorded during SEA Silba Environment Art Residence 2021
www.silba-environment-art.hr
Hydrophone built by Jez riley French
jezrileyfrench.co.uk
Mastering La Plant Studio Belgrade
laplantstudio.com

Dobra voda

August 25th, 2022

Bandcamp

i had an aquatic trip around Nassogne, BE
rendered with the em172 primo capsules, some of my jam sessions with Phanom's DFAM and 3 or 4 fx plugins

nassonge+8+

CS/DL : f-o-m.bandcamp.com/album/upstream-ensemble

@forms-of-minutiae and TBA21–Academy present "upstream ensemble", a communal happening and aqueous sound piece initiated and composed by field recordist, artist, and f–o–m co-founder Pablo Diserens (@pablodiserens)

During the 2022/23 digital residency hosted by TBA21–Academy’s Ocean-Archive.org, Pablo Diserens launched an open call inviting members of its online platform ocean comm/uni/ty (and external enthusiasts) to venture into the world and record aqueous sonic encounters. The aim of this collective liquid attuning was to gather sound recordings from various wet ecologies while stimulating listening and field recording gestures regardless of any previous experience.

Recordings from 35 contributors were woven into the long-form sound composition "upstream ensemble" which navigates between the multiplicity of the water cycle as a sounding body. The work moves upstream through oceans, rivers, pipe networks, ponds, and glaciers while investigating the continuous flow of water and the environments that surround it. Listeners encounter drifting habitats trickling with the songs of sea lions, dolphins, blue whales, humpback whales, Arctic terns, and algae photosynthesis – as well as with the invasive hums of submarines’ sonars, boats, and naval industries. With "upstream ensemble" some of the world’s aqueous fauna, flora, geologies, and technologies mingle into a synchronized motion that documents the sonic articulations of these wet zones.

In resonance with Pauline Oliveros’ Deep Listening practice and inspired by Rachel Carson’s exploration of the intertidal zone in her book "The Edge of the Sea", this project contributes to an ever-expanding list of works that propose a focus on listening as a way of engaging and existing with the planet’s waters. By stimulating shared listening and attuning practices, Pablo Diserens aims to develop a sense of interconnectedness by blurring the boundaries between species as well as environments. Experiencing aqueous biomes both individually and collectively acts as a way of rethinking our relationships with the world. Despite these being mostly solitary experiences, Pablo believes that field recording and listening are communal and environmental practices that form gateways for earthly synchronicity and world mapping in time and space. Thus listening in turn can become a political act that sparks emotional bonds with the world and its biotic communities.

˜

concept: Pablo Diserens and Fiona Middleton (TBA21–Academy)

composition and mixing: Pablo Diserens

with sound contributions by: Alëna Korolëva, Alexandros Maragkoudakis, Bence Kovács-Vajda, Christopher Dean, Cyane Findji, Damian Pace, Elise Rigot, Eliza Collin, Fiona Middleton, Francesco Previtali, Ilù Seydoux, Irene Mansoldo, Isabel Val, Jakob Köchert, Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy, Joana Moher, Katy Lewis Hood, Kosmas Phan Dinh, Kseniya Lushnikova, Leo Maassen, Ludwig Berger, Mat Eric Hart, Mathias Arrignon, Matty Yeomans, Mélia Roger, Moritz Zeisner, Nikos Sotirelis, Nina Blume, Ocean Networks Canada, Pablo Diserens, Sem Zeeman, Slavek Kwi, Surrealich, Thibault Noirot, Varoujan Cheterian.

all profit of the release will be donated to the Blue Marine Foundation.

listening with good speakers or headphones is recommended as the piece features a large range of frequencies (notably blue whales' subsonic calls).

cassette mastering by Mathieu Bonnafous

graphic design by Cecilia Murgia

cassettes pictures by Camille Blake

duration: 30’29’’ — C60
piece repeats on both sides — limited edition of 100
published by forms of minutiae & TBA21–Academy — fom09 — 2023

special thanks to all the contributors, Fiona Middleton, Markus Reymann, Michal Kucerak, Petra Linhartova, TBA21, Madelyn Byrd, Diane Barbé, Lou Croff Blake, Thom Lucero, and Mélia Roger.

cassette & digital

pablo diserens & the ocean comm/uni/ty — upstream ensemble [fom09]

Synaptic Reveries is an audio-visual work produced in collaboration with visual artist Mario Kolarić. Mario and I have a few collaborative actions behind us, and we hope this is only the beginning of a larger-scale collection, exhibition, or AV installation.

The new collaboration is symbolically inspired by the synaptic space — a scientific model of synapse function where "communication" between two neurons occurs, a space for information exchange essential for most subsequent functions of the nervous system. Ultimately, the context of this work relies on the concept of the Greek philosopher Epicurus, who extensively studied the state of ataraxia — a state of lucid calmness. This complex ancient philosophical concept has various interpretations, and "Synaptic Reveries" aligns with those that bring mental-emotional balance and support sensory ecologies opposing the cacophony of everyday life, informational saturation, and the commercialization of human perception and attention.

Some of the sounds included in the work are the biggest waves on Earth, recorded at Praia do Nort and Praia da Nazare, in Portugal.

All sounds recorded & composed by Manja Ristić
All visual content by Mario Kolarić
Mastering by Goran Simonoski / La Plant Studio

This project is supported by the Dubrovnik-Neretva County Department of Education, Culture, and Sports.

Synaptic Reveries

electro-acoustic // field recording // electronic music. 

Léa Roger, Celtic harpist since childhood focuses her attention on the unpredictable and subtle aspects of sound. It's not so much acting on a sound that interests her as let the sound throught her. She is less attached to the form than to the soul of a sound. For her, music is less an aesthetic, than a vibratory experience.
She is interested in the living in sound (psycho-acoustics, bioacoustics, principles of resonance, feedback, electromagnetic fields, etc.). She likes to offer sensitive physical experiences. 
She recently graduated from the Mons-Arts2 conservatory, in the electro-acoustic and acousmatic section.
She performs solo either with an electronic device or as a harpist, and as a duo, she plays in OSILASI alongside singer and percussionist Célia Jankowski.
She also produces radio creations and field recording in different territories, and she is involved in a collective of electro-acoustics, called “Fenêtre Ovale”.  She also runs sound workshops (field recording, deep listening, electro-acoustics) in different contexts.

Les trois eaux (Juin 2022)

Léa Roger

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