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Call for sound memories / sound recollections


Stijn

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Dear people,

I've been a member of this forum for a short while now, and all the info in these threads has been very helpful. And now I would like to ask you something. I post it here because I know you are people with attentive ears, a fascination for sound and probably some interesting stories to tell.

My installation Soundtracks will be shown at Den Frie in Copenhagen in june, and I would like to ask you for a contribution. The idea behind soundtracks is to build an archive of memories of sound. Memories of sounds that were important to someone, that struck them or stayed with them. Soundtracks wants to research which kind of sounds get remembered, and how they are remembered. Can we hear those sounds again in our heads, or can we only remember the circumstances of the situation; the outlines, the edges of the sound?

And that’s why I would like to ask you to take a moment and try to find your memory of a sound, a sound that was important to you. And I would want to ask you to write down your memory, on paper. And if you could send that memoy by post/snailmail to this address:

SNYK

c/o Kristine Bakken (Soundtracks)

Graabrødretorv 16, st. th.

DK-1154 København K

Denmark

You can find some more info on Soundtracks on this URL:

http://versonatura.org/stijn/soundtracks/

Thanks in advance in advance,

Kind regards,

Stijn Demeulenaere

Ps: It’s important that the memories are hand written / hand made, so please, no emails or typed letters. Apart from that, you can write in any language you prefer.

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AWESOME!!!! I wish I could see your installation that is such a cool idea! I'll be writing you a letter this weekend, if I can manage to get out of bed that is. I love that you won't take anything typed! But what about a handwritten note that's scanned and sent via email? Kind of a hassle to have to send stuff overseas, but I totally respect that this is part of an art project and therefore isn't subject to practical standards.

I really liked the recordings on your site, the forest with the highway is great. So much more interesting than a plain old forest that thousands of other field recordists have already recorded. I wish I could download the audio files though, I don't like how the sound cuts out the moment the mouse moves onto a link. Aerial movement is super badass, and the Smalltalk one is really cool too. Actually they're all really f-ing cool! I would like to download them and listen to them at my leisure... The "6H34" one is badass, especially the static and weird "cows dying" noises. The use of the dying cows and the music box in this piece remind me of The Smiths, isn't that the same music box song The Smiths used? Wowee! The Pour Les Anges is just great, this is *exactly* the kind of thing I'd love to have hours of on a streaming radio station.

Sounds are so hard to describe in mere words, and so personal to record and play for others. Often we fail to describe a sound by itself and must relate it to other sounds that may be more universally familiar. For example, I clearly remember the sound of the turn signals in the old Datsun B210 my pop used to drive me around in. Kind of a "Kah-thook, kah-thook" kind of sound. It's been ~30 years since I heard that sound yet I can recall it right away. Also my dearly departed cat Hyatt used to have the most unique meows, I can hear it so clearly but there's no way I could ever describe it (in words or by imitation) so anyone would really get it.

I guess that's part of what I think is so cool about this project of yours, to hear the description and try to visualize the sound. Speaking of which, why is there no word for "visualizing a sound?" Audiolize?

Anyway I'm fried from a long day so apologies if I'm all over the place, I just really want to say this is supercool and I support you! If I can scan a handwritten letter you'll get my entry soon, if I really have to send it overseas it'll be longer.

Oh yes, and thank you for using your real name it shows you are a real person. I really appreciate you posting this here, and thanks to JW for the forum of course - no way I would have heard of this without it!

Dan Izen

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Hi Dan,

thanks for your nice words about my work.

Unfortunately, I can't do anything with a scanned letter because I need the letter itself. Part of the installation is the tactile bond that is created through the letter. Two different people touching the same piece of paper. Don't worry, you have plenty of time to send the letter, the exhibition is only in a month. And even if it were to reach me after that, no problem, I'll just include it in my next exhibtion!. I also love getting letters from all over the world. Thinking about doing something with the enveloppes as well.

Don't worry about writing your memories down, i'm not asking for noble prize winning prose, just for honest memories. Part of the installation is that people - both contributors and visitors - have to relay in part on their immagination to crecreate the sounds in their heads.

I agree that it is annoying that the sound cuts out when you hover over another link on the website. Me and the webpeople are working on a new site, but we're looking for a moment to get together, and since I wanted the call to go out as soon as possible, I didn't want to wait for the new website. Maybe a more practical way of listening to the works online is through my soundcloud:

http://soundcloud.com/stijn-demeulenaere

And yes, talking about sound is a challenge. Like there is no auditory equivalent for 'visualize' (maybe we should just start using audiolize'), there is no audio equivalent for imagination as well!. Though, through my radio heritage, for me sounds work as images as well.

looking forward to your contribution,

thanks

Stijn

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Stijn... it will be interesting to see what kind of response you get. Perhaps more than anything, it challenges people to "write you a letter," which is a feature not yet built into Facebook and which won't really be practical until someone invents a handheld marking device and some sort of small, lightweight material that can retain those markings without the need for continuous power and yet still easy to fold and light enough to transfer in large quantity via the cargo hold of jet powered aircraft. I bet they'll figure that out.

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