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Mapping,scoringandactivatingurbansonicspace:LjudvidNissan/Soundat
NissanConorMcCafferty1
1RecomposingtheCityresearchgroup,SonicArtsResearchCentre,Queen’sUniversityBelfast,NorthernIreland
Abstract.Thispaperexploreshowmapswereusedasanimportantinterfacefortheanalysisofpublicurbanspaces,artisticdevelopment,publicengagementandsonicactivationinSoundatNissan,asoundartfestivalstagedinHalmstad,Sweden,inSeptember2016.Inthefestival,variouskindsofmaps–whatwemightcallsoundmapsorlisteningmaps–wereusednotasresultsbutstartingpoints.Thesemapswereusedtocharacterizesoundspacesinthecity,tohelpparticipatingartistsplantheirworksandtoengagewithresidentsofHalmstadasparticipantsandaudiences.Inthispaper,Iconsiderthefestivalprogrammeasa“score”,beforediscussingtheapproachesusedbytheartistsintheirworksandtheknowledgetheygenerated.Iwillmakesuggestionsforhowtheapproachusedandknowledgegeneratedbythefestivalcouldinformplanning,byrethinkingurbanspaceintermsof“sonicspatialintelligence”.
Keywords:Festivals,Mapping,Planning,Soundart,Soundspace,Soundwalks,Spatialintelligence,Urbanism.
1Introduction
SoundatNissan(LjudvidNissan)wasasoundartfestivalhostedbyHarpArtLabinHalmstad,Sweden,inSeptember2016.SoundatNissandrewtogetherawiderangeofideasandpractices:aswellasshowcasingartisticexperimentationinsoundinstallationandimprovisatoryperformance,thefestivaldemonstratedahybridmodelforcollectingandharnessingurban“spatialintelligence”relatingtosound,frommultipleperspectives.Theartworksinthefestivaloffereduseful,albeitinformal,investigationsofsoundinpublicspace–acrossphysical,socialandsonicdimensions–thatarenotfeasibleinnormalplanninganddevelopmentsituations.Soundwalksconductedwithpublicparticipationencouragedengagementinurbansoundspaceamongresidentsthroughartisticpracticesoflistening.
Inthepaper,IwilldiscusswhatIconsiderasa“score”or“meta-composition”,whichthecuratorsestablishedforthefestival.Iwillexaminesomeoftheapproachesusedbytheartistsintheirworks.Finally,Iwillexplorehowtheknowledgegeneratedthroughthefestivalcouldinformplanningfromasonicperspective.
2Context
Halmstadisaportcityofsome50,000inhabitantsonthewestcoastofSweden.Thecityhasastrongindustrialheritage,butthecitycentreisnowmainlymarkedbyaproliferationofleisureactivitiesandapartmentsoverlookingtheriver.Boatsmoorontheriverdocksinthecitycentreandinamarinaintheharbour;roadtrafficandpedestrianscrosstheriveronitsmanyroad-andfoot-bridges.Thecity’sbusyportfacilityformspartofthePortsofHallandcounty.
Fig.1.ViewoftheNissanRiverflowingthroughHalmstad,lookingtowardsthesouth.Photograph:MikaelEricsson.
Around15kilometresnorthwestofHalmstad,inthevillageofHarplinge,standstheHarplinge“smock”-typewindmill,an1895constructionthatproducedflourbygrindingcornuntilthelate1960s.ThehusbandandwifeteamMikaelandJulieEricsson,bothartists,tookoverthemillin2010,establishingHarpArtLabtherethefollowingyear;sincethen,ascurators,theyhavebeeninvitingartiststotakeupresidenciesatthevenue,especiallyduringtheannualBzzz!Festival,tocreateandperform(sound)artandexperimentalmusic.1
InSoundatNissan,theEricssonswantedtoapplythecuratorialapproachtheyhadbeendevelopingattheHarpArtLab.Theybegantothinkofthecityasakindof“canvas”forartisticintervention.2Thefour-kilometrestretchoftheNissanriverflowingfromnorthtosouth,throughthecentreofHalmstadandouttotheharbour,formedanextensive,variedandinterconnectedseriesofsites,whereinvitedartistscouldexperimentwithsoundartinstallationsandperformances.
Soundartfestivalshaveproliferatedinternationallyinrecentyears,andsomeofthemhavefocusedontheirgivenurbancontextastheprimarysubjectforplural
1Seehttp://harpartlab.se/2MikaelEricsson,emailcorrespondence,February2017
artisticinvestigations.FestivalslikeTunedCity,whichhasbeenheldinmultiplecitiessince2008,andBonnHoeren,whichappointsacitysoundartisteveryyearforthecityofBonn,Germany,aretworecentexamplesthathavenowbuiltupseveralyears’worthofsonicurbanpracticeandresearch.3IndevelopingSoundatNissan,theEricssonshadasimilarinterestinengagingwiththebuiltenvironmentandurbandevelopmentprocessesinthecityofHalmstad.Intheinitialcallforproposals,thecuratorsreferredtocurrentdevelopmentsinthecity,andthroughthefestivaltheyhaveestablishedabodyofknowledgeaboutthecityfromauniqueperspective.
OneofthekeyoutcomesofSoundatNissan,Iwillargue,wasthegenerationofwhatIwouldcall“sonicspatialintelligence”whichwasdrivenbythecurators’senseofinterconnectionsinthecityatbothalargescaleandindetailedknowledgeofspecificsites.ForthemediaandurbanismscholarShannonMattern,“spatialintelligence”relatingtourbansystemsstretchesbeyondreadilymeasurableformsofurbandata(noiseandairqualitylevels,pedestrianfootfallandtransportpassengernumbers,forexample)toencompassmorenuancedepistemologiesofcities.Suchapproaches,sheargues,areculturallyandhistoricallyaware,opentothewidespectrumsofsensoryexperienceandappreciativeofthe“wisdom”tobefoundinresidentcommunities(Mattern2017).ThelandscapearchitectJamesCorner,withasimilarlynuancedunderstandingofurbanintelligence,cautionsagainstthe“…indiscriminate,blinkeredaccumulationandendlessarrayofdata”(Corner1999,p.251)tobefoundinmanymappingpractices,insteadseekingconnectionsbetweenobservable(or,perhaps,audible?)materialfactsandtheirtactical(re)presentation–whatCornercallsthe“relationalreasoning”ofmapping(Ibid.).Inthisactivistmodeofcartography,mapscanactivelycreatefieldsforpractice,thegeographerDenisCosgrovenotes,goingbeyondtheir“narrowlyscientificdutiesofsurvey,recordandplan”(Cosgrove1999,p.22).
Inwhatfollows,IwanttoexaminehowtheEricssonscuratedartworksaspartofwhatIconsidertobeatactical“score”,howtheparticipatingartistsdevelopedtheirworkstoengagewiththeestablishedcontextandhowpublicswerepurposefullyengagedintheanalysisofsoundspacesinthecity.Ihopetoshowhowthismeta-compositionanditsrealizationpointstosomekeyconsiderationsforthecreativeuseofsoundinurbanplanning.
3ScoringsoundspacesinHalmstad3.1Identifyingdistinctivesoundspaces
SoundatNissanwasheldinSeptember2016,butitentailedpreparationsthatwentonforatleastayearbeforethefestivalproper,involvingthecurators,fundersandcityofficials,artistsandmembersofthepublic.Toestablishthecontextforthe3SeeOuzounianandLappin2015forfurtherdiscussionofthisdevelopmentinsoundartpractice.
festival,MikaelandJulieEricssonconductedananalysisoftheexistingacousticconditionsofsitesalongtheriver.Theywanted,MikaelEricssonsays,“tounderstandthecanvaswe[had]todealwith”4.TheEricssonsgatheredsoundrecordings,videosandphotographsandusedthismaterialtopublicizethefestival.InacallforartisticproposalspostedontheHarpArtLabwebsite,theEricssonssharedthematerialstheyhadgatheredfromeachsitetohelpartistsdeveloptheirproposals.
Fromoveronehundredapplications,theEricssonsinvitedfiveindividualartistsandoneduotoparticipateinthefestival.5BothMikaelandJulieEricssonalsocontributedworksthemselves.TheEricssons’engagementwiththeartistsbeganwiththisselectionprocessbutcontinuedthroughtheconceptualdevelopmentofartworksandthesequencingoftheworksinthefestival.Thecuratorsstressedthatthisdevelopmentalapproachtotheartworks,andthefosteringofasenseofcommunityamongtheparticipants,wasasimportantforthemastheoriginalconceptualproposals.Theparticipatingartistsdevelopedtheirworkforthefestivaloverthesummerof2016,insomecasesvisitingHalmstadtoexploredifferentsites.
Whiletheartistsdevelopedtheirprojects,theEricssonscontinuedtomaptheriver,makingrecordingsandvideosoftheartists’visitsandmappingout“listeningpoints”alongtheriver;thismapidentifiedsixty-foursites,servingasakindoflisteningmap,whichtheartistsandorganiserscouldusetoreferencetheacousticcharacteristicsoflocationsinthecity.
4MikaelEricsson,emailcorrespondence,February2017 5TheartistswereKlaraAndersson(Sweden),JohannesBergmark(Sweden),Ann-LouiseLiljedahl(Sweden),AgaJarzabowa,MaciejBaczykandMaciekPolak(Poland),KajsaMagnarsson(Sweden)andLaurieTompkins(U.K.).
Fig.2.ListeningpointsalongtheNissan,identifiedduringresearchforthefestival.Eastisatthetopoftheimage.CourtesyHarpArtLab.
Intheirownresearch,theEricssonsfoundthemselvesdrawnmoretothesoundenvironmentinthesouthernsectionoftheriverattheharbour,andthenorthernsectionatSlottsmöllan,thantheyweretothecitycentre.Tohelpthemcharacterisethesoundenvironmentofthisbusiercentralarea,theyplannedaseriesofsevensoundwalks,invitingdifferentgroupstoparticipateduringthesummermonths:onesessionwithagroupofartstudents;onewithpoliticians,planners,architectsandcivilservants;andfouropen-invitesessionswiththepublic.TheEricssonslimitedthetimeofeachwalkto30minutes,witha30-minuteintroductionbeforehandandaone-hourdiscussionafterwards.
Fig.3.RouteofthesoundwalkinHalmstadcitycentre.Point1isthepedestrianbridgebesidethelibraryandpoint6istherailwaybridge.CourtesyHarpArtLab.
ParticipantswereledbyMikaelandJulieEricsson,followingarouteplannedbytheminadvance;asthegroupreachedeachstoponthemap,theytookfreeformnotes,recordingtheirimpressionsoftheareaandthingstheyheard.Theparticipantswerealsoequippedwithhandheldsoundrecorders,whichtheywerefreetouseiftheywished.(MikaelEricssonlaterrepurposedtheserecordingsasmaterialinSoundtrackNissan,hissoundinstallationinthefestival.)Eachwalkwasheldinsilence,encouragingpeopletopaycloseattentiontowhattheyheard.
MikaelEricssontoldmethattheywantedtoengageparticipantsonadirectexperientiallevel,bygivingthemasharedtasktocomplete,basedontheirownlisteningexperience,aswellasanintellectuallevel,byencouragingthemtoreflectontheirexperienceindiscussionafterwards:
“Thediscussions…becameveryspontaneousafterahalfhourofsilence.Theparticipants'[auditory]experiencesraisedtopicsabouthowurbandesign,buildingsandparksalongtheriveraffectthesoundofthecity.Participantsnotedsilentplaces,soundpollutionandhowdifferentmaterialssuchaswood,gravelandstoneandbuildingsamplifyorblockthesounds.”6
Theorganiserssawvalueinthecreativeandaestheticuseoflisteningandrecordingbypeopleofdiversebackgroundsinthesoundwalks,buttheyalsoemphasisedtheneedforacriticaldiscourse,suchthatideasandperceptionscouldbeexploredandqualifiedingroupdiscussion.ThesecarefullyplannedsoundwalkswereatacticalinterventionbytheEricsssonstohelpfillagapintheirknowledge;theysawthesoundwalksasanopportunitytodesignadistributedtaskofcreativeanalysis.Theresultsweredetailedanddiverselayersofknowledge,emergingfrom,andreinforcing,sharedunderstandingsofthecity’ssoundenvironment.
3.2Spatialandtemporalsequencingandblending
6MikaelEricsson,emailcorrespondence,February2017
Fig.4.ThiscartoonmapdrawnbyMikaelEricssonshowsfestivalsitesandlandmarksalongthelengthoftheNissanRiverthroughthecitycentreofHalmstad.CourtesyHarpArtLab.
ParticipatingartiststookupresidenciesinHalmstadinSeptember2016,whentheworkswererealized.Inthefinalfestivalprogramme,MikaelEricsson’shand-drawnmapoftheriverhighlightspointsofinterestthatarerelevanttothefestivalandimportantforway-finding:iconicbuildingsandsitesoffestivaleventsandinstallations.Eachoftheworksofferedanalternativeuseofitslocation;alongthe4-kilometrelengthoftheNissan,artistscouldtakeadvantageofagreatlyvaryingsetofspaces:
Table1.Therangeofsitesusedinthefestival,heldfrom9th–11thSeptember2016.
Site Artwork(s) TypeofSpace1 Slottsmöllan Bergmark,‘SoundFishing’
(Fri9th)
Tompkins,‘600HalmstadSongs’(Fri9th)
River/naturalgreenspace
Roadbridge/naturalgreenspace
2 Kaninön Magnarsson,‘RabbitIslandRave’and‘RabbitIslandRave(Aftermath)’(Fri9thandSat10th)
Soundinstallation:Island
Performance:Greencorridor/naturalgreenspace
3 HallandsKonstmuseum JarzabowaandBaczyk,‘DeepintheImage’(Sat10thandSun11th)
Publicmuseum(interior)
4 GamlaJärnvägsbron Andersson,‘Expedition’(startingpoint)(Fri9thandSun11th)
J.Ericsson,‘FerroviedelloStato'(Fri9thandSun11th)
Pedestrianbridgeandunderpass
Greencorridor(peripateticroute)
5 TornetNissastrand M.Ericsson,‘SoundtrackNissan’(Sun11th)
Semi-privatemulti-purposemeetingvenue
6 NorreKattsPark Andersson,‘Brandtal’(Sat10th)
Publicpark
7 RootsNorreport Andersson,‘Brandtal’(Sat10th)
JarzabowaandBaczyk,‘DeepintheImage’liveperformancewithPinpark(Sat10th)
Nightclubinterior
Citywalls
Magnarsson,‘RabbitIslandRave’(performance)(Sat10th)
8 Gångbron Bergmark,‘PlaytheBridgefortheFish!’(Fri9thandSat10th)
Pedestrianbridge
River
9 Stadsbiblioteket McCafferty,‘Workshop-Tullkammarkajen’(Fri9thandSat10th)
Publiclibrary-interior
10 Kapsylparken Andersson,‘Brandtal’(Sat10th)
Bergmark,‘SoundFishing’(Sun11th)
Publicpark
11 Kran2/Tullkammarkajen M.Ericsson,‘SoundtrackNissan’(Fri9th,Sat10thandSun11th)
Tompkins,‘600HalmstadSongs’(Fri9th,Sat10thandSun11th)
Industrialheritagestructure(crane)/civicspace/industrialspace(dock)
12 Kran1/Söder Liljedahl,‘EchoofIron’(Sat10thandSun11th)
Liljedahl,Bergmark,M.Ericsson,Closingconcert(Sun11th)
Industrialheritagestructure(crane)/industrialspace(fishingquay)
Theprogrammingofthefestivalhighlightedthedifferentcharacteristicsofthesepublicspacesandbuildings.Eachsite,withitsownphysical,acousticandsocialcharacteristics,playedanimportantroleinthedevelopmentoftheartworkspresentedthere.Thefestivaldidnotsuggestlong-termchangestothespacesused,insteademphasizingpotentialitiesthroughitsephemeralinterventions.InthefollowingsectionIwilldescribesomeofthestrategiesthatartistsusedtoengagewiththeirsitesandthekindsofspatialintelligencetheirinterventionsgenerated.
4Activatingthe“score”throughperformanceandinstallation
WhilemostoftheartworkspresentedatSoundatNissancouldbecalledsite-specific,dealingwithonesiteorstructure,someusedabroaderorfuzzierscale,encompassingthelengthoftheriverorsectionsofit.Oneworkwasperipatetic,movingalongtheriverbetweendifferentsites;oneusedtheedgesandintersticesof
spaces;onewasbasedonseveraldifferentsitesalongthelengthoftheriverandonedrewitsmaterialsfromtheentirelengthoftheriver.
Here,Iwillfocusonhoweachoftheseprojectsgeneratednewknowledgeabouttheirurbancontext,intermsofphysicalspace,sonicspaceandsocialspace(withtheunderstandingthatthesecategoriesarenotnecessarilyseparate).Afterdiscussingeachoftheworksinturn,Isuggesthowtheygeneratenewknowledgeabouturbansoundspace.7
4.1Artworksengagingwithindividualsitesandstructures
JohannesBergmark–PlaytheBridgefortheFish!
Fig.5.JohannesBergmarkinstallshisworkPlaytheBridgefortheFish!ontheGångbron.Photograph:MikaelEricsson.
JohannesBergmarkusescustom-builtinstrumentstoenactplayfulandtheatricalconceptualideasandimprovisationalperformances.OntheGångbron,thepedestrianbridgebythelibrary,hestagedPlaytheBridgefortheFish!Thebridgeisakeyrouteinthecity’snetworkofpedestrianisedstreetsandameansofcrossingfromthecivicandresidentialareaontheeastintothecommercialcitycentre.
Bergmarkusedhardwareelements–contactmicrophones,anamplifierpoweredbyacarbatteryandaloudspeakersealedinwaterprooftape,whichwassuspendedfromthebridgeandsubmergedintheriverusingpianowire–tocreateanextendedinstrumentusingthesuspensioncordsandotherelementsofthebridge.Strummingandstrikingthemetalliccords,thewoodenhandrailandmetalsupportsofthe7Seehttps://vimeo.com/203572202forashortvideoshowcasingeachoftheworkspresentedinthefestival.
bridge,peoplepassingbycouldactivatethecontactmicrophones,andtheresultingsoundswereplayedbackthroughtheloudspeakertoanypassingriverlifebelow,andtothepublicthroughasecondloudspeakerlocatedonthebridge.
Bergmark’sinvitationto“playthebridge”reconfiguredtheeverydaypedestrianconnection.TheideathatsoundsproducedonthebridgecouldbeheardbythefishrequiredasuspensionofdisbeliefandawillingnesstoplayalongwithBergmark’sstraight-facedjoke,reimaginingapieceofurbaninfrastructureasalarge-scaleinstrument,andthefishbelowasareceptiveaudience.
JulieEricsson–FerroviedelloStato
Fig.6.PeoplelistenasJulieEricsson’sworkisplayedattheoldrailwaybridge.Photograph:MikaelEricsson.
JulieEricsson’sFerroviedelloStatodrewontheuncannypossibilitiesofsoundreproduction.Herwork,mountedattheoldrailwaybridge(nowabusypedestrianandcyclerouteconnectingakeygreencorridorinthecitycentre)remindedthelistenerofthephysicality,materialityandeventactilityoftrainspassingovertheriver,aphenomenonthathaslongsincedisappeared.
Ericsson’sworkwasbasedonrecordingsoftrainsshemadeinItaly(thetitlereferstotheItalianstaterailwaysystem).Playedbackintotheunderpassusingasimplemobileloudspeaker,thesesoundshadthepsychoacousticeffectofcreatingasenseofmovementalongthebridgeabove,andcouldbeheardforseveralhundredmetresinbothdirectionsoneithersideoftheriver.Thedramatic,almostrecklesssenseofspeedconveyedintherecordingswasdizzying.Theeffectwasimpressive,thankstothesuddenonsetofthepowerfulsoundsbetweenlongerquietintervals.Theworkalsoplayedonthelackofanobviousvisualcuetomatchthesounds:as
thespectralsound-imageofthetrainbarrelledpast,therewasacurioussightofpedestrians,joggersandcyclistsmovingleisurelyacrossthebridge,orlookingaroundtotrytosourceandidentifythesounds.
Thisworkdrewanaudienceonthebridge,underneathinpassingboatsandontheriverbanks.Itprompteddiscussionsonsitebetweentheartistandthespectators,someofwhom,MikaelEricssonsays,felt“provoked[bythework],somefascinated”.Theseconversationsaboutthework,andaboutthemeaningandvalueof“soundart”ingeneral,spilledoverfromthesiteintosocialmediaandthelocalnewspaper.
Ann-LouiseLiljedahl–EchoofIron
Fig.7.Partoftheaudiencethatgatheredtoobservetheclosingconcertofthefestival,whichwasbasedonEchoofIronbyAnn-LouiseLiljedahl,andwhichfeaturedLiljedahl,MikaelEricssonandJohannes
Bergmarkinperformance.CourtesyHarpArtLab.
Ann-LouiseLiljedahl’sEchoofIronwasthemoststraightforwardly“electroacoustic”compositioninthefestival,butallthesourcematerialcamefromherchosensite,thefishingquayatSöder,anditsdisusedcrane,andwaspresentedthere,intheopenair,ratherthananacoustically-treatedconcerthall.Hercomposition,afixedmediapiece,wasbasedonacollectionofrecordingsofthemetallicsoundsofthecranewhichshemanipulatedandsequenced;asaninstallation,theworkwasplayedbackthroughloudspeakersattachedaroundthecraneitself.Hearingthemetallicsoundsoftheinstallationforthefirsttime,thefishermenwhostillworkatthequayaskedLiljedahlifshehadsomehowswitchedthecraneonagain.
Aswellasbeingmountedasasoundinstallationthroughoutthefestival,Liljedahl’spiecealsoservedasthebasisoftheclosingconcertofthefestival,whichshe,MikaelEricssonandJohannesBergmarkperformed.Invitedguestsandinterestedmembers
ofthepublicstoodorsatonthequaysideonapleasantSeptemberSundayeveningwhilethelocalfishermensatoutsidetheirhuts,ataslightremovebutstillwatching.Inadramatic,attimescomical,performance,EricssonandLiljedahlbothstoodontopofthecrane,coaxingarichpaletteofsoundsfromthecranebystrikingitwithhammersandmallets.Inthearchofthecranebelow,JohannesBergmark–suspendedinstirrupsbypianowire–performedalongwiththemusinganotherofhiscustom-builtinstruments–thisoneconsistingofasoundingboard,pianowireandcontactmicrophones,amplifiedbycontactmicrophones.Usingbowsandwoodenblocks,BergmarkplayedawiderangeofstringedsoundstocomplementtheLiljedahl’spiece.
AsthesunsetonacalmSundayevening,birdsandplanesflewinthedistanceintothedarkeningsky,andthedramaofthis“found”outdoorconcertstageandvenuecameintofocus.Soundsoftheperformance–onemomentdelicateandhaunting,thenextthunderous–echoedoutintothestillnessoftheevening.Acrossthewater,thecranesoftheportwerestillatworklateintotheeveningandtheoccasionalboatputteredpast,headinguptheriver.Onboard,peopleturnedtheirheadstothestrangesightandsound,asadormantstructureontheHalmstadquaysseemedtocomebacktolife.
KajsaMagnarsson–RabbitIslandRaveandAftermath
Fig.8.CanoeiststrytogetclosertotheRabbitIslandRaveinstallationbyKajsaMagnarsson.CourtesyHarpArtLab.
KajsaMagnarsson’sRabbitIslandRavewasaplayfulinvitetopassers-by,inventingamythicalnarrativeandpopulatingKaninön–theRabbitIsland–withcharacterswhowereresponsibleforasoundandlightshowthateruptedoutofthedarknessofthequieternorthernsectionoftheriver.Theworkbroughttogetherstrandsof
ancientandcontemporaryScandinavianculture,informedbytheFossegrimorStrömkarlen,aNorsemythologicalcharacterwholuredpeoplewithhisfiddleplaying,asmuchasbyGothenburgraveculture.“Ilovethatfeelingofgoingtoanoutdoorpartyonalatesummer’sevening,whenyoustarttohearthemusicinthedistance,”Magnarssontoldme.
Inaccessibleexceptbyboat,thetree-coveredislandprovidedcoverforaninstallationofloudspeakersandlightspoweredbyagenerator.RabbitIslandRaveconsistedofaloud4/4technobeatthatunderpinneddifferentsynthesisedsectionsina20-minuteloop.Asdarknessfell,theworkbegantooverwhelmanotherwisetranquillocale,thesoundclearlyaudibleclearlyakilometredownriver.Theworkattractedasmallcrowdofrevellers,someofwhomknewaboutitadvance,andotherswhosimplystumbleduponitwhileoutalongtheriver.Atonepoint,threefiguresdressedinrabbitmasksappearedamidsttheaudiencewithflares,dancingtothemusiccomingfromtheisland.
Duringtheday,inaworkcalledAftermath,atthesamelocation,thereweresparseechoesofthefictionalpartyfromthenightbefore:shorter,abstractexcerptsofsynthesisedsoundemergedfromtheislandfromtimetotime.Peoplewentabouttheirday,canoeingupriver,orwalkingtheirdogsorrunningalongtheembankmentwhile,intheworldoftheRabbitIslandRave,unseencreaturescausedmischief.
4.2ArtworksengagingwiththeNissanonabroaderscale
JohannesBergmark–SoundFishing
Fig.9.JohannesBergmarkperformswithhissoundfishingcontraption.Photograph:MikaelEricsson.
Inasecondworkforthefestival,SoundFishing,JohannesBergmarktookontheroleofawanderingfisherman,withanamplifiedfishingrodmadefromfoundobjectscollectedalongtheriverandaloudspeakerstrappedtohisback.Bergmarkplayfullyexploredtheedgesoftheriver,relyingonhissenseofphysicalbalancetonavigatetherockyandgrassyedgesoftheriverbanks,andhismusicalsenseofimprovisatorytiming–andadventure–toattempttogeneratesoundsfromthewaterandrocksusinghiscontraption.
Forthecurators,thisworkservedausefullinkbetweensites,sinceBergmarkhadmoremobililityandflexibilitythantheothersite-specificworks.MikaelEricssonthoughtofBergmark’sworkasa“walkingsoundsculpture.”8Playinganunassumingcharacter,Bergmarkwouldemergefromtheeverydayenvironmentandcrowdsofpeopletosuddenlygenerateaconfusingarrayofsoundswhenhedroppedhisbrightyellowpropellerintothewater.Ashewalkedaroundtheedgesoftheriver,Ericssonsays,Bergmarkwas“afusionbetweenmanandmachine–activatingthespacebetweenthehumanbodyandthesurroundingenvironment”.9
LaurieTompkins–600HalmstadSongs
8MikaelEricsson,emailcorrespondence,February20179Ibid.
Fig.10.LaurieTompkinsvocalisingattheSlottsmöllan.Photograph:MikaelEricsson.
LaurieTompkins,likeBergmark,worksinanimprovisatorytradition–thetitleofhis600HalmstadSongsalludestothenewdwellingstobebuiltatTullkammarkajenandlendssignificancetothemostfleeting,apparentlythrowawayideas.Inbothconceptionandperformance,Tompkinsmadeuseofthedelaying,reverberanteffectstobeheardatseveralpointsalongtheriver.
Singingandshouting,withcuppedhandsorahornforamplification,herevealedacousticeffects,materialsandspatialdimensionsandusedlongreverberationtimestosinginduetwithhimselfandsomeofthewildlife.Thesongsvariedbuttendedtoconsistofanarrayofhowls,shrieks,gruntsandheavybreathing,withoccasionalharmonica.
Tompkinswasnotpresentatthefestival,soMikaelEricssonplayedaselectionofthesongsfromtheSlottsmöllanbridgewhileBergmarkwanderedontherocksbelowwithhissoundfishinggear.Aswellasthegatheredaudienceonthebanks,therewasanincidentalaudienceofpeopleoutforaFridayeveningwalkorrunalongtheriveroroverthebridge,severalofwhomstoppedtolisten.ForEricsson,Tompkins’workinvokedahighlypersonalandenjoyablememoryofmakingrecordingswithTompkinsearlierinthesummer–Ericssonknewthepiecesintimately.Ontheopeningnightofthefestival,itwasTompkins’voicethathowleddownrivertostarttheshow.
Klara Andersson - Expedition
Fig.11.KlaraAnderssonleadsagrouponherExpedition.Photograph:MikaelEricsson.
KlaraAndersson’sExpeditionsoundedthemultitudesofpersonalexperiencetobeencounteredalongasequenceofsharedpublicspaces.Inadvanceofthefestival,AnderssoninvitedlocalpeopletosendherstoriesormemoriesrelatingtolocationsonaspecificroutealongtheNissan.Shecollectedandreadthesestoriesaloudthroughanarrowbandmegaphone,atthelocationwheretheeventshadhappened.
AsAnderssonweavedhersonicpath,hersilentaudiencecouldonlyfollow,listenandimagine.Expeditionrenderedstoriesasakindofofficialpronouncement,deliveredinmonotone.Thepersonalbecamepublicandtheintimatewaswidelyshared.Anordinarywalkinthecitywastransformed.AsAndersson’saudienceeavesdroppedonpersonalstoriestheyformednewsharedmemoriesofotherwiseneutralspaces.
MikaelEricsson–SoundtrackNissan
Fig.12.MikaelEricsson’sSoundtrackNissanwasplayedfromhornspeakersmountedonbothsidesofthecraneatTullkammarkajen.Photograph:ConorMcCafferty.
MikaelEricsson,inSoundtrackNissan,bringstogetherfieldrecordingsfromHalmstadandexcerptsofsoundtracksdrawnfromclassicfilmswithwaterfrontsettings.ThefieldrecordingsweremadebyparticipantsinthesoundwalksthattheEricssonsledbeforethefestival.
Thecraneprovidedausefulvisualfocalpointandanaturalstandformountingtwolargehornspeakershighaboveground.Thisarea,slatedforredevelopmentinthecomingyears,ismarkedbymoresparse,openbrownfieldspacethanthegreen
corridorandcommercialcitycentretothenorthacrosstheroadbridge,whichformsaboundarybetweenthecitycentreandthesouthernarea.Thoughitiswellusedbylocalindustriesandpeopledockingandservicingtheirboats,theareadoesnotattractthekindofheavyfootfalltobeseenfurthernorth.Theriveropensouttotheharbourjustsouthofhere,wherethesiteseemstoblendintotheindustrialzoneoftheport.
SoundtrackNissanengagedwiththisopenpublicarenaforlisteners,offeringasubtleinterventionwithoutaclearbeginningorend.Ericsson’sworkwasthemostheterogeneousintermsofsoundcontent,withlongpausesbetweenfieldrecordings,passagesofsongandmusic,andevocativefragmentsofdialoguethatretainedtheshufflingandcracklingoffilmfoleysoundeffectsfoundontheoriginalsoundtracks.Theplaybackofthepiecethroughthehornspeakerscreatedawiderperformativespacethanmostoftheotherworksinthefestivalandallowedlistenersasenseofdriftingintheopenspaceasstrangelyfamiliarsonicelementsmingledwitheverydaysounds.
AgaJarzabowaandMaciejBaczyk–DeepintheImage
Fig.13.AgaJarzabowaandMaciejBaczykcollectingorganicmaterialsfromtheNissanduringtheirresidencyinHalmstad.Photograph:MikaelEricsson.
ForthePolishartistsAgaJarzabowaandMaciejBaczyk,therouteoftheriverthroughthecityrepresentedanopportunitytoengageinadetailedquasi-scientificsurvey.Theirproject,DeepintheImage,wasanoutlieramongtheworksinthefestival,inseveralways:ithadabroaderspatialscopethanmostoftheotherworks,basedonamappingprocesstheyconductedoverseveralconsecutivedays.
Moreover,DeepintheImagewasnotmanifestlya“soundart”work,norwasitsite-specificinthesenseofbeingeitherfrom,orpresentedat,asinglesite.
Afterspendingaweekintherun-uptothefestivalintensivelyshootingfilmandcollectingsamplesofmaterialsfoundintheriver,JarzabowaandBaczykpresentedtheirworkinanexhibitionintheHallandArtMuseumontheSaturdayafternoonofthefestival.DeepintheImageconsistedofashort,silentfilm,usingthenarrativeformofatraveloguearoundvarioussitesinHalmstad.Theartistsusedacombinationoftechniquestocreatethefinalwork,usingbothstopmotionanimationandthetransformationofthefilmnegativesandorganicmaterialswithvariouschemicals.Theartistsjuxtaposedandlayeredtheirfilmedmaterialwiththevariousorganicsamplesfoundintheriver,placeddirectlyonaplatformtheyusedtoproducetheanimation.Intheexhibition,thefilmwaspresentedalongsidesomematerialfragmentsthathadbeenusedinitsproduction,withamapandcolour-coordinatedkeyshowingwherefilmfragmentshadbeenshotorsampleshadbeenfound.Inaseconditerationoftheworkduringthefestival,theyalsoperformedaconcertattheRootsNorrePortnightclubwiththeircolleagueMaciekPolak,accompanyingtheirfilmwithliveelectronicmusic.
IntheirdetailedexcavationandmappingofsitesalongtheNissan,JarzabowaandBaczykuncoveredvisualpatternsandrhythmsofendlessvarietyandsublimedetail.DeepintheImagereflectedaconcernwiththemateriallifeoftheNissan,castingitnotsimplyasastaticobjecttobecapturedorrepresented,butasanorganicsystemthatismuchmorecomplexthanfirstmeetstheeye,orear.
4.3Whatknowledgewasgeneratedbythefestival?
First,thefestivalhighlightedtherangeof“listeningpoints”inthecity,andengagedthepublicincataloguingthequalitiesofsomeofthesesitesthroughaseriesofsoundwalks.TheEricssonsgatheredtheresponsesfromthesesoundwalksforfutureanalysis.MikaelEricssonhasalsodevelopedanewartworkbasedonthismaterial(fig.14below).
Fig.14.Thesoundsoftherailwaybridge(left)andNorreKattsPark(right)–work-in-progress.Thetext(inSwedish)inthisdrawn“soundmap”byMikaelEricssonisbasedontheresponsesfromparticipantsinthesoundwalks.Thecompletedworkwilltaketheformoftheriver’sroutethroughthecity,withsections
correspondingtoeachsitealongitslength.CourtesyMikaelEricsson.
Secondly,eachoftheartworksinthefestivalofferedartisticresearchintothecontext,historyandmaterialityofthesitesused,proposingalternative,albeittemporaryusesforthem.Theartworksdemonstratedhowsoundartinterventionscanactivatesoundinurbanspace,andpotentiallytransformtheperceptionofthosespaces,inseveralways:
• Investigatingacousticqualitiesofoutdoorspaces:rangingfromrecordingsofTompkins’voicein600HalmstadSongsamplifiedandprojecteddownriver,toLiljedahlsoundingoutdifferentcomponentsofthecraneinEchoofIron.
• Drawingattentiontoexistingphysicalfeatures:literally,byinvitingpeopletoseekthesourceofsoundsemergingfromanuninhabitedisland(Magnarsson’sRabbitIslandRave),orbyacousticallyactivatingadisusedpieceofindustrialinfrastructure(asinLiljedahl’sEchoofIron).
• Instrumentalising/gamifyingthebuiltenvironment:asinthesoundwalks,whereparticipants“scavenged”urbansitesforinterestingsounds;Bergmark’ssurrealattemptsto“fish”forinterestingsoundsusingcontactmicrophones;andTompkins’useofurbanspaceforitsreverberantqualitiestoformthebasisofhissongs.
• Playingbetweenacousticandvisualexperience:asinJarzabowaandBaczyk’sDeepintheImage,whichofferedasilent,butvisuallyrhythmicexplorationofthecity’satmosphere,orMikaelEricsson’sSoundtrackNissan,whichdrewmaterialfromfilmsincludingsnatchesofsongs,foleyeffectsandambientsound.
• Investigatingnewusesforspaces:suchasperformance,publicgathering,oralternativeroutes–includingbothusedandunusedspace–some,suchasAndersson’sExpeditioninvitedthepublictoreimaginefamiliarspacesfromtheperspectivesofotherpeople.
• Generatingpublicreaction:thepublicresponded,bothpositivelyandnegatively,andsometimesintensely,tosomeoftheartworkspresented.Theartistsandcuratorsengagedpeopleinconversationabouttheirworksinpersonattheinstallation/performancesites,onsocialmediaandintheletterspagesoftheHallandsposten,thelocalnewspaper.
5Festivalknowledgeinformingurbanplanning
Thecreationofthiskindofsonicspatialintelligenceisonlyafirststep,however:thereisnoguaranteethatitwillbeusedinanymeaningfulway,notleastbecausethefestivaloperatedoutsidetraditionalplanningandurbandevelopmentprocesses.However,IwouldarguethatthecreativeapproachesseeninSoundatNissanareinstructiveforthosewithresponsibilityforplanninganddesigningnewurbanspaces,toencourageanurbanismthatisinformedbysonicexperience:
• Analysisandmappingcarriedoutinadvanceofthefestivalenabledthecuratorsto“score”whatwouldhappen,whereandwhen.
• Throughsoundwalksandthepresenceofsoundartinterventionsinthecity,peoplecanbesupportedtobuildtheirsonicliteracy,andtoexpresswhattheylike,ordon’t,aboutagivensoundorsonicexperience–andwhy.
• Thefestivalentailedpurposefulpublicengagementrelatingtosound.Theparticipantshadarolethatwentbeyondspectatorshipandbeyondsuperficialbox-ticking.Thecreativetaskencouragedafocussedattentiononeverydaysoundandthediscussionsafterwardsledtosomethingthatwentbeyondbinaryunderstandings(good/bad,noise/quiet)ofsoundinurbanspace.Organisedonaregularbasis,thesesoundwalkscouldstarttoformanewarchiveofsonicspatialintelligence,reflectingchangesinthesoundenvironmentofHalmstadovertime.
• Aswellasusingmapsinplanninganddesigningthefestival,mapsforthepublic–thesoundwalkmapsandthefestivalprogramme–providedimmediate,visualcuesforengagingwithsoundspaceinHalmstad,andaguideforattentivelisteninginthecity.
• Engagingartistsinexploringurbansoundspaceisimportantinanotherway:itallowscomplexideasandphenomenatobebroughttolightandtransformed,sometimescomplicatingandchallengingreceivedideasandperceptions.
• SoundatNissan,asanurban-scale“score”,didnotattemptto“pindown”singlesoundstosinglesitesbutinsteadpresentedarangeofpossibilities.First,inananalyticalandpedagogicalmode,ittookaccountofatmosphericconditions,acousticspacesandhorizons,andtherangeofsoundingmaterialsonemightencounter.Secondly,inanartistic-activistmode,itintroducednewsonicmaterials,tosuggestpossibilities,toprovokearesponseandtosharesite-specificartisticexperiences.
SoundatNissanmobilisedacollaborativesonicinterpretationofthecity,curatingnewstrataofsonicspatialintelligence;insteadofrelyingonexistingdatasets,thefestivalfostereditsowncollectionofknowledgethatlaysthegroundworkforthediscussion,analysis,designandusageofurbansonicspaceinthefuture.
Acknowledgements.Thankyoutoalltheartistswhogavetheirtimesogenerouslytobeinterviewedduringthisresearch.ThankstoMatildeMeirelesandElenFlüggeforlendingacriticalear,andtomysupervisors,Dr.GasciaOuzounianandDr.SarahLappin,forsharingtheirwisdomandsupport.AndaspecialthankyoutoMikaelandJulieEricssonfortheirkindnessandhospitality.
References
Corner,James."TheAgencyofMapping:Speculation,CritiqueandInvention,"inDenisCosgrove(ed.)Mappings,pp.213-252.London:ReaktionBooks,1999.
Ericsson,JulieandMikaelEricsson.HarpArtLab.http://harpartlab.se[Accessed10.02.2017]
Mattern,Shannon.“ACityisnotaComputer.”PlacesJournal,February2017.https://placesjournal.org/article/a-city-is-not-a-computer/[Accessed10.02.2017]
Ouzounian,GasciaandSarahLappin.“Editorial:RecomposingtheCity:NewDirectionsinUrbanSoundArt.”JournalofSonicStudies,no.11,2015.https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/236505/236507/741/0[accessed10/02/2017].
