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Mapping,scoringandactivatingurbansonicspace:LjudvidNissan/Soundat

NissanConorMcCafferty1

1RecomposingtheCityresearchgroup,SonicArtsResearchCentre,Queen’sUniversityBelfast,NorthernIreland

[email protected]

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].