Who is le abbaye Noirlac?

:: The work of Zur at le abbaye Noirlac ::

The past days have been spent acquainting myself with the abbey, it's surroundings and fellow Inhabit International residency artist Tara Gilbee. It is interesting entering a space that you have been fixating on for the past months - like meeting a character from a book. I was taken aback to find that I had already become attached to Noirlac and on experiencing it's delicate nature firsthand - was embarrassed by the flood of emotions that en slewed. 

If anything I was expecting to be disappointed after building up such expectations in my mind and on first sighting - I was. As we drove alongside the abbey, glancing out the car window my first thought was, 'Small?' Where are the towering watchtowers and grand arches I had assumed would astound me? Where is the size and sheer magnitude I have come to expect from 12th century cathedrals?'

And so I entered the abbey and began to realise why Noirlac is an experience in itself.

"It is small from the outside but large from the inside"

Paul Fournier: Noirlac director

If the abbey were a sound it would be an untouched field recording - one that is understated in it's nature yet so perfect that it need not be processed. The architecture makes use of the natural light. Windows are found where the best days sun passes through, walls and ceilings are neutral to the eye and invite the observer to feel a peace attached to their simplicity and the sounds!

On arrival the artist group Zur were presenting their research of Noirlac on a daily basis and we were lucky enough to catch to catch one of their performances. It was an exceptional introduction to Noirlac and one that acted as a major catalyst in my understanding of the space. Throught the sensory explorations of Zur, le abbaye Noirlac presents itself as an unanswered intrigue - one that stimulates pleasure for the observer via the curiosity that it evokes.

The beauty in it's space is uncomplicated

Light :: Air :: Sound :: Space :: Time :: Observation

Zur use these elements to create their own reiteration of Noirlac and I hope that through my work, with the use of my own choice of mediums and elements, I will be able to do the same.

Bonjour Paris

  

I arrived in Paris a few days ago and have been trying to cram in as much of the city's priceless culture and the arts as possible (within three days). My backpackers is a half hour walking distance from the louvre and say an hour from centre Paris so I'm travelling on foot - the best way to begin learning about a city! 

You will find me quietly watching foot traffic from a laneway cafe, or standing on a street corner with my small map in hand figuring out my next move. The city itself - it's infrastructure, buildings, developed lifestyles is nothing like what we are have in Australia. The general height of buildings is greater - often creating the feeling of narrower roads and meandering labyrinth's. 

Their use of height gives me a feeling of more space. It opens up the world around me. The signs of life positioned high in the sky (trees on balconies, overgrown vines and flower pots, beautiful ornate outdoor parisian chairs) creates a feeling of being surrounded by humanity as opposed to the stark walls of Melbourne's inner city high rises. The French seemed to have mastered the art of combining hectic inner city living without compromising the joys of everyday pleasures.

Just because there are limitations - does not mean that it must be stripped of the signs of humanity and of life's small luxuries.

Other points of interest include: The butter patties are MUCH bigger, French women really are thin and beautiful (generally speaking), junk and cheap inner city antiquities are relatively common, 'Sound Artist' is not a term that leads to confusion - it is common knowledge and taken with all due seriousness.

Je'aime Paris

FBI Radio

This Sunday evening I'll be having a chat with Scarlett Di Maio and Brooke Olsen on FBI Radio's experimental sound hour Sunday Night at the Movies. Tune in for an assortment of my sounds and to hear me quite possibly stutter and lisp - live - on air. 

With the perfect excuse to head over to Sydney I'm able to attend brilliant gigs such as Chihei Hatakeyama and others. - I am not familiar with his sounds but I will enjoy something new and am looking forward to being a stranger in NSW.

The release that never was

I am confronting the unborn release. He/She is pretty pissed - I should have done this years ago but in the words of a tutor I once considered a friend,

'It's frightening putting something out there - for others to criticise and pick at but you have to do it.'

I know I know, but none of it quite makes the grade.
So I will put it out there anyway.
What choice do I have?
I know that a number of artists I admire, have a first album or ep that is obviously an embryo - not yet fully formed with it's potential lost in layers of unformed technique and meandering direction.
So with this excuse, I will allow it to come into being. While I am not able to exist - this is.

Samadhi Mechanism - Quadraphonic Install

Earlier this year I was invited to present my work at the launch of the Kew Arts Centre. The timing could not have been better to exhibit and install 'Samadhi Mechanism' and the setting was near ideal as I had the use of an old gaol cell (sounds familiar). The size restraint of the cell meant I had to minimize speakers so my setup for the piece was down scaled from 7.1 to Quadraphonic with no Sub. This worked surprisingly well in the space due to how 'live' it was. Natural resonances appeared quickly and with little effort of volume, meaning that the addition of a Sub would only have muddied up the sounds and impacted negatively on the mix.

As the only artist working with Sound at the Arts Centre launch I enjoyed the discovery and experiences of others who were not too familiar with works in the medium. I am use to being surrounded and critiqued by people who are as obsessive and knowledgable of the styles and works created with sound as myself (or even moreso). Being placed as 'The Odd One Out' provided me with the gift of observing extremely honest responses and opinions that can become clouded by the impinging judgments of an art scene.

Many thanks to Caroline Carruthers from Boroondara Artists Travelling Show (BATS) for co ordinating the artists on the day and congratulations on your beginning! 

Kew Arts Centre Launch

 

: Quadraphonic install of Samadhi Mechanism :

Machine Recordings

           

:: Sound gathering for 'Samadhi Mechanism' ::

-Have been spending nights hunting and collecting sonic identities relevant to 'Samadhi Mechanism'. The final work will be a 'Frankenstein's Monster' in that it will be a new creation, coming into being by the severing and suturing together of other audio bodies. The above images are of two of these bodies, the first, is beneath a train-line that bridges above a main road. The second, is a floor level that plays host to a number of air conditioning vents and general airflow within an inner city convention centre. Surround recordings were taken from the floor level and MS was used underneath the bridge. Other samples I have gathered include an old electrical printer (2 x contact microphones in stereo), A scissor lift (1 x stereo Rode NT4) and discarded metal sheeting. I would very much like to record the sounds of an old printing press that is operated by hand. Unfortunately I am not having much luck at tracking one down........

Abbaye Noirlac will be a welcome relief after this piece - I have been in Melbourne city for too long - working to acquire microphones and equipment. It's an isolating and soulless experience that I hope to alleviate soon. As a (primarily) sound artist I record and portray what is within my environment and the hard walls of urban landscape have dominated that space for quite a while. Balance needs to be restored I think.........