Chronopoetics of the Wendelstein cave at Wendelstein Höhlenmediale 2015

Chronopoetics of the Wendelstein cave / Chronopoetik der Wendelsteinhöhle"
"Zeit - Moment – Ewigkeit" - Wendelstein Höhlenmediale 2015, Bayrischzell, DE
29.05.15–30.06.15

The Wendelstein cave's location today is 1711m above NN in the Bavarian alps, yet geologists have confirmed that the cave was formed by a river running through it. This can only have been several million years ago, prior to the creation of the Alps. In the so-called "Kältefälle" of the Wendelstein cave, the installation "Chronopoetics of the Wendelstein cave" reflects this facts in two ways. Firstly, the geological past of the cave as riverbed is made audible through the sound material which is made of partial-tone analyses of a recording of a rushing river. The partial tones are used to trigger sound synthesis, predominantly sine-like tones which are played back at various extremely slowed down tempos. Secondly, taking inspiration from the field of archaeoastronomy, the larger structure of the composition changes according to the time of day – according to the movement and position of the sun in relation to the cave-entrance which opens to the east, the sounds change over time. When the sun shines directly in the cave, the sound material is at its strongest, fullest and brightest. Throughout the day and towards the afternoon and dusk, the atmosphere becomes increasingly fatigued.  

http://www.wendelsteinbahn.de/bergbahnen/veranstaltungen/hoehlen-mediale.php

Many thanks to curator of the Wendelstein Höhlenmediale 2015 Alois Späth, Wendelsteinbahn GmbH's Florian Vogt and Claudia Steimle, Peter Hofmann (geologist), Hannes Hoelzl and Alberto de Campo and members of the SC-mailing list for support in SuperCollider, as well as fellow artists Akitoshi Honda, Bastus Trump and Bartholomäus Traubeck. 

FEMEA 06.02.15 @UdK Berlin

FEMEA Festival - Feminism, Experimental Media and Electronic Arts

A one-day event exploring gender (in)equality, cyberfeminism, experimental media and music

6th February, 2015 UdK Medienhaus, Berlin

organization: Annie Goh, Elen Flügge and “The Gender Troublers”

support for projects in part by the Frauenbeauftragte of the Universität der Künste, Berlin

http://gendytrouble.tumblr.com

// FEMEA - Feminism Experimental Media & Electronic Arts

// Friday 6th February 2015

// 14h-21h Aula (R110) UdK Berlin

// Grunewaldstr. 2-5, 10823 Berlin, U-Kleistpark

The Gender Troublers (UdK WiSe 2014-2015) present : a one day festival with exhibition, presentations, performances, music, workshop and interventions. 

// Special Guests from 5.30pm: Mysti: Lecture Performance, Fem Coven / Hystereo Live: Lectures

// Free Entry (Donations welcome)

// Food + Drinks available

// More info: http://gendertroublers.tumblr.com

// https://www.facebook.com/events/439157609566158/

// Organization: Annie Goh, Elen Flügge

// Participants: Monaí de Paula Antunes, Ellen Arkbro, Aliisa Talja, Daniela Zorrozua, Kristina Paustian, Eleanor Aylett-Jones, Elissa de Brito, Claire van der Mee, Celine Brunel, Ivan Deméocq, Aleksandrs Abens, Nicolas Lefort

CTM 2015 Un Tune Magazine

This year I contributed two pieces, both interviews, to the CTM magazine.

SONIC ANOMALIES
AN INTERVIEW WITH EBERHARD BAUER AND MICHAEL SCHETSCHE AT FREIBURG'S ANOMALIES RESEARCH INSTITUTE (IGPP)


and

»WHITE BROTHERS
WITH NO SOUL« — UNTUNING
THE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF
BERLIN TECHNO
INTERVIEW WITH ALEXANDER G. WEHELIYE BY ANNIE GOH

The full interview with Alexander G. Weheliye can be found online at the CTM website here. 

CTM 2015 Archaeoacoustics – Sound, Myths and Meanings of the Ancient

Archaeoacoustics – Sound, Myths and Meanings of the Ancient

Lectures, Panel Discussion and Special a Capella Concert

Delving into the sonic mysteries of humanity's distant past, CTM 2015 has dedicated a special series of events exploring the emerging field of archaeoacoustics or archaeology of sound. On Wednesday, 28 January at Kunstraum Kreuzberg Bethanien, lectures by pioneers and leading figures of the field, panel discussions and a special benefit concert (whose proceeds will go towards the aid of Syrian refugees) will reflect on the role of sound in ancient sites and architecture. This gives occasion not only to speculate on ancient listening practices, but also to reflect upon how these might differ from or overlap with contemporary sound practices.

The recently emerged field of archaeoacoustics or archaeology of sound has revisited ancient spaces with new attention to the acoustics and resonant properties of these spaces. Whereas previously they were primarily "looked" at for their visual and architectural characteristics, archaeological sites such as Stonehenge in Avesbury, UK, Malta's Hal-Salfieni Hypogeum, Mexico's Chichen Itza pyramids and Paleolithic rock-art in France and Spain have of late been 'listened' to with keen ears. Research since the 1980s provides increasing amounts of testable scientific evidence indicating the undeniable significance of sound in some pre-historic cultures. Although our modern ears might struggle to understand how, exactly, sound was used and perceived in these ancient cultures, various approaches to do so range from "intuitive" research using voice and listening for resonances to the use of technical-acoustic methods of sine-wave sweeps. In light of CTM 2015's theme, Un Tune, it can be argued that the affective dimension of sound provides us with the biggest clues for understanding sound and the body, even historically.

What does it mean to listen to ancient spaces with modern ears? How does this allow us to reflect upon contemporary listening practices? Arguments by pioneering researcher Iegor Reznikoff expose forgotten practices of singing in just intonation, i.e. in a tuning system used prior to the modern equally-tempered scale, to resonate in medieval and Romanesque churches. Theses scales sound "out of tune" to our ears today, opening up questions about how listening to these scales untune our own familiar Western tonal system. Another key figure in archaeoacoustics, Paul Devereux, discovered a strange phenomenon: several sacred spaces across England and Ireland had resonance frequences around 111Hz. Does the contemporary popularity of 'bass music' and interest in low frequencies reflect the hunger for an affective state that had significance in older cultures too? Rupert Till's research on communal rituals and spiritualistic aspects of electronic dance music culture overlaps thematically with his extensive research on the acoustics of Stonehenge: was loud, rhythmic drum music used for communal rituals in the special architecture of Stonehenge comparable to the music played in today’s clubs?

More info: http://www.ctm-festival.de/festival-2015/transfer/archaeoacoustics/

Programm:

WEDNESDAY 28.1.2015
12h | Kunstquartier Studio1 On the Sound Dimension of Prehistoric Painted Caves and Rocks
Lecture by Iegor Reznikoff (FR)

13h | Kunstquartier Studio1 Adventures In Archaeoacoustics
Lecture by Paul Devereux (UK)

15h | Kunstquartier Studio1 Entrancement and Entrainment: Techno-shamans from Prehistory to Berghain
Lecture by Rupert Till (UK)

16h | Kunstquartier Studio1 Interdisciplinary Roundtable Discussion
with Maria Witek (DK/NO), Sam Auinger (AT), Paul Devereux (UK), Iegor Reznikoff (FR) and Rupert Till (UK). Moderation Annie Goh (DE/UK)
------------------
19h | Benefit Concert: Proceeds to Caritas International | Kunstquartier Studio1
Early Christian Chant and Cantata Grand Magnificat
Solo Benefit Concert by Iegor Reznikoff (FR) 

CTM 2015 Discourse Programme

CTM 2015 Un Tune Discourse Programm is now online! Co-curated with Jan Rohlf with many contributions from Peter Kirn.

More info here: http://www.ctm-festival.de/festival-2015/transfer/discourse/

Media Performance 4 / Gesture @ Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

4th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCEON PERFORMANCE, PERFORMATIVITY AND MEDIA
November 19th-20th 2014

Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic 

ANNIE GOH | The Dimension of Sound in Flusser’ - Implications for a sonic media archaeology

Although Vilém Flusser’s work is not often associated with music or sound, his writings on music and listening indicate a largely over-looked significance of these in his thought. Reading Flusser’s “crisis of linearity” thesis as a media-philosophical and epistemological model, his critique of Western culture can be expanded upon in the context of contemporary sound studies and its challenge to ocularcentrism. Using the example of archaeoacoustics, the gesture of listening can be re-examined for its implications towards a sonic media archaeology. 

Sound::Gender::Feminism::Activism at CRiSAP LCC 2014

I am delighted to be presenting a paper at Sound::Gender:: Feminism::Activism 2014 at CRiSAP at LCC in London.

The symposium question is:

What, in the historical present, might constitute an activist life in sound?

More info