February 2008
Hello
Viruses spiral out of control at this time of year in Europe and I’ve been the surprise recipient of both a three-week flu and at present this all devouring Norovirus or Norowalk virus, a disagreeably unwelcome seasonal gift to me. A virus seems also to have devoured this mailing recently so my apologies for the late delivery, it's been ready for action for some weeks now but the technology wouldn't let it leave!
Despite this and perhaps a result of this I’ve been back into my familiar routine of travel jumping between countries like stepping stones in a busy river. The last seven days have taken me via Eindhoven, through Brussels, Antwerp, Milano and Torino, offering chances to explore culture and keep the economies alive in each city! With a cancelled flight back from Italy it was with some astonishment that I found myself re-booked into a colossal plane with only four passengers spread evenly throughout. Apart from the appalling carbon footprint exhibited by such an arrangement, I can’t deny the pleasure of having a quarter of a jet all to myself, and three flight attendants on board to tend to just four traveling souls.
Rehearsals began this month with Githead in preparation for the Git-Mobile to travel across Europe and play our pop songs to a friendly crowd. Tuning up our guitars and primping up our hair (or what remains of it) we will be visiting Amsterdam, Koln, Diksmuide, Aalst, Paris,Berlin and Freiburg in just over a week so hope that some of you may have the chance to hear us rock and roll.
I’ve been busy in the studio this month too. I just finished a remix for a forthcoming collection of mixes of Strings of Consciousness, an instrumental electrical/acoustic ensemble that features the vocal talents of Barry Adamson and Jim Thirlwell too. In additional I composed a new work for a homage to homage to Italian composer name Giacinto Scelsi, using percussion and voice, which is set for release later this year. Other artists will include Alvin Curran, David Toop with Yurihito Watanabe, Sebastien Roux, Rafael Toral, Skoltz/Kolgen, amongst others.
February begins with a rare performance of my Play Along string quartet with cellist Jean-Paul Dessy in Torino Italy, and after our Githead tour I’m off directly to Stockholm Sweden to present the debut of Night Haunts overseas. Under the cover of almost complete darkness, writer Sukhdev Sandhu and I will present our lyrical ode to the graveyard shift workers of the city, cleaners, encounters, adventures, discoveries and tales of the night, capturing the nocturnal geography of the city.
It follows our exploration of lost London nights through a series of journeys over the course of one year in our project Night Haunts, in association with Artangel. Here we will present a collage of new work inspired by the sounds and sights of Stockholm as well as prime memories of London, using spoken word and atmospheric sound design.
I will also be presenting my work as part of The Sound of the City – Interdisciplinary Perspectives at Cambridge University this month. Taking as its theme the intersection of sound and the city, this seminar seeks to present theoretical, artistic and empirical accounts of the complex relationships between acoustics, sensory awareness and performance in the context of urban space, landscape and the built environment (historic and contemporary). I’ll be speaking about my projects, ideas and uses of the city as inspiration.
And on that compelling subject I bid thee farewell for another month. Have a lovely Valentine's romantic day :-)
Best wishes
Robin
::: listen :::
Krill.Minima: Nautica (Native State)
Carl Stone: Al-Noor (In Tone)
Teiji Ito: Music for Maya (Tzadik)
Sébastien Tellier / Sexuality (Lucky Numbers)
::: read :::
Marc Masters: No Wave (Black Dog)
Adrian Tomine: Shortcmings (Faber & Faber)
Edgar Varese: Composer Visionary (Boydell)
Peter Saville: Estate 1-127 (Ringier)
::: film:::
4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Christian Mungiu, Romania
I’m Not There, Todd Haynes, USA
In the Valley of Elah, Paul Haggis, USA
Paranoid Park, Gus Van Sant, France/USA
::: diary dates :::
2008
01 Feb-Play Along with Jean-Paul Dessy Turin IT
02 Feb-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith D'Orleans FR
02 Feb-Faultline The Empire British Dance Edition UK
03 Feb-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith Limoges FR
05 Feb-Dancers' Cut Artrix Bromsgrove UK
05 Feb-Githead Paradiso
Amsterdam NL
06 Feb-Githead Blue Shell Cologne DE
06 Feb-Kirikou & Karaba Le Musikhall Rennes FR
07 Feb-Githead 4AD
Diksmuide BE
08 Feb-Githead Netwerk
Aalst BE
08 Feb-Dancers' Cut Town Hall Swindon UK
09 Feb-Githead Mains d'Oeuvre
Paris FR
09-10 Feb-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith Nantes Metropole St Herblain FR
11 Feb-Githead Café Zapata Berlin D
12 Feb-Githead Atlantik Freiburg D
12 Feb-Mariam dance Theatre Astree de Villeurbanne FR
13 Feb-Dancers' Cut Guildhall Arts Centre Grantham UK
16 Feb-Night Haunts, Stockholm SE
21 Feb-Faultline
dance Contact Theatre Manchester UK
22 Feb-Presentation at Sound of the City Cambridge Uni UK
27 Feb-Kirikou & Karaba Vinci Tours FR
01 March-Kirikou & Karaba Ampithea 4000 Angers FR
02 March-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith Rouen FR
05 March-Kirikou & Karaba Docks Oceane Le Havre FR
07 March-Dancers Cut Guildhall Arts Centre UK
09 March-Kirikou & Karaba Le Zenith Caen FR
12 March-Stockhausen show Luminaire London
UK
13 March-Dancers' Cut Leap Festival Liverpool UK
13 March-Lecture Academy of Architecture
Amsterdam NL
16 March-Kirikou & Karaba Antares Le Mans FR
20 March-Faultline dance Peepel Centre Leicester UK
22 March-Kirikou & Karaba Galaxie Amneville FR
26 March-Kirikou & Karaba Le Zenith Nancy
FR
27 March-Dancers' Cut Deda Derby UK
29-30 March-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith Arean Lille FR
03 April-Barbican talk Instructions for Modern Living London UK
04 April-President of Honneur Qwatz Music Awards Paris FR
10 April-Faultline dance Junction Cambridge UK
19 April-Kirikou & Karaba Arena de Geneve
CH
23 April-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith de Strasbourg FR
24 April-Dancers' Cut Bridgwater Arts Centre Devon UK
30 April-Kirikou & Karaba Palais Nikaia Nice FR
14 May-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith de Dijon FR
17 May-Kirikou & Karaba Summum Grenoble FR
24 May-Kirikou & Karaba Le Dome Marseille FR
28 May-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith Sud Montpelier FR
01 June-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith D’Auvergne Toulouse FR
04 June-Kirikou & Karaba Le Zenith Toulouse FR
07 June-Kirikou & Karaba Patinoire Meriadeck Bordeaux FR
11 June-Kirikou & Karaba Le Zenith Pau FR
02 Aug-BBC Proms talk on Stockhausen London UK
2009
07 March-Royce Hall UCLA with Manuel Gottsching LA USA
Exhibitions
Night Haunts
By Sukhdev Sandhu
Design Mind Unit
Sound
Design Scanner
Artangel Interaction invited writer and historian Sukhdev Sandhu to write a nocturnal journal unfolding over the course of 2006. His postings will appear sequentially at this microsite specially designed by Mind Unit. Sandhu's forays see him prospecting in the London night
with the people who drive its pulse, from the avian police to security guards, zookeepers and exorcists. Acclaimed artist and musician Scanner has collaborated with Sukhdev and Ian Budden of Mind Unit to compose the sound for the site.
An exposition about the reactivation of the paranormal in contemporary art, especially the recurring interest of artists in forms of possible communication with "other worlds" via electronic media. Scanner presents
'Breakthrough,' a work that uses recordings from highly amplified recordings of empty haunted spaces, to demonstrate the redundant and undesired flotsam and jetsam of environmental acoustic space, and the 'ghosts' of our natural world.
www.nighthaunts.org.uk
www.artangel.org.uk
Bittersweet Songs for the Sleepless City
Artangel Interaction
NightJam is the latest project in Artangel Interaction’s Nights of London series of artist-led collaborations with people who have a special view on a hidden side of the nocturnal city. Scanner invited young people at New Horizon Youth Centre
in King’s Cross to collaborate on a creative project that expresses how the city at night looks and sounds to their ears and eyes. Through music and voice workshops they explored the sense of freedom and fear, celebration and solitude of the concealing darkness. Meanwhile, they captured their nights on disposable cameras, taking images that are at times eerie, startling, contemplative and funny. NightJam presents two elusive visual and musical journeys through
the city’s ‘quiet’ hours.
NightJam presents two music tracks, a film, photographs, that can be experienced and freely downloaded. A limited edition CD is also being distributed for free through the website. Now featuring remixes of NightJam by Stephen Vitiello, Hakan Lidbo, Troy Banarzi, Si-cut.db and Pete Lockett.
www.nightjam.org.uk