_

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.

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.

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

Exhibitions

Popshop
Remixing Icons of Mass Culture
MU Gallery Eindhoven NL

28 March - 04 May 2008

Group show of work that looks at the icons of mass culture in popular music, debuting Soul in Reverse, a new video work by Scanner that explores the image of Michael Jackson in contemporary culture, reversing his public image so that he begins as a white soul singer and ends up as a black artist. Other artists include Kathy Temin, Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard, Cory Arcangel, Ho Tzu Nyen.

www.mu.nl


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. If you would like to be kept informed as each episode is posted, join artangel's mailing list by clicking here .

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