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SHIFTING FOCUS


4.1-Channel Soundpiece
12`00``
/ 2021







The piece was contributed to the exhibition «Talk with Urban Landscape» curated by Lea Jullien .

On a 4.1-Channel Loudspeaker System the piece was shown alternately besides works of other artists such as Magda Drozd, Modulaw, Mélia Roger, Andri Schatz, Nadine Schütz. 

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«Shifting Focus» is developed through the practice of field recording. It encourages listeners to become aware of their environement, to be present and to be open, without expectation.

The piece begins with a humming, noisy sound environment with no hints to a specific place into meandering sinus waves that open up a more tonal space. Additional high frequencies lead into field recordings of trains and cars and ending with a birdscape of Wauwilermoos.

The following field note was written after the making of the birdscapes recordings which appear at the end of this piece. It gives an impression of the process of making these field recordings.


June 17, 2021 – Birdscape recordings in the nature reserve in Wauwilermoos, Lucerne, Switzerland:

«Car noises in the background. Birds singing vividly. I hear myself.
Two omnidirectional microphones attached to my bag, a shotgun microphone in my hand.
I try to follow the birds with my mic and at the same time I try not to move too much to avoid handling noise. Any sound of my movements become foregrounded on the recording because I am close to the mic.

I attempt to get into a calm and quiet state, where I am aware of every sound in the environement. I follow these with my hand and ears. I am also aware of the movements of my own body, these are always present. I imagine my body in a constant flow with the shifts of the environement. It`s a fluid state that is somewhere inbetween the wind, the birds, the street, my breath and my pulse.

Each breath is a sound event. I try to resist the temptation to attend to one thing.
To avoid getting stuck on my own breathing or the birds or any other single sound. To be present I keep my ears as open as possible. Every sound occuring is important. If my attention flows fast enough sometimes I even have the feeling everything becomes one.

Making field recordings is a full bodily experience. Sometimes I stand in the field with closed eyes and in every moment I move gently but silently. I never stop moving. Small movements, that you may not even see.»

/ field note



You can listen to the piece on the

TALK WITH URBAN LANDSCAPE
WEBSITE
https://www.twul.ch/
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