sonic antarctic
liquid architecture 13: antarctic convergence
Chris Watson recording an orca in the Ross Sea
photo courtesy Chris Watson
Chris Watson recording an orca in the Ross Sea
FOR ITS 13TH MANIFESTATION THE ANNUAL SOUND AND MUSIC FESTIVAL LIQUID ARCHITECTURE REVEALS A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT APPROACH TO PROGRAMMING. ARTISTIC DIRECTOR NAT BATES HAS TAKEN A BACK SEAT WHILE GUEST CURATORS PHILIP SAMARTZIS AND LAWRENCE ENGLISH HAVE CRAFTED A PROGRAM OF CONCERTS, EXHIBITIONS AND TALKS FOCUSSING ON THE ANTARCTIC.
Over the last decade a range of opportunities has opened for artists to visit the great polar regions, north and south, exploring these unique, treacherous and increasingly endangered environments. (See Matthew Lorenzon’s coverage of Alice Gile’s project for harp, voice and electronics, Alice in the Antarctic, RT104; and Urszula Dawkins on her experiences as part of The Arctic Circle international arts/science collaborative residency Svalbard, Norway, RT100). In the spirit of these initiatives Liquid Architecture’s Antarctic Convergence brings together a selection of sound, video and installation works drawing inspiration from the region.
Both Melbourne and Brisbane legs of the festival will include an exhibition component with core artists including international guests Chris Watson (UK), Werner Dafeldecker (Austria) and Andrea Juan (Argentina) along with locals—audiovisual artist Scott Morrison, installation artist David Burrows and the curators. In Melbourne, New Zealand musician Phil Dadson will also perform in the gallery.
Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth are treated to two multi-speaker concerts. In concert One, Robin Fox will present his most recent work, Zero Crossing, developed during a residency at Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart utilising the data from wave-rider buoys in the Southern Ocean to create an immersive audio-visual experience. US Sound designer and naturalist Douglas Quinn makes up the other half of the bill with accompanying video by French artist Anne Colomes. Concert Two offers Philip Samartzis and the Monolith Project which brings together Lawrence English and Werner Dafeldecker with visuals by Scott Morrison.
The Monolith project will also feature as part of the National Film and Sound Archives’ The Longest Night (June 22) which celebrates the centenary of Douglas Mawson’s Antarctic expedition. On the same night, Arc Cinema will feature The Thing From Another World (1951) and other films from the archive based around the polar topic. Extreme Film and Sound: Stories from Antarctica will be on display in NFSA Foyer gallery until August. RT
Liquid Architecture 13, Antarctic Convergence, Perth (June 25), Bendigo (June 27), Melbourne (June 28-July 14), Sydney (July 3), Brisbane (July 4-22); http://www.liquidarchitecture.org.au/; National Film and Sound Archive, The Longest Night, Arc Cinema Canberra, June 22; Extreme Film and Sound: Stories from Antarctica, NFSA Foyer Gallery, Canberra; until August; http://www.nfsa.gov.au/calendar/event/3522-longest-night-nfsa/
RealTime issue #109 June-July 2012 pg. 34
