“Soundscape mapping”
Was a project Ideveloped in Nodar during the “Fronte[i]ras07” symposium. It consisted of three parts:
-First part: exploration of the sound environment and sound intervention.
-Second: construction of instruments from site-specific materials
-Third part: performance and sound installation inagallery.
Part 1–Site intervention and field mixing-focuses on the exploration and interaction with the environment. Due to the topic of “Fronte[i]ras 07”, the notion of border in the project appears as a limitation featured by structures of stable order, in particular by sites representing apredictable and articulated behaviour.
The action of response performed by the observer, in its turn, represents a quest for a neworder implemented by the rearrangement of structures on a first level, of exploration (in the field) and the application of adaptive integration on a second level (during the performance).
The research of the sound environment in Nodar and its surroundings resulted in the choice of three specific sites–the new water tanks of the village (sketch A), a dense group of eucalyptus trees on a windy hillside (sketch B) and a shallow branch of the river (sketch C).The research tools were limited to eight piezo pickups and a mixer. The approach, on a first glance, seems rather delicate, as it implements not more than the attachment of piezo pickups without physical rearrangement of the existent environmental order. On the other hand, it turns out to be explicitly reductive and dramatic as it narrows all natural qualities of an environment into eight separate channels. This eight-channel mix forms a subgroup of selected elements obtaining a source of control and manipulation for the explorer. Despite its isolation, this subgroup still retains a link with the natural phenomena of the site, as the explorer works on site in real time and therefore is subjected to specific conditions such as naturally audible sound and other physical qualities that influence manipulations.
The “field mixing” enables a learning space by the selective decomposing of a soundscape into complemented sonic parts and then an inductive recomposition of it. Selected elements are narrated, forming a sort of a sonic map ofthe site that enables navigation towards an inward soundscape, according to the models proposed by the sound cartographer. Thus the field mix represents a cartographical approach to soundscape. The reconstructed soundscape appears as a map or an image of a personal experience captured from a close contact with them apped environment. Despite its subjectivity, field mix, as documentation, allows public access to hidden parts of soundscapes as a topographical map enables navigation in the expanse of aterrain.
SOUNDSCAPE MAPPING:
A-object B–piezo element C–mixer D–recorder.
TRACK 1. resonating water tanks–10:32 min
Two metal water tanks 2,5-3m high. Water pumped through tanks resonates in different component parts. Picked by 8 piezo elements.
TRACK 2. eucalyptus–4:43 min
Several trees are connected with piezo elements to the mixer, using cracks, loose bark and surface. The mix combines young trees as well as dried up and burned by the fire. Wind resonates in the bodies of the trees and evokes cracking that is rarely audible from the outside.
TRACK 3. water flow–15:13 min
An area of approximately one square metre on the edge of a shallow river, where water flows quietly in-between stones forming multiple streams. Eight piezo elements attached to flatstones, dry reed and a metal plate, all connected to a portable mixing console, picking resonations of the stream in different objects. The explorer selectively mixes the signals in real time building up a complex pattern that by other means remains beyond the selective reachv of our senses since generally audible soundscape of river delivers an inarticulate sum of disperse sounds.
Recorded and mixed in the field by Maksims Shentelevs during Fronte[I]ras 07 in Nodar, Portugal September 2007.
Part 2–The construction of instruments resulted in a work with two fire burned solid wooden beams about a meter long that were found in an abandoned cattle-shed on a hill side near Nodar. Four steel bass guitar strings and two steel acoustic guitar strings were attached to each beam. Beams were equipped with two piezo pickups each. The four-string beam had an extra bass guitar pickup. Strings were played with fingers, drumsticks, a bow and a motor with brushes. The rugged, unfinished surface of beams was used for scratching with fingersand brushes.
Part 3–The performance consisted of three separate sections–tanks (A), eucalyptus(B) and water (C). For each section, one unprocessed pre-recorded field mix was played and accompanied by live instrumentation.The field mix material formed the basic part of the performance representing a cultivated (“mapped”) soundscape while instrumentation appeared as a second level of exploration–a sort of post exploration of an absent site represented in its cartographical or sound-image appearance. The main action of the performer, along with the audience, was attentive listening, while instrumentation appeared as a delicate additional articulation.
Maksims Shentelevs (my-ym) was born in Riga, Latvia, and is an architect, phonographer and sound artist who defines soundscape as a dense self-referent field of activity shaped by over lapping motion of objects in space. Started field recording in 2002 focusing on sound gathering as non-intervention policy for observation of structural models in nature. Field studies become a basic material for following soundscape modeling in studio.
Predominantly interested in biotopes referring to habitats of insects and small creatures. Presently Maksims is involved in self-made acoustic and electroacoustic instruments and sound objects as tools for mutual discourse with nature.
Since 2003 Maksims has participated in several residencies and festivals in Latvia, Estonia,Finland, Portugal, etc., and in 2007 he organized in Riga the “Mijatmina” festival, dedicated to soundscapes and video textures.
ARTISTIC WORKS