Philippe Starck and Soundwalk’s co-founder Alex Kummerman spoke with France Culture’s “Le Rendez-Vous” last night. “Le Rendez-Vous,” broadcast by France Culture, is a French public radio show which broadcasts every weeknight. It takes the form of interviews relating to topics of news, politics, and culture. Starck and Kummerman were invited to introduce their concepts on sound and the upcoming LE SON DU NOUS show,  produced by Dalbin, at MAC Créteil’s International Exit Festival, March 19 & 20.

8 CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO PHILIPPE STARCK’S INTERVIEW WITH FRANCE CULTURE (in French only)

Known primarily as a designer, Starck is quick to declare his passion for sound and music. When asked about LE SON DU NOUS, Starck declares what he finds most interesting about the show is that he does not yet know the sound of us. It will be created at the performance. Starck finds this both humorous and fascinating: his aim with LE SON DU NOUS is to “open a door,” and encourage each person to find his own unique sound.

He makes a comparison to Franco-Swiss filmmaker Godard’s Alphaville: in which the main character, played by Eddie Constantine, opens door after door in a corridor that serves as a metaphor for the human mind. Starck’s aim is to “open up” our minds, giving us a view of what is inside.

Sound is a concept that is very dear to Starck. He sees sound as something that is not only heard, but more importantly, recieved. Starck describes sound as a space, something verging on the physical. He names 24 Hours: The Starck Mix, a “bespoke” mix of ambient sound and music created by Soundwalk for the designer, as the most incredible gift he has ever received. In passionate words, Starck describes the mix as “like a drug,” creating an imaginary space which was all at once “extraordinary, rich, eclectic, and moving.”

Soundwalk’s Alex Kummerman speaks about how our capacity to transmit sound has grown in recent years. He cites the advances in digital music and the availability of high quality-sound on personal music devices. He claims that the ipod can rival any large radio antenna, and has changed the way in which we consume sound.

It is the relationship between Starck and Soundwalk where the soundscape is created: it is an encounter between a designer (whose work resides in the production of material objects) and a sound art collective (whose work resides in the manipulation of the immateriality of sound). The two combine to create a space that is both physical and imaginary.

We are given a sample of this concept with a Live Session by Marc Huri, a Soundwalk collaborator who will be on stage for the realisation of LE SON DU NOUS.

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8 LISTEN TO ERIC DALBIN’S INTERVIEW WITH RADIO ALIGRE on dalbin.com (in French only)

Eric Dalbin was invited by Véronique Godé, aka Orevo, for an interview on the radio show “Vive le cinéma” on Aligre FM to discuss Label Dalbin’s current projects, among them his work with Soundwalk and Philippe Starck for LE SON DU NOUS.

Dalbin initiated, directed and produced LE SON DU NOUS. An independent contemporary creation label founded in 2003 in Paris, Dalbin produces and publishes works of art, events and audiovisual content. They co-produced “Kill the Ego” from Soundwalk to Rostarr, which will be featured in the art collection iPhone app and website Collector Serie on March 21.

In this interview, Eric Dalbin speaks of  the idea of contemporary creation at the heart of his label, which seeks to support and be involved in artworks that cross the boundary between sound and image.

He talks about the artwork and artists that Label Dalbin has been working with in this vein: how he introduced Rostarr to Soundwalk’s Stephan Crasneanscki and Dug Winningham to make “Kill the Ego”, on the appearances of Xavier Veilhan and Sebastien Tellier on the film “Furtivo”…

Eric says of Collector Serie that its theory lies in an aspiration to build a collection of video artworks where sound and image can melt together and form a new media or ‘matière’. He is enthusiastic about the dematerialization of art distribution facilitated by new technologies. Collector Serie artworks will be available online (through the website Collectorserie.com) and on the iPhone/iPad.

Eric Dalbin gives a few sneak peaks into LE SON DU NOUS. Label Dalbin initiated the idea for this performance, an encounter between the designer Philippe Starck and the art collective Soundwalk centered around the quest for the essence of the human sound. LE SON DU NOUS will build a sound narration between Starck and Soundwalk, in which Starck will talk about his passion for sound, while Soundwalk will explore the history of sound, from pre-human sounds to sounds produced by human systems and constructions. This sound dialogue will be enhanced by intrumentalists, sound technicians (‘bruiteurs’), and the audience.

© DR, Photo credits to www.dalbin.com

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We are reposting Philippe Starck’s interview with BLAST Magazine (June 09) as an introduction to LE SON DU NOUS at MAC Créteil. This performance show with Philippe Starck and Soundwalk, initiated by Dalbin, is an inquiry into the sound that we lack and must look for.

In his interview with Blast, Starck discusses the value of sound and his passion for it. He declares that sound is more important than music, and that we have a physiological need for sound. Sound is the closest thing to our souls. Each person has a sound: we must look for the sounds closest to us. Starck speaks about how he associates sound with different parts of himself, and how these associations evolve throughout the day. This idea is the inspiration for 24 hours: The Starck Mix, a “bespoke” mix of ambient sound and music composed by Soundwalk.

Philippe Starck applies this concept of sound in his upcoming collaboration with Soundwalk: it is an exploration of sound which is intimate and personal, while at the same time collective and universal. Each of our personal sounds, when heard together, form LE SON DU NOUS: the sound of us.

This is an excerpt of a phone interview with Philippe Starck for BLAST Magazine about his passion for music and sound. We used Erik Satie’s Gnossienne (No. 4) in the background, it was one of the 10 pieces listed on his BLAST playlist.

How about you? What sound do you think expresses who you are? Answer here and win tickets to “Le Son du Nous” show on March 19 & 20 at MAC Créteil.

Image and audio courtesy of Stephan Crasneanscki and BLAST Magazine

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The French webchannel Lachainetel.tv has just interviewed Soundwalk founder Stephan Crasneanscki about Soundwalk’s beginnings, Le Son du Nous, the Exit Festival at MAC Créteil, the Ulysses Syndrome, and what Crasneanscki considers to be his own individual sound.

For English readers: a brief summary of the interview -

On SOUNDWALK: ["I began by making synchronized audio tours of my favorite places in New York City using my own voice, for my friends...the tours then evolved into a way to enter into the life of another person for an hour and see the city through their eyes, while following the narrative of their story."]

On LE SON DU NOUS: ["The idea is to create these three movements of sound - natural and organic sounds existing before humanity, internal sounds of the human body, then sounds created by humans' influence on their environment, both small & large: a spoon against a glass, the sound of a building being constructed or crumbling to the ground...to lead us together to find the true Sound of Us."]

On MAC Créteil’s EXIT FESTIVAL: ["An interesting and exciting platform for experimental projects in art and design, where creatives like Starck and Soundwalk can meet and collaborate...."]

ULYSSES SYNDROME: ["The project entails capturing Hertzian frequencies on the Mediterranean Sea, like  fishermen have snared fish throughout history, and melding the sounds into a 24-hour audio collage, resonant of the 24 songs of Homer."]

On his INDIVIDUAL SOUND: ["Since I work with sound as a material every day, in the end I prefer silence, but among sounds my favorites are natural: the sounds of the body, of breath, and of nature - of wind, of falling rain...."]

Click here to tell us about your individual sound and WIN TICKETS to LE SON DU NOUS with Philippe Starck at MAC Créteil! Also watch for more interviews, sound clips, and exclusive sneak-peaks at the show during the next week!

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We are giving away ten tickets to our performance show “LE SON DU NOUS” with Philippe Starck, at MAC Créteil on March 19 & 20. The contest will run from March 5-12.

To win a ticket, become a fan on Facebook (click here) or follow us on Twitter (click here).

If you already do these things, answer the following question as a comment here, on our Facebook page, or on Twitter:

Q: Philippe Starck describes his individual sound as that of an Indian flute with three holes, producing a melody of almost trance-inducing intensity, while Stephan Crasneanscki says that he feels most at home with the sounds of the human body, of nature, or more than any other sound, the sound of silence. What sound do you think expresses who you are?

We will be giving away 5 tickets each for the nights of March 19th and 20th. On March 15 we will select ten winners at random!

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Gagnez 10 tickets pour notre performance “Le Son du Nous” avec Philippe Starck à la Mac Créteil les 19 et 20 mars. Le concours dure jusqu’au 12 mars.

Pour gagner une place, devenez fan de Soundwalk sur Facebook (cliquer ici), ou suivez votre actualité sur Twitter (cliquer là).

Si c’est déjà le cas, vous pouvez tenter votre chance en répondant à la question suivante dans les commentaires de ce blog post, sur Facebook ou sur Twitter.

Q: Pour Philippe Starck, nous avons chacun un son individuel, qui nous définit et qu’il s’agit de retrouver. Le son de Philippe Starck, c’est celui d’une flûte indienne à trois trous, qui produit une mélodie le transportant dans un état proche de la transe, tandis que Stephan Crasneanscki, fondateur de Soundwalk, préfère le silence. Et vous, c’est quoi votre son ?

Nous offrons 5 tickets par représentation. Le 15 mars, 10 gagnants seront tirés au sort !

Picture of Philippe Starck shot by Soundwalk founder Stephan Crasneanscki

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Soundwalk is so pleased to announce its collaboration with Philippe Starck for the performance show “LE SON DU NOUS” at MAC Créteil’s 2010 International Exit Festival on Friday the 19th and Saturday the 20th of March.

Dalbin initiates, directs and produces “Le Son du Nous”. An independent contemporary creation label founded in 2003 in Paris, Dalbin produces and publishes works of art, events and audiovisual content. They co-produced “Kill the Ego” from Soundwalk to Rostarr, which will be featured in the art collection iPhone app and website Collector Serie on March 21.

Philippe Starck and Soundwalk invite you to a collective adventure in the form of a search for the sounds that we lack. Are they voices, notes, noises? Through a performance in three parts, we will explore sound as a symbol of life; of the cycle of creation and destruction.

This resonant exploration is based on a playful dialogue between Philippe Starck, Soundwalk, and the public.  Through altered reality, the manipulation of sound, and musical interpretations, this performance show, conceived for the Exit Festival, will guide the audience together to the discovery of a unique sound: the sound of Us.

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“A soundscape consists of events heard not objects seen.” – R. Murray Schafer

Soundwalk Editions features artists and composers who use environmental field recordings as a point of departure in their work.  By recording sounds outside of the conventional studio you are in the act field recording, audibly engaged with ears that gradually refine a sonic experience, like the eye looking through a camera lens.  Field recording  is often synonymous with phonography, in which sound takes the place of image in documenting a location, physical act, or a natural occurrence.  Drawing attention to the quality and experiential nature that can exist in the soundscapes of our environment, these works allow the viewer to have an intimate experience with the various compositional approaches practiced by each individual artist.  Through listening to these recordings we have the opportunity to become aware of the various dialects that can exist in the language of field recording compositions.

more information

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photo by: Rutger Zuydervelt

THE SOUND

Composed for the International Film Festival Rotterdam, this piece is created using recordings made at the famous Rotterdam Erasmus Bridge.  It’s a sonic portrait and one of two sound-works that attempts to capture the bridge as a living creature while revealing the aural dynamics of everything that happens on and under it.  The first section of the piece focuses on the bridge itself and the second part is mostly constructed using recordings of the Nieuwe Maas river that runs beneath the bridge.

Both pieces were played in a darkened theater.

THE ARTIST

Born on 28 July 1978 in Apeldoorn (The Netherlands), now living in Rotterdam, Rutger Zuydervelt started working as Machinefabriek in 2004.  Machinefabriek’s music combines elements of ambient, modern classical, drone, noise and field recordings, to create ‘films without image’. He released on labels like Type, 12K, Dekorder, Digitalis and Staalplaat. Gigs were played in countries all over the globe, including Russia, Israel, Canada, Switserland, Spain, Chech Republic, Germany, England, and -obviously- The Netherlands.  Rutger collaborated (on record, or live) with artists like Ralph Steinbrüchel, Aaron Martin, Peter Broderick, Frans de Waard, Wouter van Veldhoven, Simon Nabatov, Xela, Simon Scott, Gareth Hardwick, Stephen Vitiello and Tim Catlin amongst others.

links: www.machinefabriek.nu

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photo by: Aaron Ximm

THE SOUND

If in the city of Kashi all things are sanctified; to drown in the city of light one is to walk home upon the water. Take care what you drink, we heard, for the chai is made of river water, and the river is veiled in light but full of death. Take care for the lassi is full of bhang, and the bhang is full of light and darkness in unknown measure. Drop off the ghats and into the river if you dare. The afternoon is gone and the ears are full of night.

On our honeymoon my wife and I spent several weeks in Varanasi, India.  As a city sacred to Shiva one may, even as a western tourist, partake, with discretion, of bhang in many preparations, including the moderately infamous bhang lassi. Opium from the government bhang shop amplified a gold and pastel afternoon; but denser in the memory is the city I entered through the trapdoor of bhang: the plunge into deep water where the sacred city of ritual and the filthy city of junkies became indistinguishable.

Lassitude was constructed with field recordings made during those few weeks, including a long nightwalk home along the ghats, during which we witnessed the idle torment of a scavenging dog; the snuffling of a sacred cow in a private courtyard; the chant of “Ram’s name is truth” as a passing body is taken down to the river to be cremated; and devotional music echoing in the atrium of New Vishwanatha chapel at Banares Hindu University.

Best heard with headphones.

THE ARTIST

Aaron Ximm is a San Francisco-based field recordist and sound artist.  He is best known for his composition, installation, and performance work as Quiet American. From 2001 to 2005, Aaron curated and hosted the Field Effects concert series, which, like his own work, sought to showcase the quiet, fragile, and lovely side of sound art, particularly that working with found sound and field recordings. Recently he has become increasingly interested in taking as his subject the problems and limitations of documentation itself.

links: http://quietamerican.org |  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Quiet-American/134809495529

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