The Summer Pedalling Games (2015)
Nine invited artists created new sound works for our sonic bikes and presented them at a sonic cycling weekend ~ The Summer Pedalling Games in London Fields from 11.00 -17.00h on Saturday, Sunday, 5th & 6th September.
These works were made after a #bicrophonic workshop with Kaffe Matthews using the brand new mapping system made by Francesca Sargent. Up to now, Kaffe is the only person to have made music for sonic bikes and so The Summer Pedalling Games is an exciting stride.
Artists: Artur M Vidal, David Henckel, Julian Weaver, Lisa Hall, Michael-Jon Mizra, Natasha Trotman, Paula Garcia Stone, Sherry Ostapovitch and Stephen Shiell with Melaina Barnes & Breathing Space.
Material explored included community, architecture, surprise, sound and motion, voice, the perspective of cyclist and site-specific narratives, making unique experiences for the rider and a collective orchestra for the passer by.
Produced by the BRI and all artists.
More about Summer Pedalling Games on BLOG. More in the Facebook EVENT.
More about each artist below ~
Artur Vidal, Sax changes
Sonic Bike: Pierre
In this piece I displace my research about the possibilities and conditions of improvisation from a musical practice as a saxophonist to a cyclist gig. The material that you can hear is mostly the result of interactions between Pierre (the sonic bike), London Fields park and myself. The piece eventually intends to pursue and expand these interactions by inviting new riders to create bizarre undulations, wandering paths and serpentine paces.
David Henckel, Wait and Return
Sonic Bike: Linus
As a former cycle messenger in London I’m fascinated by our understanding of the city – how we navigate its complex spaces and the role which sound plays in helping us locate ourselves within it. Wait and Return explores the unique sonic characteristics that make up the working day of a pushbike courier. Immersed within a multi-layered, complex and evolving sound world, the courier’s experience is an ordered chaos in which a perceived sense of freedom or improvisation is countered and underpinned by a fluctuating rhythm of instructions and locations relayed over radio from a central hub, forming the basis of their travels around the city.
Julian Weaver, On the Night Air
Sonic Bike: Ada
Tracing the route of the first aerial attack on London in May 1915, On the Night Air links the intimate spaces of the Zeppelin’s crew and London residents in receipt of the airship’s deadly cargo. Ride the first part of the airship’s route, encountering sounds, songs and stories taken from memoirs, witness statements and elsewhere. The route is approximately 6 miles and takes around 45 minutes.
Lisa Hall, Habitat
Sonic Bike: William
Habitat explores ideas of cities and environments, from the physical built environment around us, to our use of space, imaginary other places, exploration and possibilities. The sounds are mapped to the streets surrounding London Fields, beginning with a set route from the north or the park and culminating in a route-less area of streets for you to explore in any direction you choose.
Michael-Jon Mizra, Untitled
Sonic Bike: Nancy
Michael-Jon creates contemporary electronic music that veers towards experimentation. He enjoys working with generative computer systems, creating complex arrangements from simple beginnings, and creating new sounds with wave sample synthesis. His music attempts to explore human perception and relationship with sound through the limits of hearing and affects on the body.
Natasha Trotman, Meta-Stories
Sonic Bike: Ivan
Meta-Stories, is a score/audio based anthology comprising of smaller tracks mapped to streets and landmarks in and around the London Fields area. Meta-stories aims to explore past, present and future thoughts feelings and memories of selected spaces and their legacy by taking the rider on an audio journey down paths, streets, desire lines and through communal spaces with the hope of waking up the forgotten voices and memories within the space. Directions: please explore the park which is mapped along with the following streets/roads: Martello St, London Fields westside, Navarino Road, Eleanor Road.
Sherry Ostapovitch, Echoes of Hackney
Sonic Bike: Alexander
With the face of Hackney so remarkably different from what it once was only 10 years ago, Echoes of Hackney takes the rider on a journey through the experiences, memories, and personal stories of people with longstanding connections to the area. Layers of voices, abstract sounds and recordings from the neighbourhood interweave, immersing the rider in fragments from the past and hopes for the future. Directions: Cycle anywhere in London Fields and the surrounding streets. You will hear a station off-the-air sound when you come to the end of the sonic map. Please turn around and explore other areas.
Paula Garcia Stone, Velocipede sketches
Sonic Bike: Erna
Initially from a Fine Art background, I started to work with sound in 2003. Using my field recordings and manipulated or synthesized sound, I compose soundscapes that aim to recreate a sense of the physicality of being in a particular space. They are a natural progression from my other work, which has always focused on the human body, where it is present in its absence. For this project, My mapped sounds are ghostly, rhythms and abstractions from a past presence blending with the ambience and activity of designated areas within the main park at London Fields.
www.paulagarciastone.com | www.axisweb.org/p/paulagarciastone
Stephen Shiell, Melaina Barnes and Breathing Space, Choral Ride
Sonic Bike: Marjorie
A multi-layered composition fusing voice, observational poetry, and sounds gathered and generated from a bike. All paths within the park are mapped, turn around when you hear a bell.
Selected images by Kristian Buus, Kaffe Matthews, Lisa Hall, and Julian Weaver
