Ear to the Earth 2011
New York Soundscape
A sonic portrait of New York City with events in the five boroughs
October 16 — 23, 2011
New York Soundscape, the theme of the Ear to the Earth Festival 2011, is a panoramic portrayal of New York City's personality and urban ecology in sound, including documentary field recordings and sound art compositions (as well as images and multimedia) created by sound artists, students, and New Yorkers from all walks of life. It is an ongoing project, begun in the context of the Ear to the Earth Festival in 2008, aimed at creating a collection of works that in their ensemble portray the audio personality and urban ecology of New York City at this time in history.
Taking a step towards local community involvement in the recording process, in this year's festival we went into community centers and performance spaces in the five boroughs. The basic sounds and compositions that grew out of this festival are available through E2E Exchange and the E2E Download Club ... more
Brooklyn
Sunday, October 16, 8pm, at Issue Project Room, Old American Can Factory
For its first Ear to the Earth appearance, SHARE — the open forum renowned for fostering spontaneous collaborations between artists using a variety of art forms — presented a jam session exploring sounds and images recorded within the borough of Brooklyn.
Go to E2eE Exchange for the sounds recorded in Brooklyn.
Bronx
Wednesday, October 19, 8pm at The Point
Performing artist/composer Milica Paranosic used sounds gathered from Hunts Point in the Bronx for the premiere of A Bronx Tale, a work for recorded sounds, live vocals and electronics.
Milica Paranosic, Introduction
Milica Paranosic, A Bronx Tale (excerpt) ... more about this
Staten Island
Friday, October 21, 8pm, at Snug Harbor Cultural Center
Joseph Kubera, longtime performer of John Cage's music, and Joel Chadabe, longtime collaborator with John Cage, recorded Staten Island sounds to compose 100 x John 1, based on Cage’s compositional processes. Kubera's performance in this concert was a salute to John Cage in the 100th anniversary year of his birth.
Joel Chadabe (mix), Joseph Kubera and Joel Chadabe (sounds), 100 x John 1: Scenes from Staten Island ... more about this
Joel Chadabe and Joseph Kubera, To Manhattan (excerpt), a continuous recording of the Staten Island ferry to Manhattan, this excerpt is of gates closing and the boat getting underway ... more about this
Queens
Saturday, October 22, noon, at Socrates Sculpture Park
Izzi Ramkissoon performed with the teenage group Urban Art Beat for a presentation of their own mixes and beats based on sounds recorded in Queens.
Go to E2eE Exchange for the sounds recorded in Queens.
Manhattan
Sunday, October 23, 2—5pm, at Greenwich House Music School
Sunday, October 23, 4pm, with Green City Challenge at Union Square
Richard Lainhart, in homage to John Cage, performed 100 x John 2: Manhattan Sounds, transforming the ambient noise of Manhattan's streets and alleys into a magically lyrical sound. Joseph Kubera performed 100 x John 1: Scenes from Staten Island. Anne Guthrie presented Under the 7th line, Queens and Alban Bassuet's Near the S train, Brooklyn. Milica Paranosic performed A Bronx Tale. Simultaneously, at Union Square, Suzanne Thorpe presented Ear to the Earth to the public for Green City Challenge.
Richard Lainhart, 100 x John 2: Manhattan Sounds ... more on this
Anne Guthrie · Under the 7th line, Queens
Alban Bassuet · Near the S train, Brooklyn
This event was made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. This program was supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Additional support for this program was provided by Meet The Composer's Cary New Music Performance Fund, Amphion Foundation, New Spectrum Foundation, and several individuals.
