A Walk-in-Progress (2020) – stereo
In October 2019, WalkingLab and the ReImagining Value Action Lab gathered together a temporary community of activists, artists, scholars, and participants in Toronto’s financial district. Through a series of presentations at various locations, the aim was to share knowledge, ideas, and forms of resistance to Canada’s role in global mining and extractivism as well as the consequences of financialization and finance capitalism.
A Walk-in-Progress is a sonic response to this event in collaboration with Anita Castelino. This creative composition is made from recordings of the speakers, artistic interventions, and the sounds of Toronto’s financial district recorded during the walk. These recordings were threaded together, along with strands of modular synthesis. We hope the piece reflects on the injustices as well as the many stories of resistance shared by the incredible speakers.
In a Queer Time and Space (2018) – ambisonic sound composition in three sections – excerpts for stereo and binaural (headphone) listening
Conversations with members of London’s queer community (featuring Anita Castelino, Nazmia Jamal, Sita Balani, Sib Trigg, Caoimhe Mader McGuiness, Jay Bernard, Victor Grayson, Morag Forbes, Nicole Emmenegger, Red Chidgey, and Colette Rosa) were played and re-recorded into the cavernous buildings of a still operational cement factory-cum-art center in East Germany, taking on the resonant and reverberant layers of the industrial architecture. This occurred during the Murmurs sound arts residency for women and LGBTQI people during which these and many other recordings were made using surround and extended techniques, recording the walls and surfaces of the cement factory, art centre, as well as the queer collective living and creative activities being produced.
In a Queer Time and Space is the collective sonic embodiment of communities; individuals; and the work’s composer, rejecting the hierarchies of objective observer and distanced subject. The audience participates in this queer space by entering the sites of recording through the work’s playback in ambisonic technology, offering a 360° 3D sound experience.
I would like to thank the people above for their friendship, love and affinity over the years; as well as Coral Short and Murmurs organizers: Alex Tsoli, Jean P’ark, and Winnie Superhova for their support and organizing the residency that inspired the project; Yoav Admoni for Betonest and allowing me free reign of the space; John Drever and the EMS of Goldsmiths, University of London for the equipment loan; Jez Riley French for recording advice; Miriam Schickler for affinity and recording assistance; Nick Schefter for studio equipment assistance, and special thanks to everyone who created such a special space at Murmurs: Gaby, Luiza, Sophie, Maya, Lulu, Lori, Pêdra, Zinzi, Lisa, Johnny, Miriam, Vincent, Merve, Lyd, Mika, G, Henry, Neo, Ze, Aisha, Alex Alvina, Hannah, Antigoni, Lydia, and Ryan.
And They’d Pass Through London Fields (2015) 3 short excerpts of a large scale moving composition for the London Fields area.
Composed for Kaffe Matthews’ Sonic Bicycles. Bikes equipped with speakers, a raspberry Pi, and GPS system take the rider on a psychogeographical journey through the London neighbourhood of Hackney. Acoustic instruments gently processed, field recordings, and the experiences, memories, and personal stories of residents interweave, enveloping the rider in memories from the past and at times, bleak hopes for the future.
Elephant Endangered (2014) Two short stereo excerpts of a 19 minute 8-channel work.
je suis le ROI du monde (2014)
Is an interactive dance and sound piece created in collaboration with choreographer, Marlieke Burghouts. Contact microphones are used to amplify sounds from the dancers which are then processed and granulated in real time.
This Is Not Southwark (2013) stereo rendering of a 5.1 surround work
This Is Not Southwark is a soundscape that captures the diverse sounds of the borough. Multiple environments, cultures and activities are interwoven into an immersive sonic map that the listener experiences in a 5.1 multi-channel diffusion.
Arrive (2013)
Arrive is a film by Ed Holdsworth that I created a new soundtrack for. These sounds originally lived life as guitar and percussion instruments that I heavily processed in to new sound worlds.
Understanding (2013)
Understanding is a piece of music comprised of guitar, clarinet, percussion, super 8 camera, piano, and rotary telephone spliced together using no effects or plugins except a timestretch that emulates a tape machine. The idea was to be limited to similar techniques used by 50’s and 60’s tape musicians and musique concrete.
Music for One with Mari King and Neng Yu Live at Sound of Mu, Oslo, Norway (2006)
In May and June 2006 I embarked on a collaborative sound and visual performance project with filmmaker Mari King and animator Neng Yu across northern Europe including several dates at the Whitechapel and South London Gallery. During the performance the sound and visuals unfolded live, simultaneously taking cues from each other. Improvised and prepared guitar mix with the digital, super 8 and animated sections of film to create a lush audio-visual tapestry. This is a film of the live performance at the Sound of Mu, Oslo, Norway.
Sherry Ostapovitch 