Carlyle, Angus (2023) Powerlines. [Art/Design Item]
Type of Research: | Art/Design Item |
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Creators: | Carlyle, Angus |
Description: | Powerlines (Loavgavvári) is a 55 minute composition in which a series of sound devices were deployed on the slopes below Loavgavvári / Fløya near the city of Romssa / Tromsø some 350 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle to generate field recordings that are left largely unprocessed (apart occasional EQ and layering one recording over another). The composition is distributed on a CD released by Rural Situationism, part of a series engaged in exploring the experimental potential of field recording, including works by Francisco Lopez and Cheryl E. Leonard. The impetus for reading deeper into the theoretical, historical and technical aspects of the electrosphere, for bringing the array of different sensors on successive trips to Sápmi / North Norway, for taking these out fishing for electromagnetic emissions and infrastructural vibrations during periods of downtime on the Research Council of Norway funded project Arctic Auditories collaborative research project all came from two comments elicited from participants on two soundwalks that were the official reason for travelling 2320 kilometers from home. I was invited to speak about this work at the SOAS Music Research seminars on Nov. 12, 2024. Selected as one of best of Bandcamp field recordings of 2024, the LP was reviewed by Matthew Blackwell in terms that situate the composition within the wider Arctic Auditories project: "As part of the Arctic Auditories team, Angus Carlyle is tasked with complexifying existing maps of the High North with aural data; i.e., to create a map of how Norway sounds rather than how it looks. On the ground, he discovered something far different from the wind-swept snowscapes we might imagine. Inspired by an offhand comment about the "electrical sounds of the countryside," Carlyle braved the elements to make electro-magnetic recordings of power lines stretched across the northern countryside. Across an hour-long track, we travel with him as he leaves his colleagues, gathers the sounds of buzzing, staticky electricity, is interrupted by hiking Norwegians, and makes his way back through the frozen landscape. It's a fascinating trek and a brilliant portrayal of the dynamic sounds that betray the liveliness of this icy region." |
Your affiliations with UAL: | Colleges > London College of Communication Research Centres/Networks > Creative Research into Sound Arts Practice (CRiSAP) |
Date: | 2023 |
Related Websites: | https://ruralsituationism.bandcamp.com/album/powerlines, https://daily.bandcamp.com/best-of-2024/the-best-field-recordings-of-2024 |
Related Websites: | |
Material/Media: | CD, CD sleeve |
Measurements or Duration of item: | 55" composition |
Date Deposited: | 28 Jul 2025 15:53 |
Last Modified: | 28 Jul 2025 15:53 |
Item ID: | 24429 |
URI: | https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/id/eprint/24429 |
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