Students at South & City College got a chance yesterday to hear a preview of Bobby Birds Watt’s Orbit installation / performance, set up in the College Auditorium, followed by Q&A session. The day was presented by Nils Edstrom, lecturer in Creative Live Sound at the college, as part of an Art in Music module.
The premier of Watt’s Orbit will take place at St Mary’s Church Handsworth on 29/10/2016
Photos by Joseph Potts
Sound artist Bobby Bird recording the impulse response in St Mary’s Church Handsworth, in order to create a digital reverb to work with in the studio, while preparing for Watt’s Orbit
Watt’s Orbit printed flyers have arrived & have started to be distributed around the region Thanks once again to Fluke Design for great work.
Come and listen to the sounds of the park, which have been recorded in Handsworth Park over the past few months by local sound artist Bobby Bird, together with some young recording assistants, played back over an Octophonic speaker system in the park bandstand. From 2.00-6.00pm Sunday 7th July 2016
Setting up to capture the sound of a train going past, using two microphones set up approx 60 metres apart – which also provided a neat demonstration of the speed of sound.
Recording the Bolton and Watts Beam Engine at the beautiful Papplewick Pumping Station in Nottinghamshire at the weekend went well, helped by the accommodating and friendly team of volunteers, and director Ashley.
After Bobby & Nils set up a range of microphones throughout the building, the engine was started up, and all present maintained silence for nearly an hour while the recordings were made.
Then the doors were opened to the public for a vibrant Steampunk themed day!
A great trip to Crofton Beam Engines in Wiltshire over the May Day weekend, to make sound recordings of the 1812 Bolton and Watt beam engine : “The oldest working beam engine in the world, in its original location and able to perform its original task”.
Maintained by a dedicated team of volunteers & enthusiasts, this is a wonderful place to visit for anyone interested in James Watt and the history of steam power.
A few recordings were made during the day, using contact mikes, but the best bit came when the beam engine was kept running for an extra hour after closing time, so that it could be recorded without picking up any additional sounds from the visiting public. Given the enormous size and power of this engine, which moves over a ton of water with each stroke, the sounds were surprisingly subtle and mesmerisingly hypnotic. More pictures here
A 6 a.m start to record the lighting of the boilers
Lend your ears to music, open your eyes to painting, and…stop thinking!
Just ask yourself whether the work has enabled you to ‘walk about’ into a hitherto unknown world. If the answer is yes, what more do you want?
Wassily Kandinsky 1866–1944
An exhibition of audio visual arts, with a focus on the history of Visual Music and Live Cinema, placing the current practice of real time audio visual performance within an historical context.
Exhibition Outline:
Fri 20th March
Opening of AVA exhibition at Ort Cafe Balsall Heath 6.pm – 8.pm
Including demonstration of a Harmonograph, which has been built by young people, facilitated by sound artist Bobby Bird, at Richard Newton’s CDT club at the Old Printworks in Balsall Heath. There will also be a presentation by Finish researcher and Live Cinema artist Mia Makela of ‘Live A/V Trajectories’, a history timeline, online resource and poster, commissioned for the exhibition. FREE
Sat 21st/Sun 22nd
Exhibition at Ort Cafe Open between 11am- 5pm
– Further demonstration of the Harmonograph. FREE
Sat 21st
Sound Bath , with a special focus on the visualisation of sound, led by Soesen Edan from The Musery at The Old Print Works ( above the Ort Cafe). Booking information & times tbc
Sun 22nd March
At Hexagon Theatre MAC
Screening of Sirens an audio visual work by Japanese artist Ryoichi Kurokawa in collaboration with Novi_sad 4pm-5pm Booking information to follow
Live Cinema Performances 3 x 20 minute AV performances by Modulate/ Mark Harris/ Mia Makela + James Andean 7pm-8pm Booking information to follow
Mon 23d March
Software Workshops at The Ort Cafe led by Jim Warrior – Minuek/DestroyThingsBeautiful . An introduction to live AV tools : Quartz Composer and VDMX
Times & Booking information to follow
Funded by Arts Council England
Partners: Flatpack Film Festival
Venue locations:
Ort Cafe / The Old Print Works 500-504 Moseley Road, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, B12 9AH – Map
Hexagon THeatre / MAC, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, B12 9QH
>)AVA(< 