Sonisk Selskap 2024
A Sonic Protocol of the Mind - 6th - 8th September
Musicians (residency and concert):
Eva Pfitzenmaier: vocals
Sondre Närva Pettersen: vocals/keys
Knut Jonas Sellevold: electronics
Nils H. Sagvåg: double bass
Matias Monse: cello
Owen Weaver: percussion
Daiyen Jone (Sonic Sheriff): Flutes/electronics
Dancers from ImproLaBergen:
Teresa Kurowska
Ine Terese Hogstad
Malin Nøss Vangsnes-Weaver
Monica Reksten
Ewa Lorenc
Roskva Yasmin Andersen
Eik Leknesund Elnes
Katja Nyqvist
Brita Grov
Guest: Veronica Robles Thorseth
Choreographic score:
Brita Grov and Veronica Robles Thorseth
Live illustration:
Liene Drubina
Crew:
Technical Director: Leo Preston
Cheif Sound Engineer: Leo Preston
Assistant Sound Engineer: Priscilla Miranda Navas
Cameras (dancers and artist): Øystein Nesheim
Camera (musicians in Studio B): Nils J. Nesse
Streaming & video-over-network: Thomas Brandt
Post Production (for YouTube): Leo Preston
This was the seventh edition of Sonisk Selskap in Wrap’s AV Lab. The three day laboratory was led by Daiyen Jone and recorded by Leo Preston. The last day culminated in a 30 minute improvised multi-media concert (on the 8th of September) with dance improvisation by dancers from ImproLaBergen in the main corridor and the Big Project Room, and live drawing by visual artist Liene Drubina.
The title, A Sonic Protocol of the Mind, provided a thematic starting point for the sessions. To Jone, the title describes how experienced musical improvisers develop a sense for how different types of reaction and interaction will affect a given sonic situation. The refinement of this sense is integral to the development of a musician’s individual character as an improviser. To focus on this listening-based sense, rather than on visual signals (formal or informal) Jone wanted to position the musicians in a way that would discourage visual communication and emphasise the importance of listening. The ensemble was therefore placed throughout the whole room, using the PA in Studio B in an unconventional configuration with the speakers treated more as amplifiers for individual groups of instruments than as a stereo “stage”.
Four of the six musicians fed microphones/effects/electric instruments through their own summing systems, outputting mono or stereo signals that required amplification. Although the best option for a clean recording would have been to contain sound spillage by using headphones, it was decided to prioritise an open and “organic” atmosphere with everything audible in the room. In an effort to limit clutter, we decided to restrict the sound system to two subs and two full-tone cabinets, and each musician was given an optional headset with a stereo mix created by the sound engineer from an isolated listening position in Studio A. An additional microphone and headphones were set up in the as-yet unfinished “dry room” which adjoins Studio B. This enabled vocalist/musician, Eva Pfitzenmaier to access an isolated mic for contributing “intimate” sounds to the soundscape.
Assistant Sound Engineer, Priscilla Navas, controlled the mixes to the individual speakers with dedicated (IP8) controllers for each speaker in the room with the musicians. In addition to these controllers the dLive system (Allen & Heath) consisted of a C2500 control surface, a CDM48 mix rack, and two DX168 stage boxes.
The dancers used scores by M Veronica L Robles Thorseth, and Brita Grov, for improvisations in the main corridor and the Big Project Room.
Visual artist, Liene Drubina, was installed in the Big Project Room where she could see the dancers from a position next to the camera that filmed the room. Her drawing was done on a sheet of A1, using charcoal, pencil, ink and water.
Sound was distributed to all the rooms with dancers and painting, using Wrap's dLive mixer system, and sound-over-network infrastructure, and video was streamed from cameras in all these rooms to three projectors in Studio B where the musicians were, as well as to Thomas Brandt, who made the live stream.