27June2017 Deep Learning

09May2017 Phonophani release concert

13February2017 Sint Jansklooster

Photos by Pieter Kiers

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16January2017 Vertical Studies at Sonic Acts

We will perform our new Vertical Studies piece at the opening of the Sonic Acts exhibition 1. February, and then again during the festival 23. February. More info about location and tickets here: http://sonicacts.com/2017/news/vertical-studies-in-sint-jansklooster-1

Vertical Studies: Acoustic shadows and boundary reflections

by Signe Lidén and Espen Sommer Eide 

In this new collaborative work, Eide and Lidén wish to invite the participants on a journey to a 46 meter high abandoned water tower in Sint Jansklooster. The tower has been re-imagined as a vertical field-lab where the artists will introduce their ongoing investigations into connections between sound, history, wind and weather. For this purpose they have constructed a range of special instruments for the recording and playback of sounds in the vertical dimension. The participants on this journey, will experience both live vertical studies outdoors and inside the towers spiral staircase, as a ascending vertical soundscape shaped by Eide and Lidén. 

In their collaborations, Lidén and Eide investigate how sound is shaped by and resonates in various environments. Their previous work, the critically acclaimed 2016 performance Altitude and History was staged in the hills above Nikel, Russia, as part of the Dark Ecology journey. Leading the audience on a performative field trip, they delved into the connections between wind and sound at various altitudes and its connections vertically to layers of local history. Sound movement through the atmosphere is affected by the wind profile, the open landscape and the winter temperatures, which can bend the wave front, causing sounds to be heard where they normally would not, or vice versa, creating acoustic shadows. Building upon this archive of altitudinal sounds from Nikel and other areas visited by the artists, they are now working on a new model of verticality. As an imaginative figure the artists experiment with sorting their archive of sounds by height. From the bottom of the oceans, to the planetary boundary layer with land formations and weather shaping the sounds, up through the clouds to the outer atmosphere.

27December2016 Vertical studies: recording sessions

Wind recording sessions at Fjell outside Bergen and Bloemendal outside Amsterdam. Preparing for two large scale performance/installation works early 2017 for the Borealis Festival and Sonic Acts festival. More info to come.

17October2016 Altitude and History

Altitude and History from Espen Sommer Eide on Vimeo.

by Signe Lidén and Espen Sommer Eide
a commissioned work for Dark Ecology Journey 2016
documented by Friday Milk, Sebastian Frisch and Espen Sommer Eide

edited by Espen Sommer Eide
sound by Signe Lidén and Espen Sommer Eide
thank you Sonic Acts, Hilde M. Methi, Maria Rusinovskaya and the Dark Ecology crew
supported by Norsk Kulturråd

17October2016 Instrument

19August2016 Ouroboros

Ouroboros is an instrument developed by Espen Sommer Eide for the Bergen Assembly triennial instrument/performance program 'Within'. 

The instrument is developed in cooperation with deaf performers or with different levels of hearing. The instrument is comprised of custom made microphones, pedals and speakers. Through vibrations in the instrument, feedback sounds/vibrations are generated and shaped in the mouth cavity of the performer. This is in turn shaped by a construction of tubes to be tuned to various scales. In this way the performer "sings" without making any sounds by his/her own vocal chords. The instrument investigates language, communication and learning processes.

Opening performance will be at Bergen Assembly 2. September 2016. 

23June2016 Documents from the hills

A collection of photos from Altitude and History event in the hills behind Nikel. Around 70 local people participated and played the instruments together with us to make this a very lively event! Photos by Michael Miller and Rosa Menkman. 

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Tweets

Tweets by @esomm

23April2016 Dark Microphone

Some new dark ecology microphones...

12April2016 Upcoming activity

Upcoming: 

21. May - Only Connect Festival, Oslo - I will perform the 'dead language poetry' solo performance.

24.-25. May - Stamsund International Theatre Festival - Verdensteatret 'Broen over gjørme'.

10. June - new work: 'Altitude and History', commission by Dark Ecology, Nikel, Russia. More info about this soon!

Hope to see you there!

14December2015 Interview at radio France

Check out this interview I did with François Bonnet, with lots of old Phonophani and Alog tracks interspersed and go down memory lane. 

14December2015 Live at Landmark with HC Gilje

A couple of photos from Phonophani Live at Landmark, Bergen Friday 11. December. Visuals by HC Gilje and his magical 360 degree camera construction. Photos by Eivind Senneset

13November2015 The distribution of the Audible @ Amalie Skram

This week I installed and played various versions of the piece in and around Amalie Skram high school in Bergen, as part of their temporary art in public spaces program. Got some funny looks from other early birds, moving all the speakers into postion at 6 in the morning!

27September2015 Dates

In Moscow this week: 

I am performing with Verdensteatret Bridge over Mud at 16 and 19 o'clock monday-wednesday at NCCA. 

At DOM, playing a short solo set on monday 28. Info

In Copenhagen: Nordic Music Days screening of "Material Vision – Silent Reading" video work until 30. September. 

Verdensteatret on Russia K TV: