Last July I participated with I’m With You when they took over UK artist Kane Cunningham’s Cliffside House in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. A house that is soon to fall off the cliff. Together with a group of other artists I was invited to respond to this on site. This resulted in a series of performances-for-documentation. This documentation is now bundled and published in a really nice book.

I contributed by creating some field recordings of objects found in the space, as well as sounds found around/surrounding the house. I explicitly did not limit myself to sounds in the space itself, as the space had to be seen in it’s context. Since this was not a stand-alone house, but it was part of a complex community. Therefore I did not want to look at the space as an isolated project, but also respect the grief of the surrounding residents. As I turned these recordings into a soundscape I tried to incorporate both the storyline of the residency as well as the tensions and dynamics with the environment.

Participating artists included the I’m With You organizers Christa Holka, Johanna Linsley and R. Justin Hunt, as well as residing artists Eirini Kartsaki, Liz Rosenfeld, Owen Glyndwyr Parry, Season Butler and Sophie Robinson. The publication itself was beautifully designed by Vanessa O’Reilly and Emma Leslie.

This publication can be purchased for £7 (+ additional postage). More info and how to get your own copy: here

It’s been a while since I updated, but this is the first in a series of new projects I’m working on and participating in. So there should follow more soon!

Aware+present by janmertens

This soundpiece was written, recorded and mixed on 1 night as one part of the multi-layered project by visual artists Aimée Xenou and Nora Rabins. They travel for two weeks from private home to private home where they will be hosted for one night and co-produce sculptural art with community members. One component of their project is also to create a soundscape orchestra. This orchestra consists of 14 sound artists working from their homes, activating private homes as sites of artistic action on yet another level. For each specific day of our travels, one sound artist ‘translates’ our emotions, as generated by the movement we perform, into a sound-scape. The day on which the travel performance ends an additional sound-scaper will sample all sounds and, hence, create the sound track of ‘mapping sites’. During the project’s closing event, an affiliated group of movement artists will translate this soundtrack ‘back’ into movement, conceptually closing the circle of action.

The 2 emotions I was given for day 8 of the project were: “Aware” and “Present”. This piece is intended to reflect these emotions.

More information on their project can be found at: http://www.mappingsites.org

It’s been a really interesting project for me to work on, and I totally recommend anyone to check out their blog and the rest of their work!

I’m very glad I was able to participate in this admirable project directed by Brian Lobel. The goal of this project is to offer people a platform to identify some key changes and effects that resulted from the cancer they have experienced/are experiencing. Having lost someone very close to this disease, I’m very proud to contribute to this project.

The different contributions to the project are catalogued as actions. For the first action Brian was looking for someone to edit the 1,5 hour recording of the action into a 5,5 minute piece. This piece is used as a soundtrack to the pictures of the action, taken by Christa Holka.

Watch the result

Read more about this action and others on Brian Lobel’s website, or on the fun with cancer patients website.

Some time ago, I was asked by Johanna Linsley to assist her with the lay-out of her London feature in the Cleaves journal (issue #3). The cover features an amazing painting by Olga Raciborska.

Read the article

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I’ve been really bad at maintaining this blog over the past few months, but time has come for change! I’ve been travelling a lot (more on that soon), and moreover I’ve been moving countries, I left Ghent (Belgium) for a new adventure in London.

As a first update on these exiting times, I’d like to inform you on another edition of “Cruising for art” at the Forest Fringe performance festival in Edinburgh on 11 August, 2010. Brian Lobel threw another edition of the lovely concept originally performed at the V&A. I provided the soundtrack for Johanna Linsley’s sexy library: Y-K-W Catalogue for the Library of You-Know-What. Which is another variation on the library-inspired performances previously performed at the V&A museum and Shunt.

For more pictures (by Christa Holka) and information on the series visit Brian Lobel’s website

Other artists contributing that night include: Season Butler, Johanna Linsley, Eirini Kartsaki, Mamoru Iriguchi, Liz Rosenfield, Arkem, Rachel Mars, Benjamin Sebastian, Jonathan Kemp, Owen Parry, Justin Hunt, Xana Marwick, Ellie Dubois, Kim Donohoe

Picture by Sandra Le

Sandra Le put up a very nice review+pictures of the “I’m with you #3” event on her blog.

At the moment she’s also having a photographic exhibition in London, curated by Stav B. I haven’t got the time to check it out myself, but it looks very promising!

picture by Sophie Allen

I’d like to thank all the lovely people who showed up at the I’m with you event last Saturday. As Christa Holka said “it was a day to choose between either sports or art, and I’m glad some people chose art”.

I had a great time checking out the other artists, and watch people explore my installation. This installation is still in an early stage of development, I was more than happy to learn of your responses (both verbal and non-verbal).
Also make sure you check out the other participating sound artist of that day: Barbara Lambert (blog/myspace).

Pictures of the event can be found here.

As we speak I’m finishing a new piece called “Are you with me?”. It’ll be an interactive soundscape, inviting visitors to sequence pre-made loops and apply effects in real time.

The piece will first be performed at the “I’m with you event” this weekend, in one of the three lovely garden in Lower Clapton, London.

For more info on this amazing live art event check out the “I’m with you”-blog and join the facebook group. To get in the mood, read this preview by Eleanor Weber.

Yesterday I picked up another vintage camera for my collection. And what a camera it is!

More info on this camera can be found here

I’ve also ordered a M42 to Sony/Minolta adapter, so I’ll be able to mount this lens on my dslr. Expect some pictures soon!