Note: This week’s project is being done in part to spread the word about the Kickstarter campaign to archive the Sonambient recordings of Harry Bertoia. More at kck.st/1zSnrOG. As of February 26, 2015, at 5pm, the campaign has garnered two thirds of its $15,000 goal, with 11 days to go. March 10, 2015, will mark the 100th anniversary of Bertoia’s birth.
Each Thursday in the Disquiet Junto group on SoundCloud.com and at Disquiet.com, a new compositional challenge is set before the group’s members, who then have just over four days to upload a track in response to the assignment. Membership in the Junto is open: just join and participate.
This assignment was made in the evening, California time, on Thursday, February 26, 2015, with a deadline of 11:59pm wherever you are on Monday, March 2, 2015.
These are the instructions that went out to the group’s email list (at tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto):
Disquiet Junto Project 0165: Bertoia Furniture Music The Assignment: Create a composition that explores the sonic resonance of Harry Bertoia’s iconic side chair.
Harry Bertoia designed his iconic side chair for Knoll in 1952. This chair — this functional metal sculpture — is used around the world, from cafes to offices, patios to homes.
Step 1: For this week’s Disquiet Junto project, please create an original composition exploring this common chair’s unique sonic resonance. Consider: What does it sound like alone at rest? When sat upon? When brushed against by cafe-goers? When blown upon by the wind? If you don’t have access to one of the chairs, use something similar, or just use your imagination.
Step 2: Upload the finished track to the Disquiet Junto group on SoundCloud.
Step 3: Then listen to and comment on tracks uploaded by your fellow Disquiet Junto participants.
Thanks to Bruce Levenstein (twitter.com/compactrobot) for co-developing this week’s project.
Deadline: This assignment was made in the late evening, California time, on Thursday, February 26, 2015, with a deadline of 11:59pm wherever you are on Monday, March 2, 2015.
Length: The length of your finished work should be between one and five minutes.
Upload: Please when posting your track on SoundCloud, only upload one track for this assignment, and include a description of your process in planning, composing, and recording it. This description is an essential element of the communicative process inherent in the Disquiet Junto. Photos, video, and lists of equipment are always appreciated.
Title/Tag: When adding your track to the Disquiet Junto group on Soundcloud.com, please include the term “disquiet0165-bertoiachair”in the title of your track, and as a tag for your track.
Download: It is preferable that your track is set as downloadable, and that it allows for attributed remixing (i.e., a Creative Commons license permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution).
Linking: When posting the track, please be sure to include this information:
More on this 165th Disquiet Junto project — “Create a composition that explores the sonic resonance of Harry Bertoia’s iconic side chair”— at:
Disquiet Junto Project 0165: Bertoia Furniture Music
Thanks to Bruce Levenstein (twitter.com/compactrobot) for co-developing this week’s project.
More on the Disquiet Junto at:
https://disquiet.com/junto
Join the Disquiet Junto at:
http://soundcloud.com/groups/disquiet-junto/
Disquiet Junto general discussion takes place at:
https://disquiet.com/forums/
Image associated with this project by Bruce Levenstein, used with his permission:
Surprisingly (or not), there is an album of sounds created from a Bertoia chair: http://www.discogs.com/Steve-Roden-In-Be-Tween-Noise-Chair-A-Subscape-Of-Resonance/release/913819
Probably “not”, as Steve Roden is one of the motivators of the Kickstarter project. Oh, my aching credit card…