WEDNESDAY 24TH NOVEMBER 2010
CHRIS WATSON (UK) – IN AUSTRALIA FOR UNIQUE REGIONAL ARTS PROJECT
Accustomed to journeying the world to document the acoustic ecology of the natural world, travelling to regional NSW to perform live mixes of train sounds on a train is certainly a 1st for Chris Watson.
This month Watson is trekking to Junee in regional NSW specifically to participate in the ROLLING STOCK project which takes place on a vintage train moving through the Riverina landscape. During ROLLING STOCK Watson will be premiering recordings from his forthcoming album ‘El Tren Fantasma’ – The Ghost Train’. Utilising sounds from recording work for the documentary series ‘Great Train Journeys’ with Rick Stein in Mexico, ‘El Tren Fantasma’ will be recontextualised for ROLLING STOCK via live surround sound mixes as the train ventures through significant landmarks of South West NSW.
Watson is known for his early work as founding member of influential experimental music groups Cabaret Voltaire and The Hafler Trio, and more recently for his work as a BAFTA award winning field recordist and sound editor for Sir David Attenborough, BBC TV and Radio Nature documentaries, and feature films.
During his time in Australia Watson will also perform ‘A Journey South’ live in Sydney on Wednesday 24th November at the Chauvel Cinema. This work presents a continuation of Watson’s ability to put “…a microphone where you can’t put your earsâ€? and expose listeners to sounds of the natural world they would otherwise never hear. ‘A Journey South’ takes audiences on a sonic expedition through audio recordings Watson collected in the South Pole as a member of the film crew for the forthcoming Attenborough series ‘The Frozen Planet’ (BBC, 2011).
Joining Watson for his Sydney performance will be WIRED Lab members DAVID BURRASTON and GARRY BRADBURY, who will perform live mixes of ‘wire’ musics, unique æolian and environmental sonifications originating from large-scale wire installations developed by sound art legend Alan Lamb. It was Watson’s time at the WIRED Lab in 2009 that sparked a dialogue between Watson and the Rolling Stock/ WIRED Lab Curator Sarah Last, which informed the nature of his visit to Australia in 2010.
Performing ‘A Journey South’ live, along with a performance by The Wired Lab
7.00pm for 7.15pm start
CHAUVEL CINEMA Paddington Town Hall, Corner of Oxford St & Oatley Rd, Paddington, Sydney
COST: Adult $15, Concession $10
TICKETS are available from Sticky Tickets: www.stickytickets.com.au/
Limited seating, pre-booking recommended