December 2024
Greece
Taking a break from my Fellowship travels, I left the UK on October 23 for Greece for a brief holiday with Sean. For a few nights, we stayed with actress friend Shalom Brune Franklin (Baby Reindeer, Dune: Prophecy) in Athens amidst her filming a new TV Stan series, The Assassin.
Exploring Athens for the first time, Sean and I visited the Olympiad, Akropolis, the Library of Hadrian, Lycabettus, and many of the amazing Greek restaurants the city had to offer. An anthropological highly was visiting the National Archaeological Museum, housing numerous historic artefacts including the Antikythera device, which colleagues Gabriella Smart and Dan Pitman used as inspired for their work DARK: ANTIKYTHERA.
Towards the end of the month, we then travelled to the island of Paros in the Cyclades, staying in Ampelas, and visiting the nearby towns of Parikia, Naousa and Lefkés, as well as the nearby island of Antiparos for Sean’s birthday.
Following our Hellenic adventures, we returned to London, continuing to explore the city in all of its rich diversity, including bike rides through Hyde Park, visiting the British Museum, Halloween raves in East Hackam, and catching one of my favourite shows, Hadestown, on West End.
November - Florida
Amidst less-than-favourable news of the US election outcome, I flew out of London on November 6, bound for Florida via a stopover in Reykjavik and later transit over the Greenland icesheet, an awe-inspiring vista. Arriving late at night in Orlando, I made for New Smyrna Beach to begin my residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts for the month.
Founded in 1977 by Doris Leeper, an internationally known sculptor and painter, as well as a visionary environmentalist, Atlantic Center for the Arts (ACA) is a non-profit multidisciplinary artist residency facility located in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Alongside its long standing Mentoring Artist Program (drawing in significant names across diverse disciplines), ACA recently began hosting an annual Soundscape Residency Program, which has featured practitioners like Bernie Krause, Nathan Wolek, Perry Lynch Howard, and Gordon Hempton. Having connected with the Center in March 2023 for the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology Conference, and wanting to tap into the infrastructure and relationships cultivating the Soundscape Residency Program (particularly its relationship with Canaveral National Seashore, I knew I want to develop my own responsive soundscape composition, immersing myself in the coastal environment and wider Volusia County.
With the wonderful support of ACA staff members Eve Payor, Cayla Bartolucci-Kaualoku, Kelly Timmons and Executive Director Jennifer Coolidge, I connected with ACA board members, volunteers and members of the wider NSB community through various events. Following a volunteer dinner on 9 November at the ACA campus, I unexpectedly attended the wedding reception of Staci Janik and Lee Tesche (guitar for the band Algiers), on the New Smyrna Beach coastline, a serendipitous occasion where I connected with further friends Philomena and Juliana.
Over the course of the month, I ventured around Volusia County, exploring its coastal swamp landscapes and attedant soundscapes, a synthetic fusion of natural biophony and geophony alongside significant anthrophony (think ongoing rocket launches, 120 flight schools in the region, major motorways with huge pickup trucks, freight train lines to Miami, and ongoing construction activity).
One highlight emerging from the volunteer dinner was meeting Nancy and Bobby Maddox, ACA supporters who took me out on their boat to Mosquito Lagoon for a rocket launch. That day, there were two launches—an uncommon event. We traveled about two hours south, where no one else was around. I set up my microphones just as a herd of manatees surrounded our boat, capturing their underwater chatter as the rockets took off. The combination of the rocket’s sonic booms and the aquatic environment created a breathtaking audio experience, extending vertically up into space down and the cerulean depths of the water.
I also had the pleasure to lead a soundwalk at Eldora in Canaveral National Seashore, introducing participants to ideas of acoustic ecology and modes of listening. A later engagement with the Young Sound Seekers Crew, a group of young differently-sighted folks led by Eve Payor and Nathan Wolek, had us investigate various types of recording equipment, with group members exploring hydrophones and contact microphones amidst the steady roll of Atlantic waves.
Many other days trips formed my reconnaisance and recording activity, including:
an ACA volunteers’ day out at Cracker Creek, a local brackish waterway highlighting the significance of the local ecosystem, the impacts of the then-recent Hurricane Milton, and the necessary ongoing litigation to protect the landscape.
Visits to vaious freshwater springs in Volusia County. I learned that many these discharge millions of gallons per day, having travelled thousands of years from more northerly regions through artesian networks.
Traversing the sand dune board walk at New Smyrna Beach, encountering gopher tortoises and many cars on the beach (not similar to the presence of vehicles on South Australian beaches).
Atlantic ocean waves and rocket launches at Playalinda Beach, immediately north of Canaveral National Seashore (the rocket launch happening to be that of an Australian Optus satellite).
Contact microphone explorations of shell middens left by traditional owners, including the Seminole and Timucua peoples.
Other expeditions included:
Attendance an Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra concert on November 9, "An Evening with Jamie Bernstein", featuring works by her father Leonard Berstein and Mahler’s 4th Symphony
Visiting and diving at Alexander Springs with Philomena and Juliana (video below)
Fresh portrait shots and experimental colourshoots with Samantha Tribble and Stephen Holvik at The Lunar Studios in New Smyrna Beach (video also below)
Thanksgiving Dinner on November 28 with Eve Payor and her family.
"Volumes" Project
The concept for my project "Volumes" is derived from Volusia County, playing on the idea of sonic, material, and cultural volumes in the region:
Volumes of sound – anthropophony (human-made sounds), including over 120 flight schools in the county, car traffic, and rocket launches (which are increasing due to SpaceX’s Starlink).
Volumes of water – the Atlantic Ocean, brackish lagoons, and freshwater springs that have traveled for millennia underground.
Volumes of sand – shifting dune systems, beach culture, and artificial sand replenishment in Miami.
Volumes of storms – increasing hurricane frequency in recent years.
Volumes of media & politics – the county’s red-state leanings, juxtaposed with Orlando’s political climate, and the election cycle occurring during my visit.
Through this project, I aim to capture the textures and materiality of these elements, overlaid with commentary from local voices, archival media, and field recordings.
A highlight of my Fellow travels was the Coastal Soundscapes concert held at ACA on November 22, featuring all original works including:
Cathedrals, a consensed version of my album, previously exhibited at the WFAE 2023 Conference also at ACA.
Dwell, a site-specific screen-dance collaboration with Sue Hawksley, Tammy Arjona, Billy Cook, and Richard Hodges.
a work-in-progress showing of Volumes
sanctuary x mill – originally an acousmatic (speaker-only) work, but for this performance, I incorporated a prepared Steinway piano at the Joan Harris Theater, blending its textures with the ruined pianos and concatenated soundscape recordings from the Murray Bridge Piano Sanctuary (SA) and Piano Mill (NSW-QLD Border).
The event was well-attended, with around 70 people in the audience.
Thank you for a truly transcendent experience Friday night. A memorable evening! – Midge Wilson
It was a great night at ACA. I need more music in my life, and Apple Music isn't cutting it! This hit the spot. Volumes and sanctuary x mill were my favorites among the pieces you shared. What a treat! – Emily
Thanks again for sharing your work with us a the ACA. It was an inspiring evening. I found your work expansive! – Aric Attas
A smaller remount of the concert was presented for members of the ACA Board and community on December 2.
After my ACA residency, my return trip back to Australian to quite the scenic route, first destined for to Chicago, where I stayed with dear friends and colleagues Eric Leonardson (vice-president and former president of the WFAE) and Deirdre Harrison (my sister-from-another-mother partner-in-crime for the WFAE 2023 conference). Alongside exploring downtown Chicago and visiting the famous Art Institute, I was guest speaker at a gathering of Midwest Society for Acoustic Ecology (MSAE) members at Eric and Deirdre’s house, a great opportunity to meet fellow practitioners from the US and discuss current soundscape ideas and issues.
From Chicago, I flew to Amsterdam to spend a few days in the ‘vaderland’ and practice my Dutch. Having been twelve years since I was last in the city, I based myself from a pod in a Warmoesstraat Hostel on Oudeszijds, and made several wandelingen to the Begijnhof, Jordaan District, Wandelpark and Stedelijk Museum.
Aiming for Berlin, I then went to Utrecht for the first time, taking in the impressive Dom Tower, and wandered around the city’s gorgeous grachten. The following day, I made for Köln, visiting a friend Joyce (who . After Utrecht, I transitioned over to Cologne, which was a bit of a challenge due to some language barriers—I had to rely on my rudimentary German, which was a bit mind-bending, but we managed. In Cologne, I visited Joyce, a friend from Australia who now lives there. She took me around the city and introduced me to local cuisine. We visited the Christmas markets and attended a language exchange at a nearby pub, which was a great experience. The next morning, before catching my train to Berlin, I explored the Cologne Cathedral. It was impressive—either the largest cathedral in Germany or in all of Europe. Climbing to the top was well worth it. The train to Berlin ended up being much longer than expected due to some delays—perhaps traffic issues? I think I’ll leave it there for now, as I’ve just arrived in Berlin.
