Tuesday


'In the Field'

an essential book on the art of field recording, featuring conversations with key artists:
Andrea Polli
Annea Lockwood
Antye Greie
Budhaditya Chattopadhyay
Christina Kubisch
Davide Tidoni
Felicity Ford
Francisco López
Hildegard Westerkamp
Hiroki Sasajima
Ian Rawes
Jana Winderen
Jez Riley French
Lasse-Marc Riek
Manuela Barile
Peter Cusack
Steven Feld
Viv Corringham



£12 + postage

to order - see ordering page
recently the artists Sebastiane Hegarty and Dr. Simon Park attempted to dissolve one of my hydrophones in sulphuric acid - an experiment that not only resulted in some interesting sounds but also in the surprising fact that the hydrophone survived !

here's the post from his website, where you can also listen to a sound sample:


I recently visited the chemical abode of Dr. Simon Park with the nefarious intention of immersing a hydrophone in Sulphuric acid and listening as it recorded the sound of its own dissolve into silence. I provided the hydrophone and Simon provided the acid (also known as oil of vitriol), along with the appropriate protection of gloves and goggles. We decided to conduct the experiment outside on a garden table, its surface protected from harm with a copy of the Sunday Times supplement, featuring Princess and sprout.
Unfortunately, this vitriolic and potentially expensive experiment failed, the Jez Riley Frenchhydrophone quietly surviving all attempts at chemical destruction. However, we were able to conduct other experiments into the sonification of chemistry. Simon has recently been encasing deceasedbumblebees in the blue sarcophagi of copper sulphate crystals. Knowing the anhydrous properties of the compound, Simon suggested we listen to the compound (also known as blue vitriol) quenching its thirst for water. As he dropped the white powder into a plastic container of water, we could hear the exothermic reaction, as energy was released in a short, but deep blue fug of sound. Using a pipette we dripped precisely measured droplets of water onto a hydrophone covered in the compound, producing sonic eruptions of blue like tiny burns in the surface of audition.