moscow bound

a quick apology for the lapse in posts. it's been quite a few weeks, with public listening events to host, a wedding to attend, finding shoes for said wedding, spending as much time as possible on my bike, keeping up with our first CSA vegetable box delivery (greens!) and sorting out passport/visa issues for this trip to russia i'm about to board a plane for.

the foundation for independent radio broadcasting (FNR) has invited me to moscow to talk about the third coast festival at their annual festival - vmeste radio ("radio together" nice, huh?) the FNR is "working for the development of quality and independent broadcasting for the benefit of civil society," and is the only russian NGO producing regular radio programs. i'll be able and look forward to sharing many more impressions about all of it in a few days.

until then, here's a photo from the recent listening room hosted by wjff that went down just a week ago, in the catskills at the greatest bookstore you could possibly imagine finding in a small mountain town. this was snapped just before things got going. there were three cats in attendance for the actual event - a listening room first, no doubt.



all of that radio lissening and yakking about was followed by hanging out on stacy's back deck, underneath a million visible stars. it was profoundly good to see so many stars, so easily, so clearly. i heart the catskills, dearly.

the illusion of everywhere

the third coast festival's hitting the road again this week, for not one but TWO listening rooms, on the same day, (june 14th) in different locations. which is especially lucky (for you) if you live in the DC area or near livingston manor, in the catskills, and can join us for some radiophonic good times.

as part of the esteemed silverdocs film festival, my boss-lady extraordinaire johanna will be spreading the radio cheer to a bunch of film peoples, while over yonder in the mountains i'll be serving up stories about ghosts and fiddleheads and a merry-go-round museums at hamish and henry booksellers, collaborating with the good, good folks at WJFF (hydro-powered radio!!)

and even though there'll be a light reception afterward, we're saving room and heading out for twist/dipped frozen soft serve treats after all that listening - you're invited.

here's more information about both events, and links to helpful links. and did you know that "creemee" is another word for soft serve? neither did i!

in general i'm leery of manifestos found on the internet but kevin t. allen's thoughts about the way we listen to, view and comprehend the world really struck a chord - partly because his manifesto contains traces of humor (unusual), partly because it's abstractly conceived yet clearly expressed, and partly because it includes this sentence: "Put some luster in your step, try phonoscopy."
see the appeal?

kevin builds boxes (phonoscopes) that exhibit 3d photography and corresponding binaural sound recordings. viewers/listeners peer into the boxes through bincoular-like slide viewers (kinda like viewmasters) and wear headphones with seperate volume for each ear (!), thus experiencing both sound and image simultaneously, though not necessarily listening to sounds directly associated with the image on display. i've never had the chance to gaze into phonoscope myself, but apparently doing so urges you to "listen with your eyes, and look with your ears" ...which is a notion i'm not sure i really believe, but am hugely intrigued by, and would love the chance to see/hear for myself.

i imagine these boxes are easier to experience than explain, but kevin's website does a good job, even showing the construction of a phonoscope. and if you live near or make it to brooklyn some time, you can actually see and hear one at the proteus gowanus gallery. if you make it over there, let me know how it goes, ok?

sometimes i just appreciate thinking a little bit more/harder about things...