Saturday September 11, 2010

Termite Mound

Blustering winds and oppressive heat appeared during our last days of fieldwork in the peninsula. The variable turbulence generated by the gusting wind though has provided some remarkable opportunities for recording an assortment of mysterious resonances and drones emanating from wire fences, metal gates and signs. In recent days smoke has risen high above the peninsula as various communities undertake controlled burning of their properties to reduce undergrowth. It is an eerie experience encountering these smoldering, blackened sites that were once filled with so much life. The silence is quite striking. The sand flies have been active in recent times inflicting us with numerous bites that have only added to the discomfort we are already experiencing. We have applied liberal amounts of garlic to our wounds, a natural salve to relieve the incessant itching. As our fieldwork draws to a conclusion we have busied ourselves recording the basic infrastructure found in Djarindjin/Lombadina such as power generators and air conditioners, a long with the furnace and machinery of the local bakery to contrast the sounds of the natural world. It is with some sadness that we leave the Dampier Peninsula tomorrow but our recordings will always remind us of how extraordinary this place is.

Dr Philip Samartzis

Smouldering tree

Farewell Djarindjin

Invitation: Peninsula by Philip Samartzis

Philip Samartzis, sound artist

IASKA and Tura New Music present

Peninsula: A sound work by Philip Samartzis

Exhibition Opening: Thursday 16 September 6pm

Gecko Gallery, Short Street, Broome

RSVP to rsvp@tura.com.au

Dates: Friday 17 – Sunday 19 September 10am – 2pm

The artist will also present special performances/presentations of the work:

Friday 17 September 2pm AND Saturday 18 September 6pm

Tickets $30/$20    Gecko Gallery 08 9192 8909

Peninsula is a sound art work evolving out of a residency by the artist working within the communities of Djarindjin/Lombadina and One Arm Point to construct a composition of meaningful sounds comprising the natural environment.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Philip and Paul White listening to whales

Humpback surfacing

The last few days have been spent at Two Moons Whale and Marine Research Base located in Pender Bay. Two Moons is an independent operation established by Andrew Bowles, chairperson for the Goojarr Goonyool Aboriginal Corporation to monitor the annual migration of the Humpback whale, journeying from Antarctica to the Dampier Peninsula to mate and spawn between June and October. Andrew established the base in order to protect Pender Bay from inappropriate industrial development and is supported by a band of dedicated volunteers and sponsors working to ensure the preservation of the Humpback and its environs. Andrew organizes neighbor and sponsor Paul White to take us out on his boat to undertake a day of whale spotting that results in some startling and unusual recordings. Whilst the ocean appears calm to the eye, our hydrophone reveals a rich assortment of howls, grunts and groans emitted by the 200 odd Humpbacks purported to be in the bay at this time. On our drive back to Djarindjin/Lombadina we encounter a black kite taking flight with a king brown swinging precariously from its beak, and a majestic Jabiru defiantly standing in the middle of the road.

Dr Philip Samartzis

Jabiru

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Philip Samartzis, wind recording

Caution Crocodiles

A blanket of darkness greets us each morning for our 4am expeditions into the bush in search of places to record the raucous early morning chorus provided by various finches, doves and parrots, a long with the black cockatoos and little corellas that pervade the peninsula. As the dry season gradually shifts to the wet, more birds make their annual pilgrimage in search of mango and other assorted fruits endemic to the region. Our working day continues late into the evening when a variety of nocturnal animals reveal themselves through song, often with startling and vivid displays of antiphonal calling. It seems that these creatures only intent is to out perform each other for the benefit of our microphones, which are always carefully arranged to capture every nuance. As humidity gradually increases in the peninsula, it is not unusual to encounter low-lying mists early in the morning shrouding the landscape in an eerie white vapor. Crocodiles have been sighted in mangroves not far from Lombadina so we now tread cautiously as we continue to chart the nether regions of this remarkable place.

Dr Philip Samartzis

Hermit Crabs emerging

Friday, August 27, 2010

 

Wire recording - One Arm Point

20 to 30 knot winds have buffeted the peninsula over the last few days providing great opportunities for structure born sound recording. Using two accelerometers to capture metal fatigue and resonance we gathered an assortment of sounds including wire fences, restraining cables, metal gates, and the creaking and groaning of a disused windmill. The full moon has provoked a strong response from a range of nocturnal animals working deep into the night to create a rich and varied sound field of noise. Whilst traveling around the peninsula in the early evening it is not unusual to spot a rogue steer or two lost amongst the undergrowth. More odd is that of the sound of a braying donkey that occasionally filters through the night air in the strangest of places. The locals keep warning us that there are things here stranger than we can ever imagine. Although the statement seemed elliptical upon our initial incursion into the wilderness, the longer we are here the stranger the landscape seems to have become.

Dr Philip Samartzis

Moon rising

Relics of the past Lombadina

Sunday, August 23, 2010

One Arm Point - sound recording lesson

It has been an eclectic couple of days in the Peninsula. On Friday we
delivered a series of classes on the finer points of sound recording to
students at One Arm Point which was both illuminating and exhausting.
The age of the students range from around 5 to 15 years so it was quite
a task conveying the concepts underlying our work in interesting and
engaging ways. One sure way of maintaining attention we discovered was
to play the students recordings of their own voices – an efficient and
effective control mechanism. We spent the weekend recording in and
around Cape Leveque, a popular tourist destination due to its marvelous
beaches, which are set against ancient red cliffs. The sunsets are also
amazing as are the clear night skies filled with stars. Although the
Kimberley is purported to be one of the most remote regions in the
world, it is surprising how many people actually are in the peninsula.
Aside from the usual tourist undertaking a long haul journey of
discovery across Australia, the peninsula is inundated with various
representatives from the gas and mining industries who hope to exploit
the region’s rich off shore gas fields. Then there is the odd researcher
undertaking fieldwork in anthropology and eco tourism, a long with
European backpackers on work visas manning most of the regions cafes and
restaurants. With so many people around it is sometimes difficult to get
the type of detailed recording of a natural event that we would like
without the intrusive sound of a light airplane or 4×4. The next few
days will see us push deeper and deeper into the wild in an attempt to
escape the noise.

Dr Philip Samartzis

 

 

Wednesday, August 19, 2010

First day on location around the lagoon at Lombadine

The last few days have been spent familiarizing ourselves with the different communities that comprise the Dampier Peninsula by meeting various community members. We have also spent time at schools at One Arm Point and Djarindjin/Lombadina participating in activities such as a crab identification field trip and a workshop on environmental sustainability presented by a team of Bardi Rangers. Aside from relationship building, we have also been busy in the field gathering an assortment of recordings that describe the aural environment in and around the communities. There is an amazing diversity of bird life attracted by the variety of trees, shrubs and grasses that comprise the peninsula whilst the roar of the ocean is never too far away particularly at high tide. Most days we are on the road first thing in the morning and late at night capturing morning chorus or insect song whilst the days are spent focusing on human sounds and interactions. Once we become more familiar with the peninsula we hope to move away from general field recording by developing strategies that capture more specific events and actions that signify the region.

 Dr Philip Samartzis

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Blue skies and warm weather, coconut and boab trees, resorts and crocodile farms, things that immediately confront us upon arrival in Broome to suggest we are a long, long way from Melbourne. After a brief stopover to organize transport and supplies Madelynne and I along with our host Tos Mahoney of Tura New Music hit the red sandy roads for the Dampier Peninsula around 200 kilometres north of Broome.

Dust, heat, scrub and mosquitoes immerse us during our three-hour drive to the indigenous community of Lombadina – our home for the next month. Tos spends three days providing an invaluable orientation of the region drawing on the personal relationships and experiences developed over seven years to highlight the social, economic, geographical and environmental conditions that inform the communities of Lombadina, Djardjin and One Arm Point. Certainly the formal introductions Tos facilitated with various community leaders has helped us to settle in comfortably to community life and begin developing our own relationships that will provide a deeper understanding of life here.

Philip Samartzis

         

TURA and IASKA present contemporary sound collaboration – Dampier Peninsula

Philip Samartzis, sound artist

In August and September IASKA will be partnering with Tura New Music to develop a collaborative project with remote Kimberley communities on the Dampier Peninsula near Broome.

Philip Samartzis, an internationally regarded Australian sound artist, will be based in Djarindjin/Lombadina, and will work with the communities of Djarindjin/Lombadina and One Arm Point as well as the many family groups in the area to make and edit field recordings as part of the creation of a new sound work.

Samartzis uses field recordings of natural and constructed environments as his primary material to reflect the acoustic and spatial complexities of everyday sound fields. During his stay, the artist will construct a composition comprising sounds recorded from the community and natural environment.  The completed surround sound installation will be presented in the community and at an exhibition in Broome in September.

IASKA gratefully acknowledges our project partners Tura New Music and the communities of One Arm Point, Djarindjin and Lombadina.