I Hear Too Live - II 11 Sept 2012

Photo By Kippa Matthews (http://www.kippamatthews.co.uk/)

I-Hear-Too members are putting the finishes touches on new sound art work for a unique event coming up next week on Wednesday 19th September.

After the success of the  I Hear Too Live event in the Minster in 2009 we have commissioned sound artists and composers to produce new works in response to the fabulous rooms and spaces of the historic Guildhall and Mansion House in York. 


The programme includes contributions from Louise K Wilson, David Chapman, Geodesic Arts, Historyworks (Helen Weinstein and Jon Calver), Jon Was and Aaron Watson and has been produced in collaboration with the International Conference on Digital Audio Effects.(DAFx-12) which takes place in York this year. 

'Architexture 1' crew - l to r:Ambrose Field, Aglaia Foteinou, Andrew Chadwick, Jez Wells, Jude Brereton

The evening culminates in a fantastic new choral piece 'Architexture 1' by Ambrose Field and the Ebor Singers which has been specially composed to fit the individual acoustic of the Main Hall of the Guildhall.

A team of researchers, led by Jude Brereton from the Audio Lab, Dept of Electronics, University of York, recorded impulse responses in the Guildhall to enable the piece to be written specifically for the  venue's acoustic. Composer Ambrose Field explains: "Composers throughout the ages have created music for specific locations. However, this work explores links between the composition and performance venue in manner more detailed than was traditionally feasible when creating a piece ‘for’ a space. Through the help of an acoustic analysis, Architexture I features precise and intricate connections between the musical material and the architecture of the venue."

I-Hear-Too Researchers in York Grand Tour 1 May 2012

Research by members of I Hear Too is featured on York Grand Tour - a celebration of York's achievement in Science and Industry.  The York Grand Tour consists of 60 large-scale images and messages placed in prime locations across the city centre seen by thousands of people as they go about their daily work or leisure. Each image is accompanied by text and a QR code to allow the viewer to link through to further on-line resources, including in our case, some audio examples of our work.

Our exhibit is loacted in the Museum Gardens by the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey and describes how University of York AudioLab researchers are using the latest 3-D audio modelling technology to recreate the sound of 16th century choral voices in the Abbey ruins.

The York Grand Tour also has a smartphone App to allow visitors to make the most of the tour
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Before its closure by Henry VIII in 1539, St Mary’s Abbey Church rivaled York Minster in both size and spectacle. What was it like 500 years ago to walk through its darkened aisles and hear soaring voices echo through the gothic vaults?

Researchers in the AudioLab are bringing the sounds of the past to life using the technology that architects employ to design buildings of the future.

The Acoustic Reconstruction of St Mary’s Abbey: Damian T. Murphy, Stephen Oxnard, Aglaia Foteinou AudioLab, Department of Electronics, University of York, UK.

More about the York Grand Tour

More about the acoustic reconstruction of St Mary's Abbey


(Images: Stephen Oxnard and Aglaia Foteinou)

I-Hear-Too on Radio 4... 6 Sept 2011

Hearing the Past through our ancestors’ ears

BBC Radio 4,
11 am, Monday September 12th, 2011.

Imagine being able to eavesdrop on the sound of a ritual at Stonehenge four thousand years ago, or hear singing in the original Coventry Cathedral before it was bombed in 1940.

Broadcaster and Physicist, Professor Jim Al-Khalili investigates how latest research in acoustics is helping us to recreate authentic sounds of the past. It is changing the way we study history and experience tourist attractions. It is also helping us to improve the acoustic design of future buildings.

Jim discovers how architects of modern concert venues are learning lessons from the layout of Stonehenge. He also finds out how acoustic design goes far beyond just making our buildings sound good, in some cases it can save lives.

The research is bringing together a diverse group of scientists, engineers, sound archivists, museum curators and sound artists.

The initial project was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

‘Hearing the Past’ will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 11 am on Monday September 12th. The programme will also be available via the Radio 4 website (bbc.co.uk/radio4). The programme has also been selected as BBC Radio 4’s Documentary of the Week.

The Producer of the programme is Jane Reck.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b014f9q5

Sounds of the Past and the Future 23 Nov 2009

Today sees the launch of the Podcast we have been working on in the support of the I Hear Too project. As we have been investigating the role that sound has in heritage we thought 21st century audio media would be the best way to capture and disseminate our work.

The podcast has been announced on EPSRC's news website:

http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/PressReleases/pastsounds.htm

The video version is available here.

And you can subscribe to it on iTunes by searching for the EPSRC Pioneer Podcast.

It features interviews with Damian Murphy (I Hear Too), Louise K Wilson (Artist), Richard Ranft (British Library Sound Archive), Rupert Till (University of Huddersfield), Seb Jouan (Arup Acoustics), Joe Savage (National Railway Museum, York), Sarah May (English Heritage).

With sincere thanks to Jane Reck of the EPSRC Press Office for all her hard work in pulling this together.

I Hear Too: Live - 7 October 2009 8pm 19 Sept 2009

York Minster to echo to the sound of heritage

A unique event showcasing sound-art and music in the historic setting of York Minster. I Hear Too: Live will feature seven specially commissioned music, performance and sound-art installation in various locations around the Minster.

Artists include:

Ebor Singers: John Was & Aaron Watson: David Chapman: Craig Vear: Louise K Wilson: HISTORYWORKS:  Jon Calver & Helen Weinstein


The varied programme of works will, over the course of the evening, explore, interpret and re-examine the space, architecture and daily life of the Minster, making use of various aspects and features of the building.

We encourage the audience to sit, walk or interact with the works as appropriate - this is not intended to be a traditional concert experience!

Pieces to be performed include:

A Ripple on the World’s Pool by John Was and Aaron Watson

An audio-visual piece inspired by the ways in which York Minster, over many centuries, has been both the focus and transmission point for the key ideas and meanings that bind our culture. The piece will use the sound of the Minster bell(s) to initiate a series of audio-visual sequences commenting upon chains of cause and effect and the spread of influence and ideas in faith, culture and time.

'Cravasse' and 'Melt Water' by Craig Vear

12,000 years ago the geographic position of the Minster would have been underneath a giant glacier - and potentially within the next thousand years, the next 'Ice Age' will start. These two pieces fill the Nave with the sounds recorded from inside Antarctic glacier: in 'Cravasse', giant Icicle bells are used as source material, and in 'Melt Water the inter-moraine smelt water rivers are explored.

Minster Voices by Helen Weinstein and Jon Calver (Historyworks)

A cacophony of found sounds in the Quire aisles leads you via footstep tracks to the Zouche Chapel. In the Zouche Chapel a subdued sound montage interweaving the stories of those who look after the Minster building providing a place of contemplation where the audience can be immersed in story telling snippets woven in to a sound poem about how the Minster is looked after from the waking up of the building to its closing at night.


Sotto Voce by David Chapman

Octo: Sotto Voce is an 8-channel sound installation presenting an audio montage of whispered voices. The whispered prayer, the respectful tone or the irreverent aside are characteristic of the voice hushed to convey private conversations not intended for widespread dissemination. The piece will be installed in the Chapter House to make use of its exceptional acoustic properties and stunning architecture where 8 loudspeakers will be face out from the central octagonal floor motif.

I Hear Too Live starts at 8pm on 7 October. Tickets - priced £10 (£5 conc) - are available now from York Minster Box Office, Church House, Ogleforth, York, YO1 7JN.

Web: http://www.boxoffice.yorkminster.org/
Email: concerts@yorkminster.org
Tel: 01904 557200

I Hear Too Live Flier 1 Sept 2009

reports of first two workshop available on-line now 1 Jul 2009

Reports of our first two workshops can be found in the IPUP website. Please follow the links below.

Many thanks to Lucy Sackville and Helen Weinstein of IPUP for writing these

1st Workshop - 20 April National Railway Museum
2nd Workshop - 18 May, British Library Sound Archive