ANTENNA TO THE ABYSS
SOUNDSCAPE, 13: 34 MIN, CIAN WALKER AND ELLA BERTILSSON, HJORTENS SKULPTUR PARK, KONSTHALL 323, STOCKHOLM, 2025.
PRESS - RELEASE
IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING, WE EXPLORED IDEAS OF; HURTLING THROUGH VAST SPACES, VACUUMS, VOIDS, AND DIFFERENT KIND OF ENVIRONMENTS. FROM AN INTERGALACTIC SLOW DANCE TROPICAL-THEMED-DISCO, TO PLANET MERCURY (THAT SINGS LIKE A CRYSTAL GOBLET), TO AN ABANDONED SPACESHIP; 2 IN 1 PARKING/GARAGE; BEACON SIGNALS SENT IN VARIOUS DIRECTIONS.
THINGS AND BEINGS COMMUNICATES WITH EACH OTHER ACROSS SPACE AND TIME, MILLIONS LIGHT-YEAR APART, IN THE HERE AND NOW AND FOR ETERNITY. AN OBSOLETE AND DUSTY TRANSIT-RADIO TUNES IN AND OUT OF MULTIPLE SPACE STATIONS LOCATED ON UNKNOWN AND FAMILIAR PLANETS. DODGY WIRING AND UNSTABLE CONNECTIONS CLASHES AND EXPANDS INTO CHAOS AND NOTHINGNESS ALL AT ONCE.
TO RECORD THE SOUNDSCAPE WE USED; MODULAR SYNTHS, CIAT LONBARDE PLUMBUTTER, STYLOPHONE GEN X1, CASIOTONE MT-52, STYLOPHONE BEAT POCKET DRUM MACHINE, NINO PERCUSSION, A HAND DRUM, GUITAR, SQUEEZY PLASTIC TOY EYEBALLS, A VERY TERRITORIAL DUBLIN 2 SEAGULL AND A SCREAM-ISH-LIKE RECORDED FLUTE.
WE MADE THE SOUNDSCAPE AS A RESPONSE TO A SCI-FI NOVEL WE BOTH LOVE; THE SIRENS OF TITAN BY KURT VONNEGUT JR., THAT WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1959. THE STORY FOLLOWS MALACHI CONSTANT, A WEALTHY PLAYBOY WHO IS DRAWN INTO A COSMIC JOURNEY ORCHESTRATED BY WINSTON NILES RUMFOORD, A TIME-TRAVELER, WHO EXISTS ACROSS SPACE AND TIME DUE TO A PHENOMENON KNOWN AS THE CHRONO-SYNCLASTIC INFUNDIBULUM. TOGETHER THEY EMBARK ON A SPACE ADVENTURE ACROSS DISTANT PLANETS LIKE MARS, MERCURY, AND TITAN.