CD – Touch
One of the subgenres of field recording that is probably most appreciated by audiences not accustomed to the practice, is audio diaries, sound works where the artist’s experiences in specific places are documented. Audio diaries are a return to the original function of phonography, ethnographic work for documentation that, thanks to technological development, has become an independent art form. For this travelogue, the focus is on the island of Bali. CM von Hausswolff and Chandra Shukla dive into the spiritual traditions of the island, documenting a variety of sounds to produce an immersive and engaging listening experience. This travel diary is the second for the two accomplished field recordists, following on from one recorded in Nepal’s Kathmandu valley. The Bali recordings were captured over nine days, and include temples, beaches, markets, lakes, volcanoes, palaces, shrines and natural parks, each site resonating with its own unique identity, all situated within a wider complex environmental ecosystem. Carl Michael von Hausswolff has been using the recorder as the main instrument for his compositions since the seventies, while Chandra Shukla, an intermedia sound artist with a background in classical Indian music, has previously collaborated with Genesis P-Orridge, Psychic TV and The Master Musicians of Jajouka (an Arabian orchestra who became famous thanks to the attention of Brion Gysin, Paul Bowles, and William Burroughs). Travelogue [Bali] is a delightful, exotic and introspective hymn to animism and the laws of nomadic existence. The profound relationship between nature and its many rhythms clearly inspires the two artists who wonderfully capture and express all of its inspiring, natural complexities.
CM von Hausswolff & Chandra Shukla – Travelogue [Bali]