Bidston Observatory Artistic Research Centre

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30 October – 6 November 2021

Sat 30th Oct

AM
Arrivals and orientation

PM
Reading group / film screening

Sun 31st Oct
AM
11:00 - Sound Bath
Reading group - Sonic agency, by Brandon LaBelle

PM
Samhain Ritual
20:00 -INNERMOST SANCTUM: late-night talk show come quasi-meditative radio programme on Domes FM

Mon 1st Nov
AM
Vibration Through Tissues: soft science of Fascia

PM
Ways of Listening: Field Recording Workshop
Open space for contributions
Transition practices - beyond the break

Tues 2nd Nov
AM
NULLA 0 - Lola de la Mata

PM
Semiotics of the Weather
Rest and digest
Film screening: Sisters with Transistors

Weds 3rd Nov
AM
Rest and digest
Open space for contributions

PM
DJ Workshop
20:00 - Domes FM broadcast

Thurs 4th Nov
AM
Reading group
Open space for contributions

PM
Online moment
Your voice is a suspension of time: oral histories archiving

Fri 5th Nov
AM
Annual General Meeting

PM
Open space for contributions
Lawrence Dunn - work in progress
Bonfire Night Shenanigans

Sat 6th Nov
Pre-programmed day with:
Ashely Holmes
Dialect (Andrew Hunt)
Kelly Jayne Jones
Quieting

PM
Open Decks Session

Annual General Exchange 2021 – Sound, dug through

AGE 2021 will pay attention to sonic commonalities at scales. Close listening to the tiniest vibrations of our immediate surroundings can reveal the possibility for multi-species, more-than-human communication. Such listening also reveals the solidifications of ongoing colonial and extractivist stories within sound.

Honouring presence by listening closely, this year we’ll be working with the medium of field recordings in many different forms. There’ll be workshops which allow us time for environmental response, and reflections on the technologically mediated capture of sounds.

Throughout the week, there will be opportunities to experiment, which situate sound in the body, and respond to the spirit of place: expect sound bounced off architecture, cut with layers of folklore and shaped by momentary mood.

We’ll be exploring the bodily affects of listening – the patient effort of receptive stillness, for example, or the percussion of a body receiving intense information. Our capacity for attention is linked to our body’s permeability, and never-ending noise pollution becomes toxic body-burden. How, then, can we cut through the saturation, and hone our ears to be able to enter different frames of reference, perspectives and alternative ways of thinking and being?

For AGE 21: Sound, Dug Through; we’ll be attending to time compressed by ancestral histories, interrupted by ontological category and resonated by embodiment.

There will be time for stayers to add, hold-with offer moments during the loose schedule of the AGE. If you’d like to propose something chiming or jangling the thematic, this can be done when you arrive, or drop us a line beforehand.

There are many welcomed forms: workshops, extended conversations, trying out new ideas or working through your practice.

As the week calls us to attend to listening-beyond, there will be an opportunity for stayers to make their own noise, create sound and experiment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an artistic research centre?

In the arts, just like in the sciences, research is conducted in the process of making or experimenting. Practitioners take time, and focus attention on the way that they conduct their practice – however it fits into a discipline, or sits outside many. The process of doing research in the arts varies greatly, and there is no one methodology which applies to all. This artistic research centre is a space where people can come to explore different methods of working, have time for reflection, and get feedback from other practitioners.

What do you mean by self-organising?

The stewards are here to support the building and its resources. The building and its resources are here to support you and your work. While the project is all about trying to make things possible, stewards are already fully occupied with administration and practicalities and can not be expected to support the needs of your personal practice too.

Why is it only possible to stay for a minimum of two nights?

It’s not possible for people to stay for one night only, as this tends to take away from the community’s resources rather than add to it - not to mention the extra laundry costs!

Why is it only possible to stay for a maximum of one month?

In order for this resource to be shared by multiple different groups and individuals, stay is capped at one month. This keeps the space flowing and stops areas becoming territorialised unintentionally. As this is a study site, it is not possible to just live here, though we understand study takes many different forms and doesn’t always appear “productive”.

Why is there a sliding scale?

Many of the decisions we make here at BOARC focus on keeping this resource available for practitioners. The sliding scale helps us to offer a subsidised rate to people who would benefit.

Why is it important to read the values?

through the values carefully and make a decision for themselves about whether they feel aligned. It is not important to share all of these values exactly as they are written, but you should be aware that this is an actively anti-racist, anti-ableist, intersectional feminist site, and there are accountability guidelines in place here for users, stayers, stewards and organisers alike.[Link to values here]