KUNSTRADIO - RADIOKUNST, 24. September 2000

"Stack"
von Ros Bandt

Sounding the Tower, an ephemeral acoustic space.
Original sonic explorations of a major new urban tower.
An acoustic space for a moment in the development of the City of Melbourne.

1. RED, rhythmic pulses in redpaint & electrified steel. 9.53

2. BLACK HOLE, sonic underground. 14.33

3. LOST IN SPACE. 3.24

4. GRID, electrified metal. 18.12

5. PAEAN, sopranino recorder, voice & effects. 1.56

6. STACK, AerialSpiral mix of 1-3. 10.49

PLAY EXCERPT
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Ros Bandt: "The heart of the city of Melbourne is being pulled apart. New industrial chimneys are changing the face of the city above and below the ground to terrible consequence. The City Stack stands 55 metres tall and black with its red arterial exoskeleton bravely revered. From its mouth will spew pollution directly over the city centre, a constant presence from the vehicle society. Extractor fans will silence this acoustic space, a giant instrument in ist own right, forever, with baffled hums from the dungeons beside the underground tunnel. Melbourne lift your face and gard your nest. Hear this space for the last time and heed its warning."

Ros Bandt composer performer designer, Environmental Recordings workers, rain on the scaffolding, fans, cars Instruments played: viola da gamba, flutes ,gender, percussion, medieval psaltery, electronic design, effects. Tin sheet, amplified steel section of the exoskeleton.

Credits: Thanks to TOJV for access to the space *** Melbourne City Council for funding Stage One *** ABC's Listening Room for commissioning the piece.

Sounding the Stack Chimney South Melbourne, Ros Bandt 1998-2000 - Description

Internationally renowned composer and sound artist ros bandt brings to life the inner and outer sonic possibilities gleaned from the massive city Stack, a 55 metre chimney stack designed to extract fumes from the new underground city link tunnel in the heart of Melbourne's underground. Sounds captured from the 55 metre cylinder, the external grid and internal resonant surfaces of experimental concrete, along with ambient sounds of the industrial extractor fans and the builders working, are woven into exciting new sonic art by this major artist. Ros Bandt performs on unusual sound sources such as the 18th century viola da gamba, medieval flutes, the Indonesian mallet instrument, the gender and percussion to explore this dungeon. Sections of the steel frame itselfwere electrified in order to generate a whole range of original percussion timbres. In the studios of the ABC, Stack was able to be realised using a vast array of studio effects and extra recordings, mixed together with the site specific recordings. An elaborate graphic score records the design of the sounding of the cylinder which will soon be silenced forever with the dulled roar of electric extractor fans. Bandt's profile of the cylinder comprises 6 pieces. Four pieces were made which translated the materials of the architectural form, the red exoskeleton, the steel grid ,the black hole. Two pieces were performed live in the cylinder, Paen an elegy for the lost soul of the city for sopranino recorder and voice and Lost in Space for electronically altered medieval psaltery. The cylinder was sounded. The acoustic space is lost forever, for the roar of fans and cars.