TRAVEL DIARY

A weblog regularly updated by Jodi Rose.

Thursday, July 22, 2004

4:48 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Holed up in studio P53 at the ABC on Harris St, making delirious bridge music. Part three of the process so far - having recorded the sounds of the structures of 5 Australian bridges in the last 6 months, and then worked with Ben Fink on composing and Ion Pearce and Trevor Brown improvising to the raw compositions - extended cello techniques, flute and sax - I'm now sitting with Russell Stapleton who is weaving his enigmatic magic over them. (that's a pro-tools plug-in FX joke for anyone who's wondering.:) we found an FX called raspberry sparkle, which is being used on the Macintyre bridge. Having developed a hardcore purist attitude to the field recordings over the last few years - no, get your aural handprints off them! - it's fun to let loose and go totally psychedelic.
Even more so knowing that they will be played on ABC Classic FM, as it's all part of the ABC Radio residency.

Another recent comment on my work 'One of the few, good new ideas', from Damon, one of our fine public servants, who had even heard of me before I explained. So there you go!

Staying back in the studio tonight to edit some more interviews, listen to archival material and generally drive myself over the edge.

Only two weeks to go now, and the final production for the residency will be completed. Exciting and sad.
We had a great time in the studio on Tuesday, with a lovely actor - Susan Prior - reading text and quotes and poetry about bridges. She was marvellous, brought something really special and magical to the project. Then I had to get up and record introductions to each bridge - was resisting having my own voice involved, but again, decided to give in gracefully.

On the international artstar front - I've been invited to take part in a documentary on people who travel in unusual ways, as a bridge artist - based on Alain de Botton's book 'The Art of Travel'. So now I REALLY have to get myself to Europe in August - anyone with even $5 to spare, send it over, please!!

Must ask Jonathon to put that paypal 'Donate' button on the website. I really need a philanthropic patron, to gift me a years wage and just get on with taking this to the next level. ie the one where it pays on a regular basis. The ABC/OZCO gig has been amazing, an incredible chance to purely focus on your creative work for 6 months, with really excellent production and technical support. I am of course extremely grateful - but now I want it all the time!!!!!!! Working on that 6 months in a village on the coast of finland, where I can write my novel - I've heard the bridges singing. Who knows what the world will make of it, but I'm enjoying finally getting things out there.

Sad to have missed Liquid Architecture in melbourne, but I wasn't together enough to plan for it 3 months in advance, when the studio bookings are made, and so had to be back in Sydney when it was going on. Sounds like there was some wonderful performance and sound. Have been getting over the winter hibernation, back out into the world and meeting new people - that's what they say you need to do, in a new place. Not that there was anything wrong with the old people, they just seemed few and far between on the ground here. Ahh distance, if I could live successfully between places life would be so much more satisfying. It's that weird thing where you have all this contact with amazing people, all over the world, and your actual physical day-to-day life seems strangely empty in comparison. Maybe it's that old matter of attention, and being present. A lesson I keep having to learn.

Had a wonderful email from Jakob Kirkegaard, who records the sound of ice geysers and nuclear power plants - invited me to go to Iceland next month. hmmm another reason to get over the other side!
www.secretsounds.dk gorgeous!