Sound maker Roslyn Oades was commissioned by Chamber Made to create a podcast series. Roslyn conducted a series of art dates with artists about their practice, with conversations particularly referencing how they have been listening at this moment in time.

Credits

To learn more about Dr Ros Bandt’s extensive body of work and hear samples of her audio, visit her website here.

The field recording organization that assisted Dr Ros Bandt in collecting wildlife recordings for the Currawong project she references was the Australia Wildlife Sound Recording Group.

Dr Ros Bandt’s wheat silo & water tank recording, Improvisation in Acoustic Chambers (1981), can be found here

The book about time Dr Ros Bandt recommended is Time, the Familiar Stranger by J.T.Fraser.

You can read the essay titled Designing with Chaos, Allowing the Unprogrammable to Occur by Dr here.

You can learn more about the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology here.

You can learn more about the Australian Forum for Acoustic Ecology, and become a member, here.

The Hearing Places project founded by Dr Ros Bandt and Leah Barclay, can be accessed here.

You can learn more about the Federation Bells public sound-art project and the Federation Bells app that Dr Ros Bandt references in her audio sketch here.

You can see images of the incredible underground Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnici, Istanbul) Dr Ros Bandt speaks about performing in and ‘sounding’ here.

Dr Ros Bandt’s Tarhu Connections CD (which includes several recordings from the Yerebatan Cistern) and other releases can be found here.

You can read more about Dr Ros Bandt’s famous father, Lewis Bandt, here.

Our Audiosketch podcast title music is by Fia Fiell. This piece, All in the Same Room, is from Fia Fiell’s 2018 album of the same name, which you can find on bandcamp here.

Transcript

RosO: So, what we might do to start is do a clap together so I can synchronise the claps after. So, I want you to close your eyes for this because we might be in slightly different, um-

RosB: There might be a latency. Yeah, yeah.

RosO: So we’ll go, three two one clap.

Ros B: Okay.

Ros O: Ready? Three, two, one, clap

{Clap – signature title music by Fia Fiell begins}

RosO: Great. Weird. It’s weird that we’re not quite in the same moment in time, isn’t it? We’re out of time… And in time.

Ros B: There’s no such thing as time.

Ros O: Yes, I know it’s dissolved.

Ros B: Don’t get me onto this argument. You’ll be here all night! [Laughs]

Ros O: Welcome to Audio Sketch. A Chamber Made podcast dedicated to innovative artists working across performance, sound and music. I’m Roslyn Oades. And in this episode of Audio Sketch, I’m excited to be on an art date with internationally acclaimed sound artist, composer, musician and scholar, Dr Ros Band. Ros was recently honoured with the Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music. And if you’re not familiar with her pioneering audio works, I strongly recommend a visit to her website.

{Signature title music by Fia Fiell}

Ros O: Hi, Ros.

Ros B: Hi Ros.

[laughter]

Ros B: I love this.

Ros O: I know. I feel a bit weird about us both having the same name.

Ros B: Oh, it’s really lovely. And I wanted to meet you face to face for ages. So, I think it’s really great that you invited me to do this.

Ros O: Oh, it’s so lovely to have you here. So, Ros, if you were to be a sound right now, what sound would you be?

Ros B: I would be the Currawong. In my fountain.

Ros O: I love that. Why Currawong?

Ros B: I’ve been totally obsessed with them during COVID lockdown here because we’ve got one that visits. And I imitate back to it. And I’ve made thousands of recordings. This morning I got up and I really couldn’t get my Zoom recorder together in time. And the acoustic was magnificent because it was really warm and sunny very early, at about quarter to six. And it’s just got to be in my head. So now that Currawong sound is in me.

RosO: Can you give me a sample of your Currawong?

RosB: Um, I could probably play it on an instrument. Would that be…?

RosO: Oh my gosh, I’d love that.

RosB: I’ve been transcribing them for about six months. Um…

{RosB plays a sample of her Currawong composition}

RosO: Oh, wow. That makes my heart sing.

RosB: Oh, good, because I’ve been struggling with these, all these pitches for some time now. And, you know, the resonance of the different weathers and everything. They tend to fly over right above the window in this room. And I’ve had the big,...