CANAL ROCKS by tom allum
This project documents, maps and replays the soundscape of Canal Rocks near Margaret River.
The project was initiated in with Out of the Sea, an exhibition where isolated artists across Australia collaborated using a 3D point cloud scan of this natural place. Tom’s sound documents, maps and replays memories for those unable to physically experience it. Out in the wind, tangled in audio cables and bashed against rocks, the works attempted to capture the disparate emotion of the site - from swirling sheltered rock pools to the turmoil of the canal itself.
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'7 point sound blast’ is somewhat the centrepiece of the recording, epic in length, but also in narrative. The piece is an experiment using sound to map and establish space between specific points in the physical landscape. Raw field recordings are made and then reworked to form tones. These tones are then blasted back into the environment at night to act as blind markers for the listener. The idea is borrowed from maritime navigation where sound blasts are used to help locate vessels in seas with poor visibility. The final product serves as a meditation, traversing the site from ocean bridge, to scrubland and an exposed rocky outcrop.
'under' features hydroponic recordings taken deep within the canal. The waves push through, disrupting water pressure at the surface, while deep beneath, the water heaves and breathes.
'ABOVE', by Matt Slocomb and Tom Allum, rises up from the wash. 'time' plays with rhythm and tension to trance with both time and timelessness. On both tracks, musical elements are extracted from raw field recordings and then further accentuated through instrumentation. The landscape creates the starting point for each movement.
'northern bay', 'southern beaches' and 'twelve waves' are purer compositions. They take the perspective of the recordist and are largely a summation of the artist's experience - out in the wind, tangled in audio cables and bashed against rocks. The compositions recreate sensory experiences in order to reproduce memories and feelings of a place touched gently by human hands but battered by the elements.
Tracklist
| 1. | under | 4:26 |
| 2. | ABOVE | 3:19 |
| 3. | twelve waves | 3:26 |
| 4. | northern bay | 2:37 |
| 5. | 7 point sound blast | 15:00 |
| 6. | southern beaches | 3:06 |
| 7. | time | 4:51 |
Credits
Recorded on Wardandi Boodja.
Field recording & composition by Tom Allum
Guitar by Matt Slocomb.
Imagery by Spatial Co & Peter Hill.
