For the benefit of any younger Barrovians, this is a Record Shop. Second Layer is in London, just up from Highgate tube, and they stock a huge and excellent array of cd’s and vinyl ranging from what our friend Davydd Pattinson calls Harsh Noise to the English Bucolica of Shirley Collins. They were among the first friends of FON 2009 and they’re well worth a visit, have a look at their site .
www.secondlayer.co.uk
Octopus members John Hall, Andrew Deakin, Fern Oxley and Glenn Boulter
have developed POULPE as part of a short residency with Islington Mill.
The piece takes charity shop audio books collected in Cumbria and
Manchester as source material for a multi-channel installation
and a series of live performances. Creating a variable audio collage
from fragments of throwaway fiction, POULPE will be presented on
Islington Mill’s upper floors during the Merzman cabaret on
Saturday the 26th March from 7pm.
POULPE is Octopus’ second foray into Schwitters-inspired audio work
following ‘Morsonata’, a radio piece by Mobile Radio that was
commissioned for the inaugural FON Festival in 2009.
‘Morsonata’ saw Schwitters’ ‘Ursonate’ performed
by two Morse code operators from Barrow-in-Furness
Submariners’ Association as part of an hour long transmission
that was broadcast live from the festival’s base in Barrow Shipyard.
POULPE was commissioned by Littoral as part of
MERZMAN: Kurt Schwitters in the North West
www.islingtonmill.com
www.merzman.co.uk
www.octopuscollective.com
Octopus’ John, Andrew, Fern and Glenn working on Poulpe in the upper floors of Islington Mill in Salford, Monday 21st March. Poulpe is a commission for the Merzman festival to be performed on Sat 26th.
The piece takes charity shop audio books collected in Cumbria and Manchester as source material for a short wave radio installation and series of live performances. Creating a variable audio collage from fragments of throwaway fiction, ‘Poulpe’ will be presented on the Mill’s upper floors during the Merzman cabaret on Sat 26th March from 7pm.
‘Poulpe’ is Octopus’ second foray into Schwitters-inspired audio work following ‘Morsonata’, a radio piece by Mobile Radio that was commissioned for the inaugural FON Festival in 2009. ‘Morsonata’ saw Schwitters’ ‘Ursonate’ performed by two Morse code operators from Barrow-in-Furness Submariners’ Association as part of an hour long transmission that was broadcast live from the festival’s base in Barrow Shipyard.
www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=135104619891543
Established in 2003, Noise Club is a sound art group based in Liverpool and Edinburgh. Straddling the divide between stage performance and interactive intervention, the group creates dynamic soundscapes using homemade electronics, specially-constructed sonic sculptures, found objects, toys, plants, and even smells.
For this commission from Octopus, they have created a new work that mixes interactive installation and performance piece. The work explores the creative possibilities of brass instruments refashioned to new purposes, bent, twisted, and reconstructed in ways that they were never meant to function: from a sawn-off trombone to a circuit-bent tuba.
Octopus’ John, Andrew, Fern and Glenn working on Poulpe, a commission for the Merzman festival to be performed on Sat 26th at Salford’s Islington Mill.
The piece takes charity shop audio books collected in Cumbria and Manchester as source material for a short wave radio installation and series of live performances. Creating a variable audio collage from fragments of throwaway fiction, ‘Poulpe’ will be presented on the Mill’s upper floors during the Merzman cabaret on Sat 26th March from 7pm.
‘Poulpe’ is Octopus’ second foray into Schwitters-inspired audio work following ‘Morsonata’, a radio piece by Mobile Radio that was commissioned for the inaugural FON Festival in 2009. ‘Morsonata’ saw Schwitters’ ‘Ursonate’ performed by two Morse code operators from Barrow-in-Furness Submariners’ Association as part of an hour long transmission that was broadcast live from the festival’s base in Barrow Shipyard.
Octopus’ John Hall and Glenn Boulter warming up in the aquarium in Liverpool World Museum as part of DIY Music Day, produced by Sound Network.
Pictures from number 4 in our series of sound works for Barrow Park Bandstand – Dan Fox’s Boom Bike and directional speaker.
Ulverston Sound Artist and Musician Dan Fox visists the Park for a special FON AIR show on Feb 27. Dan will be bringing his magnificent Boom Bike ( left) , through which you can play your own music via your mobile or usb stick, and his Woosh Directional Speaker, which…well, come and listen.
1pm Sunday Feb 27, and its free of charge.
Our 2010 programme presented a series of residencies, performances, film screenings, commissions and artists talks spread over 12 months all with emphasis on developing a regular local audience for our events.
May
All Tomorrow’s Parties – film screening and collaborative Listening Session at Lanternhouse Ulverston.
Mogwai – Burning (with 44 Promotions) Film screening and Q+A at Lanternhouse.
Salon Event at Lanternhouse featuring Octopus turntable performances.
June
Salon event at Coniston Institute with Grizedale Arts.
July
Deck Wreckers – an evening of turntable based work, films and talks at Lanternhouse.
Lawson Park Open Gardens – Radio jingle workshop with Grizedale Arts.
August
AGF – live performance at Lanternhouse
Lorn (with 44 promotions) – Live performance with US electronic act at Lanternhouse Ulverston
September
Hildur Gudnadottir – live performance and film screening at Lanternhouse
December
Coniston farmers market and art fair – pop-up music shop with Grizedale Arts
Hildur Guðnadóttir at St. George’s Hall from Octopus Collective on Vimeo.
Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir stopped off in Liverpool on her way to the Lake District to perform at the opening ceremony of this year’s Liverpool Biennial. The event was one in a series of co-productions with the Biennial as part of the PRS for Music New Music Plus scheme, for which Octopus member Glenn Boulter was selected as one of 8 producers in the North West.
We also managed to arrange an impromptu live collaboration between Hildur and fellow Touch label mate Phillip Jeck which took place at artist Ted Riederer’s pop-up record shop and vinyl cutting service (see above). Octopus related artists also featured heavily at the Biennial after party with DJ sets from Mr Sushi, Shengi and a turntable performance from Naomi Kashiwagi at the ‘Britain’s largest brick structure’ the Stanley Dock Warehouse.
