Date: August 4th, 2011
Cate: Community, FON 2011, Residencies, Uncategorized
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FON 2011:PHILIP JECK LIVE AT STATION VIEW HOUSE, BARROW

 

Over the last few months Octopus has been visiting the residents of Station View House, playing records and talking about music, how we experience it and what it means to people . In the coming year we will be working on a project called Voices Of Station View, with the support of our County Council. Today  composer Philip Jeck performed for  the residents,  drawing on records sourced from local charity shops.  At the end of the performance a member of the audience told Philip ” I could have listened to that all day.”

 

Date: August 4th, 2011
Cate: Education, FON 2011, Residencies, Uncategorized
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FON 2011; TETSUO KOGAWA’S TRANSMITTER WORKSHOP, LANTERNHOUSE, ULVERSTON.

The first event of FON 2011.  Japanese Free Radio pioneer Tetsuo Kogawa presents his Transmitter workshop at Lanternhouse , Ulverston,

Date: April 7th, 2011
Cate: Events, happenings, Octopod gigs, Residencies
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Poulpe at Islington Mill

Poulpe poster

Poulpe

by Octopus

Saturday 26th March, Islington Mill, James Street, Salford M3 5HW

7pm-3am, £7 admission

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

Date: March 21st, 2011
Cate: Commissions, Events, Octopod gigs, Residencies
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More Poulpe in Progress…

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

Date: March 17th, 2011
Cate: Events, Octopod gigs, Residencies, Video
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Poulpe in progress…

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.

merzman.co.uk

Date: November 26th, 2010
Cate: Community, FON 2010, Residencies
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Gary Abbott in session with Paul Rooney.

Gary plays the beautiful trumpet parts that attracted so many visitors to Paul’s “Spit Valve” installation in the park. Based in Barrow, Gary plays with the Barrow Steelworks band, and was recommended to us by everyone we contacted in our search for an accompanist for Paul’s piece. Andrew, (Octopus Director) is a Brass player himself, and has  copies of the LPS Gary made with the Shipyard Band a few years ago. Thanks again Gary for all your help.

Date: November 26th, 2010
Cate: Commissions, FON 2010, Residencies

The “Spit Valve” text.

Paul Rooney’s  “Spit Valve” text, in which a pool of spittle in a Trumpet valve muses on the nature of its existence.  Available from us for £5  and with a cd of Gary Abbott’s trumpet soundtrack, this is the first in our series of Octopus Editions.  (“Editions Octopus”?) There’s also a version for our FON AIR radio PROJECT , with Paul reading the piece  in our studio at Piel View House.

Date: November 26th, 2010
Cate: FON 2010, Residencies
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FON AIR on air. BBC R4 visits Octopus.

BBC R4′s Bob Dickinson (left) records the “Spit Valve” tech run during a visit to Octopus HQ in november. Bob is a smashing feller with family in Barrow and is putting together a programme looking at the impact of THE CUTS on Barrow’s arts organisations. We are more optimistic than we look. Good thing it’s radio.

Date: November 26th, 2010
Cate: FON 2010, Residencies

Paul Rooney’s “Spit Valve”installation in Barrow Park

Nov 28th, and Paul Rooney and Octopods meet their audience on a bright and chilly afternoon in Barrow Park for the launch of Paul’s” Spit Valve” installation. Kicking off at 1pm Paul and Gary Abbott’s music was looped at a sociable voliume for 3 hours, and visitors were given a copy of the the accompanying text to read while they listened. We met some nice people, had some good chats and heard some interesting comments…”very tranquil..” ” The fountain in the park lake looking down from the cenotaph made a deep connection with the music and seemed framed by the bandstand..”

Date: November 26th, 2010
Cate: Commissions, FON 2010, Residencies
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EAR: Paul Rooney in residence at Barrow Park

Paul Rooney working with Barrow Trumpeter Gary Abbott during his residency at Octopus HQ  Piel View House in Barrow Park.  Paul produced a text and music piece, titled  “Spit Valve” and available from us as a book and CD.

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