—About
There is a musicality to the sounds of a city: the lingering resonance of a church bell, the low subterranean rumble of an approaching train, the cacophony of cyclists, cars, trucks, and trains in transit; the oscillating tones that emanate from streetlights, power lines and ventilation ducts. These sounds create a meditative counterpoint to the transient rhythms of the urban soundscape.
Sounding the City (2015-19) is an ongoing series of site-specific sound installations that explore the musicality of the urban soundscape. Emerging from their surroundings and occurring in the environments themselves, these installations invite our ears to focus on the music of places in which we find ourselves—to draw our gaze towards characteristics of urban environments that often go unnoticed. These interventions aim to transcend our everyday experience of space by blurring the lines between what is natural and what has been introduced into the environment.
On our walks through the city we discovered places that are undergoing significant change. Many are neglected or in-between spaces, and they may vanish in the near future. Directing our attention to their unique sounds, and resonances with past and future are transformed into memorable experiences. The project’s online platform forms a living archive where these ephemeral sonic spaces can live on in our collective memory even as they disappear from sight.
JEN REIMER & MAX STEIN
Jen Reimer (CAN) & Max Stein (USA) are sound artists based in Montréal and Los Angeles. Their work explores the resonances of urban and rural sonic environments through in-situ performances, installations and spatial recordings.
Since 2008 they have created a series of performances and installations in abandoned and public spaces in Montréal and abroad including Wellington Tunnel, St Urbain Underpass, Bain St-Michel (Montréal), Mãe D’ Água (Lisboa, PT), Tunnel Bénedit-Jobin (Marseille, FR), Rotonda Besana (Milan IT), Vapaan Taiteen Tila (Helsinki, FI) and Sottopassaggio di Porta Vescovo (Verona, IT). Their performances combine live and processed horn and field recordings with the inherent sonic environment to create an immersive and physical experience of sound and space.
001 - MONTRÉAL—2015-16
Project by Jen Reimer & Max Stein
Visual identity for website, exhibition and publication LOKI
Photography for Champ des Possibles & Chemin des Carriéres (Installation) by Ralitsa Doncheva
Chemin des Carriéres Installation presented as part of Les Inaudibles curated by Eric Mattson, 24 May 2016
Outremont Wasteland presented as part of Le Virage curated by Laboratoire sur les récits du soi mobile, 28 September 2016
Supported by matralab - lab for research-creation in the performing arts at Concordia University
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien.
002 - SÃO MIGUEL—2017
Project by Jen Reimer & Max Stein
Completed during the Invisible Places 2017 artistic residency in April 2017
Visual identity for website LOKI
Posto de Transformação Nº 511 Installation presented as part of Invisible Places 2017, 8 April 2017
Rua de São Miguel 41 Installation presented as part of Invisible Places 2017, 9 April 2017
Supported by matralab - lab for research-creation in the performing arts at Concordia University
003 - GUELPH—2018
Project by Jen Reimer & Max Stein
Completed as part of IICSI and Musagetes Improvisers in Residence program between February-September 2018.
Visual identity for website, publication and exhibition LOKI
004 - VALPARAÍSO—2018
Project by Jen Reimer & Max Stein
Completed during the TSONAMI 2018 artistic residency from November-December 2018
Visual identity for website LOKI
Villaseca Installation presented as part of Tsonami 2018 curated by Eric Mattson and Fernando Godoy, 5-10 December 2018
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien.
005 - SUMIDA-KU—2019
Project by Jen Reimer & Max Stein
Completed during a 3 month residency at Tokyo Arts and Space 2019 from May-August 2019
Visual identity for website LOKI
We acknowledge the support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien.