FIELD FEST was the official launch of the ‘Sounds of Europe’-project initiated by Q-O2 (Brussels), MTG/Sons de Barcelona (Barcelona), IRZU (Ljubljana) and CRiSAP (London). ‘Sounds of Europe’ acknowledges and explores the increase of field recording activity in music, art and science.

FIELD FEST presented an up-to-date sampling of the artistic use of field recording. The artistic use of field recordings can be numerous: in sound installations or compositions; barely recognizable as a component in electroacoustic music or very abstract as recorded silence. Also, a strong philosophical dimension emerges around the question how we position ourselves against the world and its appearances.

 
Twenty artists, both new and established, settled from  12 to 15 October 2011 in Brussels’ Beursschouwburg and Q-O2: Manfred Werder, Annea Lockwood, Anne Wellmer, Emmanuel Holterbach, Justin Bennett, Eric La Casa, Philip Samartzis, martiensgohome, Michael Pisaro, Jason Kahn, Mecha/Orga, Pali Meursault, Lee Patterson, Toshiya Tsunoda, Pauwel De Buck, Peter Cusack, Els Viaene, Jez riley French.

 
Besides concerts and performances the artists elaborated as well on their different methods to use field recording as an artistic material, from a geographical, archiving or political approach to composed or conceptual works.

Click here to download the full program, essays and artist statements

 
image documentation

 
Sound by RITS Radio Brussels