BEAU BRUIT | cultures sonores

The entries submitted range from finely captured audio landscapes and dense acoustic conglomerates depicting the multitude of sounds in an urban space, to rhythm montages, strolls and the occasional light-hearted portrait of a region. The sounds encompass the church bells and cowbells so characteristic throughout Europe, the crunch and squeak of ice floes and snow mounds in Iceland, various sounds of water, underground mining noises, the typical spectrum of urban transport (underground trains, cars, bicycles), electrical vibrations, birds, all sorts of languages, kitchen noises and still atmospheres. The characteristics of the artist’s selected venue or of his/her native country are often revealed through the sounds chosen, the ambiance and the technology or aesthetics applied. It is interesting to note that the artists did not always select the European venue where they resided, but rather almost as often places in other countries that they visited and explored from an acoustic viewpoint. This results in a blend of self-portraits and depictions of other cultures.

Out of the total of 186 contributions from 25 European countries, nearly half (70) came from Germany. It should be noted in particular that around a quarter of the entries were submitted by women. Contributors range in age from 20 to 60.