Natálie, tell us about the concept of the Sanatorium Sonorum festival.
The first Sanatorium Sonorum ever will take place on 24th August 2024 in Pěčice near Mladá Boleslav and it’s going to be a unique listening experience. All of the artists made their pieces exclusively for our festival and they will probably never be presented this way elsewhere.
I would like Sanatorium Sonorum to be known as representing both the festival and our residency program for sonic artists and musicians. As the name suggests, it’s meant for the artists to spend some potentially healing time in our beautiful residency space Cabin Studio Pěčice which will hopefully help them gain energy to reflect their work and grow as artists. Our main objective was to provide artists with this opportunity and space, but also to give back to the community in the region and decentralize the cultural activities from the big cities where they mostly concentrate. The pieces our residents make or start working on during the residency are then to be presented at the festival. Not only do we organize the festival to show off the most up-to-date artistic practices, but we’re also trying to connect the artists with local music schools, cultural professionals and the public.
What inspired the festival’s founding?
The building of our residency space is a former game lodge where the brother of the famous Czech composer Bedřich Smetana – Karel – used to live. This year, we celebrate the Czech Year of Music, which happens to be the 200th anniversary of Smetana’s birth. Smetana is known for his lifelong pursuit of proving the worth of Czech music and its importance in an international context. He was constantly trying to educate and spread the word about what is new in music. So rather than focusing on interpreting his music (he’s one of the most played composers in Czechia), we focus on his legacy in this respect, trying to bring the most contemporary practices to the small village of Pěčice.
And then there were several other aspects to consider: there are close to zero residency opportunities focused on musicians and sonic artists in Czechia. The notoriously underfinanced sphere of culture means artists often have to work on several projects at once to make a living, leaving them with no time to regenerate and naturally evolve in their practice. Additionally, there is a need to connect the various musical scenes. There’s still a big leap between the worlds of, let’s say, classically or academically educated music artists and the club scene of progressive, experimental, or alternative music. Even though the practices are often similar, they lack dialogue and self-reflection. And last but not least, we want to approach the issue of living culture infrastructure being centered in big cities.
What was the process behind the selection of artists for Sanatorium Sonorum?
We’re trying to present various contemporary practices in music and sonic arts from artists of diverse backgrounds that are elaborate, significant, and relevant in the contemporary world of music and sound. The artists residing in Czechia were invited by me, as the curator of the residencies and festival, together with Studio Hrdinů. The ones from abroad were selected through an open call we had last summer. The artists were asked to come up with a proposal reflecting the work or persona of Bedřich Smetana. Together with Dominik Gajarský, Ondřej Mikula, and Jan Horák from Studio Hrdinů, we selected three artists: Anna Papaioanou from Greece, Samuel Van Ransbeeck from Belgium, and Manuel Lima from Brazil.
Can you share some insights into the artistic styles and backgrounds of the chosen artists?
All of our artists are presented in depth on our socials. Two of our first-ever residents were Vojtěch Šembera and Polina Katchenka, both working on their own projects during their residency.
Vojtěch is an academically educated composer and a baritone singer, currently a doctoral student in composition. He’s also a classical singing teacher at the conservatoire in Kroměříž. In his practice, he focuses on extended vocal techniques and contemporary music interpretation. For Sanatorium Sonorum, he is exploring the possibilities of his voice following material-dependent sonic qualities. Together with visual artist Medard Zeman, he is preparing a performance based on this interaction with an object made by Medard, creating unique sonic qualities.
Polina is an audiovisual artist, sound designer, and sonic curator, currently a doctoral student in Time-Based Media at UJEP, Úsk nad Labem. She is also active in the club scene as mʊdʌki. One of the essential aspects of Polina’s work is collaboration and group projects with NGOs, networks, and offspaces with a self-organized approach. For example, with the phonon~ crew, of which she is one of the founding members, she now organizes the SPATIAL sommer lab – a laboratory for multichannel performances and spatial sound with educational content and an open network of experts and artists. For our festival, she is preparing a performance dealing with ephemeral sound frequencies modulating archival recordings of Smetana’s work.
Manuel Lima, one of the residents chosen from our open-call, is originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and currently based in Berlin. He is a performer-composer with a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the California Institute of Arts. He usually performs with piano, electronics, speech monologues, cassepe tapes, and site-specific lighting while highlighting the conflicts and doubts around the creative process. In his application for our residency, he mentioned a rather interesting thing: When he first started having courses at university such as “History of Music”, which basically means the history of European music, he came across Smetana. He was then shocked that his most famous theme, “Vltava” from the “Má vlast” symphonic poems (by the way, Smetana composed the whole cycle while being deaf), was the same piece that was played by his father’s quintet based on the Amorial aesthetics movement inspired by Brazilian folklore music. He knew it from his very childhood.
How do the artists’ works reflect contemporary trends in sonic arts?
I hope that’s apparent from all of the above. Basically, they’re constantly evolving in their practice, which is quite elaborate and experimental in nature. This can be applied to the techniques, technologies, or means of their work that are relevant – and, as I believe Smetana would put it – on a global scale.
Can you tell us about any specific projects or compositions that the artists will be presenting?
I don’t want to spoil the experience, but I think I can say you can expect a very pleasant listening experience in quite unexpected contexts. To name a few: 3D printers as instruments, different species of frogs’ croaking as compositional material, sound walk, composing with algorithms, voice, and multichannel/spatial compositions.
In what ways do the artists engage with Bedřich Smetana’s legacy in their performances?
That varies from reinterpreting his work, such as Anna Papaioanou, who had students from the elementary music school in Mladá Boleslav play parts of Smetana’s Album Leaves motives and then used the recordings of them playing as building blocks for her composition within the livecoding and music composition program Tidal Cycles. Another example is Polina, who is using archival recordings of Smetana’s pieces from the Ústí nad Labem archive as her sound material. Others may be even more conceptual, attempting to learn completely new means of working during the residency, such as coding or collaborating with other artists, in the spirit of Smetana’s constant inspiration and learning from both domestic and international influences.
How do you see the blend of international and local artists contributing to the overall festival experience?
We all have a social, cultural, and educational background that shapes us immensely, and it’s important to be aware of its advantages and limitations. Our sonic perception is heavily influenced by this background. As mentioned before, Manuel has known the melody from Vltava since his childhood through hundreds-of-years-old folklore music. There’s very little chance that Smetana could have heard the melody, since he never traveled to South America, yet he is famous for it. I don’t know if he might have stolen it or if the melody was simply there and he “rediscovered” it. But I believe that we are doomed to repeat what’s already been invented or used if we are not aware of it. This concept applies to any progress or learning curve anywhere. Rather than creating a blend, we are focused on the exposition of diversity, which is what we aim to present at our festival as an alternative to what is well-known in the local community.
What can attendees expect in terms of the festival experience?
Our festival offers a unique listening experience. All of the artists have created their pieces exclusively for this event, and they will likely never be presented in this exact way anywhere else. We treat our artists with the utmost care, providing them with support from our mentors and an amazing team from Studio Hrdinů. Additionally, the performances will be accompanied by visuals – objects from Michaela Nováková and Libuše Kopůncová, as well as light design by Václav Hruška. I truly believe this will be a very unique festival experience.
THISTLE
Tell us about your origins. How did it happen that you and Simo started to explore these particular soundscapes?
Matěj: We met at the Bastl office – Simo was an external hand helping with soldering, and I was working there on Nona Records and community stuff, including events. Simo was interested in jamming and initially we were discussing organising an impro workshop. In the end, we met at the old Noise Kitchen room in Skleněná louka and jammed with a few other people from and around the Bastl community. Eventually, it was just the two of us meeting there and jamming. We felt really good about improvising music together, so we decided we should create a platform and go with that.
What effect do you want your music to make on the listener, and how do you approach this conceptually?
Matěj: The concept was very clear for a long time. We were always fully improvising, channeling the here and now, in the boundaries of long form music, experimental and weird, blurring the line between electronic and acoustic instruments, found sounds and field recordings. For Sanatorium Sonorum, we are excited to present pieces that are based on a specific idea and instrumentation; while we still improvise in these compositions, there is a clear structure. Furthermore, Daniel Meier is joining on violin for the concert and we are very happy about this collaboration. I think the effect we are seeking is to make music that can transport you somewhere else in space and time, at least in your mind.
Simo: Thistle was from the very beginning an improvised project, so the effect or feel we mediate is also site-specific and depending on the moment. The live concept was always to be honest, bare, and open.
You describe Thistle as an improvised conversation. How is writing your music for records different from playing live?
Matěj: In concert you play music and that’s it. In the studio, you have time to edit and overdub your recording, but the beginning of the writing process is the same – we just play and record everything.
Simo: Definitely, the basis of the writing-process is the same. We improvise all the time, even in the studio, but that offers more time and space to go deeper into nuances and different colors of sound with overdubbing and editing.
Staying on the topic of writing songs, how do you approach composition as a two-piece? To what extent is it pre-meditated?
Matěj: There isn’t much planning involved, but the output is influenced by instruments we would decide to use. Sometimes there is a loop from a different session as a surprise element that pops up, or a malfunctioning/mistake that creates a magical sound. These happy accidents can be a great inspiration.
Simo: Building structure is definitely done by improvising rather than creating sections and parts on the grid of a DAW or working to reach predetermined goals. We very seldom know how the piece in progress will eventually end up.
Your sound is organic and entrancing. What are your favorite musical instruments right now, and do you have any “signature” sound equipment you use all the time?
Matěj: Recently, I have been using the Chase Bliss Mood with other instruments, and the Meng Qi Wingie resonator excited by the original SoftPop by Bastl and Casper Electronics, which is my favorite instrument. Since last year, I have been trying to re-learn playing the clarinet, which I really enjoy. Another old-time favorite that I like to use is the Moog Slim Phatty.
Simo: I’ve lately been experimenting with by-ear or alternative tuning systems of string instruments, mainly different kantele-style harps and electric violin. In the electronic realm, Terra by Soma has a similar hands-on approach to tuning, as well as performing and playing, so that instrument has resonated with me a lot lately.
Matěj: The Terra is an amazing instrument. Currently I like how the electronic and acoustic instruments can be complementary to each other with the stringy, textural drones in creating rich soundscapes.
SWARM MAG’s current theme is Sugar Rush. If music records are candy, what is your favorite sweet treat?
Matěj: For me, it would be Oneohtrix Point Never – good amount of sweet stuff, but the taste is complex, there is heavy acidity and some clever surprises and ideas. Then there’s Takashi Kokubo’s Ion Series, which is the highest level of comfort candy. An obvious choice is Sugar Hiccup by Cocteau Twins. And, finally, Sweet Trip’s Velocity: Design: Comfort. Not only because of the name, but it literally sounds like a Sugar Rush to me.
Simo: I’d go for The Necks drummer Tony Buck’s solo album Environmental Studies for ear-candy sugar-OD; not the sweet stuff, but instead so hard and dense that it breaks your teeth.
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Sanatorium Sonorum is a festival of sound arts held in the village of Pěčice near Mladá Boleslav. Its inaugural edition will take place in 2024. This international listening festival features compositions and artistic projects created on-site during residency programs. The event is set in the vicinity of the gamekeeper’s lodge, coinciding with a significant anniversary of the composer Bedřich Smetana, who lived here briefly. The selected artists represent contemporary trends in sonic arts, thus providing a modern form and interpretation of Smetana’s legacy.
Samuel van Ransbeeck /BEL/
Thistle – Matěj Kotouček /CZE/ and Simo Hakalisto / FIN/
Richard Grimm /SK/
Vojtěch Šembera and Medard Zeman /CZE/
Mudaki – Polina Khatsenka /BLR/
Manuel Lima /BRA/
Anna vs June – Anna Papaioannou /GR/
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Saturday 24. 8. 15:30 – Buy tickets tickets with transport available – zájezd: Pěčice
