[ISEA2004] Artist Talk: Petri Kuljuntausta — Northern Lights

Artist Statement

Northern Lights takes the Aurora Borealis as its source material in a collaboration between art and science. In 2001, when composer and sound artist Petri Kuljuntausta was searching for new ideas for a forthcoming concert, he discovered that interesting new sound material had recently been recorded under bright Aurora Borealis. During thousands of years many observations have been made, however, there are no earlier measurements or recordings containing similar data. He contacted the person behind the research project, scientist Unto K. Laine, and a listening session was promptly arranged at the Acoustic Laboratory of the Helsinki University of Technology. Kuljuntausta was excited about the originality of the sounds and the sonic range of their characteristics, and the idea of a composition based on these sounds from space began to crystallize. The collaboration had begun.
In this concert we hear the original field recordings as well as processed versions of Auroral sounds. A continuous dialogue between the auroral soundscapes and their digitally manipulated alternate forms is created on stage using only real-time digital sound processors, such as a touch-sensitive sound processor.

Performer: Petri Kuljuntausta.
Visuals: Sami van Ingen.
Original field recordings: Unto K. Laine.

  • Petri Kuljuntausta (Finland) is a composer, performer and sound artist. He has composed electronic music for experimental films, visual art and dance projects, and made media and sound installations in museums, galleries and concert halls. His book, On/Off, a history of Finnish electronic music, was published in 2003.

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