Distant Sounds: Collective Participatory Sound Artwork in the Time of COVID–19
March 24, 2020 – ongoing (Last updated: 12:52 EST April 3, 2020. Artists continually added to sound file.)
William Felinski presents the community derived participatory sound artwork Distant Sounds composed and organized for Olio Projects’ digital open call during the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020. Social distancing is a phrase we have learned quickly. We are communicating more than ever its importance. We are seeing what it looks like and people share what it feels like openly. Our unity to use technology to bridge the distance between our psychical presence, nonverbal language, and ideas is strong. Distant Sounds is about understanding what social distancing sounds like for you right now during the global COVID-19 Pandemic. An assemblage of sounds put together like a quilt to soothe our ears as a transcendental meditation with a voyeuristic touch that places us in a moment of someone else’s social distancing and isolation that we do not perhaps know. The project intends to provide a necessary break from screen time visuals and cacophony of urgent news. Executed as an open call for any artist or individual looking to engage in an experimental artwork while at a distance, Felinski blurs the line between open call and group exhibition.
Date _
March 24, 2020 (ongoing)
Organizer _
13 Countries _
Argentina / Croatia / Denmark / England / France / Finland / Greece / Indonesia / Italy / Poland / Scotland / Spain / United States
85 Artists _
Tomas Delgado / Pamela Thompson / Ana Mosquera / Mike Moyer / Karnivulgar Vulgaris / David Hernandez / Elizabeth Sheffield / Gina DeCagna / William Henry Felinski / Yvelisse Viera / Emily Timothy / Griffin Wynne / Jenny Golden / Emily Laughlin / Orlando Saverino-Loeb / Thomas Lucero / Shannon Finnell / Pauline Lay / Dominique Matelson / Henri Brooks / Geoff Geis / Eileen Rae Walsh / Patrick Bransfield / Anna Martin / Nefeli Asariotaki / Fairuz Almas / Robbie Glynn / Yuko Nishikawa / Alison Evans / Akmal Nadhim / Alex Moonsang / Cara Kelly / Kimberley Cayamcela / Gabriella DiSanto / Maddy Loucas / Raúl Romero / Max Amar-Olkus / Jen Brown / Brittany Smith / Bella Steele / Molly Metz / Matthew Rinaldi / Carla Chasco / Seth Gamson / Raul De Lara / Hallie McNeill / Trevor Coopersmith / Spring Brooks / David Moré / David Annun / Jennifer Smith / Gabriel Garrido / Garrick Kricthen / Christian Johnson / Anaïs Cooper-Hackman / Linda Frank / Tracy Dizon / Gaylord Tang / Monica DeDomenico / Matthieu Rigelo / Nick Hoffman / Alexandria Nazar / McCullen Sandora / Karyn Raman / Jonathan Mildenberg / Suzzane Maruska / Gerald Sheffield / Jacob Lotkowski / Michael Dea / Sarah Lesnikoski / Neva Guido / Zuzanna Legan / Olivia Weincke / Scot Wittman / Lukas Keysell / Sakari Heikka / Theo Nugraha / Dori Miller / Kelsey Bosch / Nora Neely / Alexandra Snowden / Damian Plouganou / Hallie Cerna / Lucien Hearn / Ann-Marie Henryson
Open Call: Olio Projects’ Original Press Release Text & Call to Entry Participation Instructions
Description _
Social distancing is a phrase we have learned quickly. We are communicating more than ever its importance. We are seeing what it looks like and people share what it feels like openly. Our unity to use technology to bridge the distance between our psychical presence, nonverbal language, and ideas is strong. Distant Sounds is about understanding what social distancing sounds like for you right now during the global COVID–19 Pandemic. An assemblage of sounds put together like a quilt to soothe our ears as a transcendental meditation with a voyeuristic touch that places us in a moment of someone else’s social distancing and isolation that we do not perhaps know. The project intends to provide a necessary break from screen time visuals and cacophony of urgent news. This open call is for any artist or individual looking to engage in an experimental artwork while at a distance during stay-at-home orders.
How to submit _
Please record 30 seconds of ambient sounds as a .m4a file. We ask that artists record at any point in time from outside their living space’s window or door without making any of their own sounds. The idea is to capture the outside world as it is being experienced from a unique place and point in time. Additionally, Olio Projects requests entries include 1 to 5 sentences of reflection about the sound recording and personal observations about the COVID–19 pandemic.
We ask that all audio recordings are sent via email with the subject line formatted as: “Distant Sounds Entry YourCity, YourStateAbbreviation(or,YourCountry), YourZipCode” to olio.projects@gmail.com
All files shared must be .m4a and formatted exactly as follows: FirstName_LastName_YourCity_StateAbbriviation/or,YourCountry_YourZipcode.m4a
Participation in Distant Sounds is a rolling open call model without any limitations other than carefully following a simple procedure that is shared below. If there are any questions, please reach out to us at olio.projects@gmail.com before submitting. Thank you for your interest and following our guidelines.
Submissions will be shared on a first come first served basis and no set end deadline at this point in time. Physical exhibition and activations are consented to by sharing your audio file and writing for future manifestations of Distant Sounds.
Procedure _
Step 1.
Open the application “Voice Memos” if you are using an Apple iPhone running iOS. (Other mobile apps are fine and do exist if you are using a different manufacture’s phone or software platform.)
Step 2.
Go to your nearest window or door that you can safely open.
Step 3.
Place your phone gently next to the open air, or hold it steady with your microphone port pointed towards the opening to the outside world.
Step 4.
Press the record button and don’t make any sounds of your own for 30 seconds! (This is a big red on Apple iPhone iOS. You will likely hear a little chime signaling recording has begun. Keep your eye on the recording time.)
Step 5.
At 30 seconds exactly press the stop button and you will be prompted with “Save Voice Memo” where you must please type using this file format, “FirstName_LastName_YourCity_StateAbbriviation_YourZipcode”
(Example: William_Felinski_Philadelphia_PA_19103)
Step 6.
Select the Voice Memo just created and press the icon to share it via email to olio.projects@gmail.com
Step 7.
In the subject line please type, “Distant Sounds Entry YourCity, YourStateAbbreviation(or,YourCountry), YourZipCode”
(Example: Distant Sounds Entry Philadelphia, PA, 19103)
Step 8.
*Optional* Please share your intersection.
(Example: 18th St. & Pine St.)
Step 9.
Please write 1 to 5 sentences describing what you heard during this action or have observed during the COVID–19 pandemic.
Step 10.
Send the email and wait for us to reply with more information to you in the form of email.
Step 11.
Keep up with Distant Sounds here and on Instagram @olioprojects and @williamf__________