Radia Show 865 | Laments

by Mara Genschel for Radio Helsinki

RADIA

"In 2008/2009, I was in my late twenties but felt like in late puberty. I worked on a collection of fixed sound pieces that I would describe as precisely composed field poems. These Laments (as a half-ironic reference to Monteverdis famous Lamento d’Arianna) are based on somewhat classical field recording material (daily life, urban soundscapes, noise) and on the other hand extremely private, spoken and often sobbed confessions I would nowadays assume to be evidence of a mental crisis combined with a devastating love story.


Technically these pieces are produced quite Low Tech – I would compare this way of cutting sound material with handwritten poems: drafted, crossed out, marked. Further, the evidence of time (13 years!) is very clear: sounds like „digital camera“, acoustic phone messages, UKW radio etc. must already seem historical, even nostalgic nowadays. I recorded most of it with a MINI DISC PLAYER and OKMs (Originalkopf-Mikrofon).

 

To whom these mixtures of tears and glitches, glitches and tears appear to be too private, selfmade or embarressing, I suggest to listen to them as simple love songs. Their approximate titles might be as follows:

 

THE DAY I FELL IN LOVE WITH A BLIND POET (00:30)
THE DAY MY GLASS BUTTER DISH BROKE (02:43)
WALKING THROUGH THE SNOW OF YOUR CANON (03:58)
THE DAY I HEARD MY DEMONS HAVE A COLD (feat. MONTEVERDI) (06:38)
SKYSCRAPERS ORANGE AND BLUE (OIL ON CANVAS) (09:18)
LOVE GAMES NEW SEASON (12:28)
INSTRUMENTAL (16:10)
BLACK SWANS EATING A CHRISTMAS TREE (18:00)
THE DAY I LOST YOU IN MY HONEYPOT (20:29)
A MIDSUMMERNIGHTS ENDING (WILL THESE THREADS EVER SEW ME TOGETHER AGAIN) (23:10)

 

WARNING: Please be careful with headphones at 09:18-12:30

 

Here you can find Mara Genschel's recent projects here. 

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