Listen to the City

How music can change our perception of life

You don't have to think too long about it to realize this is a great idea: Put 60 experimental artists from the United States, Europe and New Zealand (!) together, allow them to perform at the most diverse sites of Downtown Long Beach and you know you've got something special. The annual SoundWalk goes into round two and if things are only half as exciting as last year's event, which managed to draw a total crowd of more than 1.000 spectators, this should be one 2005's highlights.

There's more to Soundwalk than you might think. For behind the project lies a clear vision of Flood, a collective of artists dedicated to challenging the limits of expression by means of collaboration and experimentation, using a wide array of genres: The plan is to change the perception of our surrounding world by immersing it in sound. Just like a museum provides a frame for discussion, the whole city can be made into one and allow visitors to move away from mere aspects of practicability and function to aspects of beauty. Group member Frauke van der Horst puts it thus: "The change of the sound ambience within an otherwise familiar and utilitarian environment will couch unexpected encounters, unaccustomed relations between the sounds of the city and the installed interference with the everyday perceptions"

Soundwalk will take place on Saturday, August 20th.

Homepage: Soundwalk 2005