- news - about - archives: 2018 - 2017 - 2016 - 2015 - 2013

Hangfarm

agricultural platform for sound art, Ellend, Hungary

Call for Works - Meadowscape


Hangfarm (english: Soundfarm) is a workshop and open air exhibition space for nature-based media art. The locations are placed on abandoned agricultural areas outside of a small village in south Hungary. The project and the areas covered by it are funded and owned by private, local people, and the whole project is going to be running on solar-powered electricity.

In 2020 we plan to open a soundscape exhibition place for the public, on a ca. 2000m2 (around 21000 ft2) empty field, surrounded with a small wetland, forest and 'standard' agricultural areas. The field itself is planted with few young (2-3 years old) fruit trees as well. In the current call we're looking for artists and their soundscape works, which could be presented on the field continously in a monthly rotation, realized on a 8-14 channel sound system.

What means soundscape?

One of the definitions at wikipedia explains, that „The term »soundscape« can also refer to an audio recording or performance of sounds that create the sensation of experiencing a particular acoustic environment, or compositions created using the found sounds of an acoustic environment, either exclusively or in conjunction with musical performances.” We extend this definition with the facts, that 1/ sources of non-real, synthetic acoustic environments can be also used in a soundscape and 2/ it is possible to create a soundscape in a form of autonomous or interactive installation, adressing the following priorities as well.

Priorities, keywords:


artificial and natural soundscape composition, sound immersion, augmented soundscape, psychoacoustic experiments, urban-rural contrast, digital environmentalism, low-power / solar-powered audio devices

Possible formats of the works:

a) fixed: 8-14 channel audio file(s) with free length, played as a loop on one or more multichannel audio player.
b) flexible: 1-2 channel audio files with free length, played independently as a loop on separate, multiple audio players.
c) generative: 8-14 channel real-time generated audio installation running on a computer with or without network control (we can provide technical support to set-up a node.js server and implement it in a website).
d) other: mixed of the above, locative, etc.

All of the above can use both AC electricity or some experimental, direct solar powered devices like these.

Possible time slots for presenting the works:

 - 5-26th june 2020
 - 3-31th july 2020
 - 7-28th august 2020

Other documents for the preparation:

Photos, draft map and location info of the area can be found at http://hangfarm.hu/info-en.php.

Funding:

The owners of the area provide technical support (installation, maintain and supervising of the area and the playback system), infrastructure (playback system, network access, network stream) and PR for presenting the works. We can't cover any travelling expenses and artist fees, but we can be a hosting partner in a grant or scholarship targetting this project. Also we can provide basic accomodation place for the time of installation.

Installation:

It's not necessary but it's recommended to be personally on site during the installation. For ex. if You're living in Burkina Faso, we really don't expect to travel to Hungary for placing some speakers and pushing the play button. But if You live or are in travel nearby, it's great that You perform the installation and participate on the exhibition opening. Just please indicate the plans and possibilities.

How to apply?

1: please consult in advance in any uncovered topics via email!
2: write an email to porta@hangfarm.hu containing the followings:
 - short CV
 - description of the work with link to audio demos
 - draft map with recommended set up of speakers
 - format (a, b, c or d)
 - preferred time slot
 - can help personally in installation or not

Deadline to apply:

Please send us everything till 1st november 2019 (due to the incoming mailbox problems, the deadline is postponed till 8th november 2019 - sorry!).
The proposals will be juried by a committee consisting of organizers of the Hangfarm workshop.
Notification of the decision: until 1st december 2019.

Previous works realized on the meadow:


Soundscape installation by Balázs Kovács (2019, excerpt)


Performance by Máté Labus (2016)


Tikkadt szöcskenyájak installation by Gábor Borosi (2015)


Vegetable tub installation (2014)

Others

The photos rotating above present the location. Among them the #5 (the one with the mixing desk) is shot by Gábor Rumann, the others by Balázs Kovács.


Here You can find some field recordings from the meadow: