Paris – A Personal View

I AM DELIGHTED TO present a new piece in my Paris – A Personal View series.

For each piece in the series I invite a guest who lives in Paris to visit one of their favourite places or a place in the city that has a special meaning for them. With access to a microphone and sound recorder the guest talks about the place and tells us why it’s special to them.

Today my guest is Forest Collins.

Cocktail-stalker, opinion-foister, and things-happening-maker, Forest Collins, seeks out superlative cocktails in the city, spills all on the blog and shares these spots with readers through regularly organized soirées. Her blog, 52 martinis, is the most widely read English language blog on Paris cocktail bars. You’ll also find her frequently writing about unusual eating and drinking experiences for well-known Paris based websites and publications. Join in the fun by following her on twitter @52martinis or check out the 52 martinis blog.

And Forest’s chosen place? The Cimetière du Père-Lachaise…

Forest Collins at the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise:

Photo from Wikipedia

Memorial to the Dead

Oscar Wilde’s Tomb … Before 

Oscar Wilde’s Tomb … Today

Photo from Wikipedia

I am very grateful to Forest for giving up her time to visit and talk about the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise.

Courtesy Note:

Unlike other sounds on this blog, the sound piece ‘Forest Collins at the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise‘ is not covered by a Creative Commons license. The copyright for this piece rests jointly and exclusively with Forest Collins and Des Coulam.  It follows therefore that the downloading of this piece for any purpose is not permitted without the express permission of both Forest and Des. We have no wish to spoil your enjoyment of this piece but simply ask you to respect that the work is ours. Thanks for understanding.

Paris – A Personal View

I AM DELIGHTED TO present a new piece in my Paris – A Personal View series.

For each piece in the series I invite a guest who lives in Paris to visit one of their favourite places or a place in the city that has a special meaning for them. With access to a microphone and sound recorder the guest talks about the place and tells us why it’s special to them.

Today, my guest is Adam Roberts.

Photo courtesy of Adam Roberts

Adam is an Englishman who has lived in Paris for a little over fifteen years. As well as doing his demanding day job Adam finds time to write the very informative and popular Invisible Paris blog – a celebration of the parts of Paris that would be refused entry to the ville musée if they tried to get in today.

And Adam’s chosen place? The Hôpital Salpêtrière …

Adam Roberts at the Hôpital Salpêtrière:

Hôpital Salpêtrière

Mur des Fermiers Généraux - The Farmers-General Wall

Former Women’s Prison Cells

Charcot’s Library – Photo courtesy of Adam Roberts

Bâtiment de la Force

Chapelle Saint-Louis

I am very grateful to Adam for giving up his time to visit and talk about the Hôpital Salpêtrière.

Thanks Adam.

Courtesy Note:

Unlike other sounds on this blog, the sound piece ‘Adam Roberts at the Hôpital Salpêtrière’ is not covered by a Creative Commons license. The copyright for this piece rests jointly and exclusively with Adam Roberts and Des Coulam.  It follows therefore that the downloading of this piece for any purpose is not permitted without the express permission of both Adam and Des. We have no wish to spoil your enjoyment of this piece but simply ask you to respect that the work is ours. Thanks for understanding.

Paris – A Personal View

I AM DELIGHTED TO present a new series of pieces for this blog entitled, Paris – A Personal View.

For each piece in the series I will invite a guest who lives in Paris to visit one of their favourite places or a place in this city that has a special meaning for them. With access to a microphone and sound recorder, the guest will talk about the place and tell us why it’s special to them. I’m certain that throughout the series the mixture of people, places and styles of delivery will make for interesting and fascinating listening.

To begin the series I am delighted to present a personal view of Paris from Susie Kahlich.

Photo courtesy of Susie Kahlich

Susie is an American screenwriter living in Paris.  In addition to her screenwriting work, she is editor of the cinema section at Vingt Paris Magazine, and a published author and poet.

And Susie’s chosen place? The Parc Monceau …

©Susie Kahlich in Parc Monceau:

 

 

I am very grateful to Susie Kahlich for making time in her busy schedule to record this piece and for giving us her very personal view of the delightful Parc Monceau.

Thanks Susie.

Courtesy Note:

Unlike other sounds on this blog, the sound piece ‘Susie Kahlich in Parc Monceau’ is not covered by a Creative Commons license. The copyright for this piece rests jointly and exclusively with Susie Kahlich and Des Coulam.  It follows therefore that the downloading of this piece for any purpose is not permitted without the express permission of both Susie and Des. We have no wish to spoil your enjoyment of this piece but simply ask you to respect that the work is ours. Thanks for understanding.

A Conversation With Victoria Fenner … Documentary Poet

VICTORIA FENNER LIVES and works in Canada. With a background in radio and television broadcasting for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and in community based media, Victoria is now an independent radio producer, sound artist and successful businesswoman.

Victoria runs a production company producing journalistic and feature material for radio, Internet, podcasts and video. Much of her work on the themes of social justice, the environment, poverty reduction and global women’s rights has been syndicated nationally and internationally. She also runs ‘Sound Out Communications’, a media production, training and distribution company, working with video, audio and still images. Victoria has a special interest in community radio and in the exploration of the artistic possibilities of radio.

Apart from her very successful broadcasting and business career, Victoria is also one of Canada’s leading sound artists. She travels extensively collecting sounds, which she uses to compile wonderful works of sound art. In this increasingly important part of her work she sets out to listen to the world and to hear it in new ways expressed in rhythms, words, textures and harmonies.

When I first discovered Victoria’s work I was captivated by it and I knew that I had to find out more about the person behind these fascinating sounds. I approached Victoria and she readily agreed to speak to Soundlandscapes’ Blog.

A Conversation with Victoria Fenner:

My conversation with Victoria would not be complete without including some her work. When I suggested this to Victoria she readily agreed to share some of her sounds with us.  The selection is important because it covers the spectrum of her work. These pieces have not been edited to appear here, they are what they are – full-length, original works.

The first piece is called Restoration Sinfonietta, a soundscape made entirely of sounds made by hammers, saws, rachets, power drills and other implements of mass construction.

Restoration Sinfonietta:

The next piece, You Can’t Miss It, is an audio map about getting lost in the Appalachian Mountains. Victoria produced this piece when she was living in Kentucky where getting lost seemed to be a full-time occupation 

You Can’t Miss It:

This piece, Qui Chante, was my first introduction to Victoria’s work and so it’s a particular favourite of mine. It’s a soundscape based on the Lourdes Grotto, an outdoor 
cathedral in the busy borough of Vanier in Ottawa. It explores the theme of quiet, silence and the sacred voice in the 
heart of the secular city. We are encouraged to 
think about our human voice connecting with the voice of the divine
 in a sea of noise created by a secular world.

Qui Chante:

And this selection of Victoria Fenner’s work wouldn’t be complete without a piece from her vast radio repertoire. In my conversation with Victoria we spoke about documentary poetry and radio as art space. This next piece beautifully encapsulates both of these concepts. After Exile was commissioned by the Deep Wireless Radio Art Festival and one of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s best programmes, “Living Out Loud”.  Steve Wadhams, the award winning CBC Radio producer, co-produced this piece with Victoria. For me, this piece represents the very best of radio – imagery, emotion, involvement and a sense of really being there and sharing the experience. Never have the terms documentary poetry and radio art seemed so appropriate.

After Exile:

In ‘After Exile’ Victoria Fenner was herself and Edward Moll was the ghost of Raymond Knister.

Today, we are blessed with so many sound artists producing individual and original works of sound art. I listen to many of them and enjoy the compositions they produce. Victoria’s work though appeals to me especially because of its simplicity. She takes simple sounds, sometimes words but often the everyday, often ignored, sounds around us and transforms them into poetry … documentary poetry. And please don’t confuse simplicity with being easy to produce. As one who has wrestled endlessly with simple sounds I can attest that simple is often much harder than you think. I really enjoy the way that Victoria makes her documentary poetry seem simple. That is a great gift aspired to by many but enjoyed by few.

I really hope that you’ve enjoyed listening to my conversation with Victoria Fenner. If this has given you as much pleasure to listen to as it’s given me to produce then it will have all been worthwhile. If you’ve enjoyed it please leave a comment. Victoria and I would really like to know what you think.

Victoria has been extraordinarily generous in sharing both her words and her sounds with us so it just remains for me to say a very big thank you! Thanks Victoria … until the next time!