Photo credit: Jussi Aalto
I think that artists are for the most part in tune with what’s going on in the world. We’re all reporters, somehow journalists, who translate our message into our art, as art is in my mind, a readout, a digested or raw readout of what it is that we’re experiencing. Our wish to be an artist is in fact, in order to be able to spend our lives doing that process.
charlie morrow, conscient podcast, April 16, 2021
Charlie Morrow is a composer, sound artist, performer, and innovator whose goal over the past four decades has been to bring experimental sound and music to a wider audience. Morrow calls himself a ‘framemaker’, a creator and producer of context. His life’s work – 50 years as a hybrid, with one foot each in the classical and commercial music worlds. Born to a family of doctors and inventors, Morrow uses his creativity to make tools to share with others—not only musicians and sound artists, but teachers, architects, and engineers – ‘so that they might create positive spaces for work, education, and healing.’
My first point of contact with Charlie (who I did not know before then) was an email I received on April 10, 2021 where Charlie said:
‘I am a fellow lifer in the sound trade. Thought it would be fun to have a recorded conversation. I am completing production for Immerse! book and podcast with over 45 chats with collaborators on immersive projects. I am curious about what you have gathered from your conversations and happy to spontaneously share my experiences. … Hope you like the idea.’
This conversation took place on April 16, 2021 which I recorded at Charlie’s request. About halfway through the exchange I said:
‘I regret not setting this up as a conscient podcast interview because you’re saying so many interesting things. I probably could use some of it. I don’t know how you’d feel about that.’
Charlie responded:
‘Feel free to use it any way you like. I’m finding the conversation very stimulating. We’ve been through so many of the same patterns, you know, and we feel that we’re doing the work we do totally out of conscience and interest moved by the people who want to make life on earth better. Having noticed acoustic ecology, that’s my work right now, I talk about sonic health. ‘
Charlie and I exchanged on a wide range of issues including the origins of the conscient podcast, music, acoustic ecology, art and climate, health, hope, artists as journalists, etc.
As I am doing with all episodes in season 2, I integrated excerpts from e19 reality and e01 terrified into this episode as interludes.
I would like to thank Charlie for inviting me to speak and allowing it to become a serendipitous episode of conscient, for sharing his deep knowledge of music, sound and climate.
For more information on Charlie’s work, see https://www.charliemorrow.com/
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e31 morrow (traduction)
Je pense que les artistes sont pour la plupart en lien avec ce qui se passe dans le monde. Nous sommes tous des reporters, des journalistes en quelque sorte, qui traduisent notre message dans notre art, car l’art est, selon moi, une lecture, une lecture digérée ou brute de ce que nous vivons. Notre souhait d’être un artiste est en fait de pouvoir passer notre vie à faire ce processus.’
charlie morrow, balado conscient, 16 avril, 2021
charlie morrow, balado conscient, 16 avril, 2021
Charlie Morrow est un compositeur, un artiste sonore, un interprète et un innovateur dont l’objectif, au cours des quarante dernières années, a été de faire connaître la musique et les sons expérimentaux à un public plus large. Morrow se définit comme un ‘encadreur’, un créateur et un producteur de contexte. L’œuvre de sa vie – 50 ans d’hybridation, avec un pied dans le monde de la musique classique et un pied dans celui de la musique commerciale. Issu d’une famille de médecins et d’inventeurs, Morrow utilise sa créativité pour fabriquer des outils qu’il partage avec d’autres – non seulement des musiciens et des artistes du son, mais aussi des enseignants, des architectes et des ingénieurs – ‘afin qu’ils puissent créer des espaces positifs pour le travail, l’éducation et la guérison’.
Mon premier point de contact avec Charlie (que je ne connaissais pas avant) a été un e-mail que j’ai reçu le 10 avril 2021, dans lequel Charlie disait :
‘Je suis un compagnon de vie dans le commerce du son. J’ai pensé qu’il serait amusant d’avoir une conversation enregistrée. Je suis en train de terminer la production du livre et du podcast Immerse ! avec plus de 45 conversations avec des collaborateurs sur des projets immersifs. Je suis curieux de savoir ce que vous avez tiré de vos conversations et je suis heureux de partager spontanément mes expériences. … J’espère que l’idée vous plaira’.
Cette conversation a eu lieu le 16 avril 2021, que j’ai enregistrée à la demande de Charlie. A mi-chemin dans l’échange, j’ai dit :
Je regrette de ne pas avoir organisé cette interview pour le balado conscient, car ce que tu dis est tellement intéressant. Je pourrais probablement en utiliser certains éléments. Je ne sais pas ce que tu en penses?’
Charlie a répondu :
‘N’hésite pas à l’utiliser comme bon il te semble. Je trouve la conversation très stimulante. Nous sommes passés par tant de schémas identiques, tu sais, et j’ai le sentiment que nous faisons le travail que nous faisons totalement par conscience et par intérêt, poussés par les gens qui veulent rendre la vie sur terre meilleure. Ayant remarqué l’écologie sonore, c’est mon travail en ce moment, je parle de santé sonore. ‘
Charlie et moi avons échangé sur un large éventail de sujets, notamment les origines du balado conscient, la musique, l’écologie sonore, l’art et le climat, la santé, l’espoir, les artistes en tant que journalistes, etc.
Comme je le fais avec tous les épisodes de la saison 2, j’ai intégré des extraits de e19 reality et e01 terrified dans cet épisode comme interludes.
J’aimerais remercier Charlie de m’avoir invité à prendre la parole et d’avoir permis que cela devienne un épisode fortuit de conscient, pour avoir partagé sa profonde connaissance de la musique, du son et du climat.
Pour plus d’informations sur le travail de Charlie, voir https://www.charliemorrow.com/ .
The post e31 morrow appeared first on conscient podcast / balado conscient. conscient is a bilingual blog and podcast (French or English) by audio artist Claude Schryer that explores how arts and culture contribute to environmental awareness and action.
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About the Concient Podcast from Claude Schryer
The conscient podcast / balado conscient is a series of conversations about art, conscience and the ecological crisis. This podcast is bilingual (in either English or French). The language of the guest determines the language of the podcast. Episode notes are translated but not individual interviews.
I started the conscient project in 2020 as a personal learning journey and knowledge sharing exercise. It has been rewarding, and sometimes surprising.
The term ‘conscient’ is defined as ‘being aware of one’s surroundings, thoughts and motivations’. My touchstone for the podcast is episode 1, e01 terrified, based on an essay I wrote in May 2019, where I share my anxiety about the climate crisis and my belief that arts and culture can play a critical role in raising public awareness about environmental issues. The conscient podcast / balado conscient follows up on my http://simplesoundscapes.ca (2016–2019) project: 175, 3-minute audio and video field recordings that explore mindful listening.
Season 1 (May to October 2020) explored how the arts contribute to environmental awareness and action. I produced 3 episodes in French and 15 in English. The episodes cover a wide range of content, including activism, impact measurement, gaming, arts funding, cross-sectoral collaborations, social justice, artistic practices, etc. Episodes 8 to 17 were recorded while I was at the Creative Climate Leadership USA course in Arizona in March 2020 (led by Julie’s Bicycle). Episode 18 is a compilation of highlights from these conversations.
Season 2 (March 2021 – ) explores the concept of reality and is about accepting reality, working through ecological grief and charting a path forward. The first episode of season 2 (e19 reality) mixes quotations from 28 authors with field recordings from simplesoundscapes and from my 1998 soundscape composition, Au dernier vivant les biens. One of my findings from this episode is that ‘I now see, and more importantly, I now feel in my bones, ‘the state of things as they actually exist’, without social filters or unsustainable stories blocking the way’. e19 reality touches upon 7 topics: our perception of reality, the possibility of human extinction, ecological anxiety and ecological grief, hope, arts, storytelling and the wisdom of indigenous cultures. The rest of season 2 features interviews with thought leaders about their responses and reactions to e19 reality.
my professional services
I’ve been retired from the Canada Council for the Arts since September 15, 2020 where I served as a senior strategic advisor in arts granting (2016-2020) and manager of the Inter-Arts Office (1999-2015). My focus in (quasi) retirement is environmental issues within my area of expertise in arts and culture, in particular in acoustic ecology. I’m open to become involved in projects that align with my values and that move forward environmental concerns. Feel free to email me for a conversation : claude@conscient.ca
acknowledgement of eco-responsibility
I acknowledge that the production of the conscient podcast / balado conscient produces carbon. I try to minimize this carbon footprint by being as efficient as possible, including using GreenGeeks as my web server and acquiring carbon offsets for my equipment and travel activities from BullFrog Power and Less.
a word about privilege and bias
While recording episode 19 ‘reality’, I heard elements of ‘privilege’ in my voice that I had not noticed before. It sounded a bit like ‘ecological mansplaining’. I realize that, in spite of good intentions, I need to work my way through issues of privilege (of all kinds) and unconscious bias the way I did through ecological anxiety and grief during the fall of 2020. My re-education is ongoing.
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