25 Jan 2011

Paivascapes #1: Site-specific media arts festival

PAIVASCAPES #1 – PAIVA RIVER SOUND FESTIVAL
Vila Nova de Paiva, Castro Daire, São Pedro do Sul, Arouca, Castelo de Paiva (PT)
March 4th – 8th, 2011

Retrospective exhibition, multimedia concerts, site-specifc sound installations, conferences, video works screenings, sound perception activities and environmental walks

Many aspects and perceptions can be associated with river landscapes, which together form the strength and the manifold importance of rivers. Firstly, river landscapes supply an energy potential (the energy of water and sediments that flow down the course of the river) and also a surface, a space on which both vegetation and human constructions settle. A lively river is one that maintains these two elements, which form its natural capital, present and active, as it can take centuries to recover from the loss of productivity of a river caused by pollution or errors in agricultural, urban or energy planning, etc.. On the other end, each river has its own personality given by the inscription of a historical mark associated with the multiple uses and perceptions throughout time, superimposed layers of practical, cultural, symbolic and spiritual values that form the human capital of a river.

Right in the heart of one of the cleanest rivers in Europe, the Paiva river (Portugal), Paivascapes #1 – River Paiva Sound Festival is a five-day celebration of cultural innovation and creativity in a rural region known for its rich and ancient traditions. Paivascapes #1, produced by Portuguese sound art organization Binaural/Nodar, is entirely dedicated to the exploration of riverside landscapes and communities through sound and multimedia art.

The festival program comprises five densely filled days and evenings (from March 4th to 8th 2011) and will provide an extensive overview of over 20 art works recently developed along the Paiva River – field recording and electroacoustic compositions, multimedia installations, film screenings and sound performances – and includes relevant historical, anthropological and environmental contextualization of the region through a series of conferences by some key experts and investigators and, last but not least, ancient forms of local oral and musical traditions will also be part of the festival, putting in direct contact with each other exploratory and deep-rooted art forms.

Altogether, we present a rich program that also aims to raise awareness about sustainability issues, on how it is possible to live in a well-balanced interaction with nature: On the one hand, the festival will take the form of an itinerary, following the Paiva River from its source to its mouth, which will allow the audiences have a direct contact with different landscapes and rural communities. On the other hand, during this itinerary, some of the site-specific sound projects will be presented in different locations along the river and a series of environmental walks will take place.

Come and explore the Paiva River with all your senses!

List of participant artists:
Alicja Rogalska (PL), Anna Hints (EE), Charles Stankievech (CA), Craig Dongoski (US), Ignaz Schick (DE), Jez riley French (GB), John Grzinich (US), Katherine Liberovskaya (CA), Lasse-Marc Riek (DE), Luis Costa (PT), Maile Colbert (US), Manuela Barile (IT), Marc Behrens (DE), Marja-Liisa Plats (EE), Martin Clarke (GB), Masayo Kajimura (DE), o.blaat (JP), Patrick McGinley (US), Phill Niblock (US), Rui Costa (PT), Rui Silveira (PT), Sérgio Cruz (PT), Tiago Carvalho (PT), William Lamson (US), Yasuno Miyauchi (JP).

List of key speakers:
Tiago Monteiro-Henriques (PT), Sérgio Caetano (PT), Marcos Medalon (PT), Nuno Martins (PT), Domingos Cruz (PT), Tiago Carvalho (PT)

Additional information:
www.paivascapes.org
www.binauralmedia.org