Sanctuaries: Reparations (2010) performs in London - October 13-23, 2010.

Conversations and Intercourse: sound art at Club 21 by Sound artists: Phoebe Legere, Elliott Sharp, Charlie Morrow, Gak Sato, Steve Piccolo, Letizia Renzini, Jacob Kirkegaard, Zimoun + Helena Gough, Ken Ikeda, Gary Chang, Peter Zummo and others...
What would a 21st-century art-club scene look like in today’s world? Experimental artists from around the world will come together to reinvent the concept in Club 21 – Remaking the Scene at One Marylebone, London, October 13-23.

Sound program – conversation pieces

One Marylebone is a deconsecrated church right next to Regent’s Park. Practically everyone who visits Frieze walks right by the church. In the main hall, a large, very good but very simple sound system plays a program of “conversation pieces” that make use of total stereo separation and the reverb time of the hall, specified previously in an invitational call for pieces issued to about 40 among today’s leading sound artists and electronic composers. The works are not played constantly, but according to a precise schedule. The theme of the conversation can extend to performance instructions supplied by the composer/artist, to be performed by audience members, performance coordinators or both.

The sound works are published in a limited edition of three signed copies on individual CDs with identical covers and an identical price.

Many thanks to Steve Piccolo!

Sanctuaries: Faith performed at REDCAT

Sanctuaries: Faith was performed at the REDCAT Theater in the Walt Disney Concert Hall for the SCREAM 2007 AnalogLive! Concert. Performers on the program included Peter Grenader, Chas Smith, Allesandro Cortini, Thighpaulsandra, and Richard Divine. A review of this concert is found here:

http://amateurchemist.blogspot.com/2007/11/scream-2007-analog-live-at-redcat.html

A Special Thanks from Gary....

A very special thanks goes to Neil Leonard, who made this trip a reality. Without his already conceived Sguardi Sonora 2007 festival in place, the Sanctuaries Tour would not have been possible. As the dust is finally settling on the trip , it is now easy to see what a unique experience it was.

I would like to personally thank Anthony Baldino, Ann Chang, Arthur Chang, Jess Hewitt, Neil Leonard, Daria Trevisan and Pierce Warnecke for the hard work, friendship, and good times this June. And a special thanks to my wife Margaret for keep me in clean clothes and common sense throughout the journey....













Ann, Jess, Anthony, Daria, Neil, Gary, Pierce, and Art at La Marrana.









Margaret Craig-Chang with our La Spezia Host Giorgio Bendinelli in Portovenere.


Tara Labs provided the audio and power interconnects for the Sanctuaries Project. This included individual power and audio cables for each speaker, power bars and a 3000Watt(!) transformer for conversion to 120v. (The wiring system design was conceived with future installations of Sanctuaries in the US in mind, so the power cabling was fitted for 120v rather than 220v...). Thanks to Rebecca Barnhardt and the engineers at Tara for their efforts in our favor.















































Blue Sky Monitors provided the 5.1 speaker system for the Sanctuaries Tour. This consisted of 5 x Blue Sky SAT 6.5 satellite speakers, 1 Blue Sky SUB 15 subwoofer, a BMC Mk II bass management system, and 5 of "The Stand" adjustable speaker stands. The 5.1 playback system performed superbly in all of the various spaces that we installed them in - including outdoors at San Galgano, where they were especially rich sounding.



































A Soundfield SP422b Microphone was used to record the program at the various locations, and to sweep each of the spaces for creating virtual models of the rooms via the use of convolution reverb technology. Because the Soundfield mic is a single point microphone that later, when decoded yeilds up to 7.1 playback, it greatly simplified the set up and calibration for recording.

Sanctuaries Tour on the Associated Press

U.S. Musician Bring 'Surround-Sound to Italian Cathedrals

Saturday, August 4, 2007

(08-04) 14:33 PDT Los Angeles (AP) --

It was one of the more unusual summer concert tours veteran composer Gary Chang had undertaken, performing futuristic, electronic music in centuries-old sacred cathedrals.

Chang, who has composed dozens of soundtracks and scores for movies and television, recently returned from Italy, where he brought modern surround-sound-type compositions to some of the country's most venerable landmarks.

"It was kind of a monumental idea," Chang said with a laugh. "Let's send 500 pounds worth of gear halfway around the world and drag it around to churches."

But he'd been fascinated for decades by the acoustics of the ancient cathedrals and always wondered how they might sound when filled with electronic compositions that were filtered through a state-of-the-art 5.1 theatrical sound system.

Finally, last year, he completed a composition called "Elegy for Diana" that was heard by fellow composer Neil Leonard, and the two decided to put together the "Sanctuaries" tour. It took them to Italian cathedrals in Rome, Benevento, Venice, San Galgano and La Spezia.

"We requested that we could perform the music not in a special concert but during regular church hours," Chang said. "Regular people who would come to the church to worship could just come in and do their thing and the music would be there."

He and Leonard didn't know what to expect when they started but were pleased to discover the reaction was positive.

"At first there was just curiosity, but I think after hearing the music and hearing what 'Sanctuaries' is all about, many are very happy to have our project come to their community and church," he said.

He's hoping to launch a similar tour of the United States this fall before taking the music overseas again next year.

___

On the Web:

www.sanctuariestour.blogspot.com

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/08/04/entertainment/e143329D70.DTL

The 10 Annual Opening of The La Marrana Art Park, Montemarcello, Italy

La Marrana owner and host Gianni Bolongaro




















La Marrana owner and hostess Grazie Bolongaro















Arthur and Gary Chang at the site of the Sanctuaries installation, erected on the path entitled "Located World - La Marrana" by Joseph Kosuth















Pierce

















Anthony
















Jess and Anthony
















Neil

The Abbey at San Galgano

This has to be one of the most picturesque locations I have ever seen. The legend of the Knight Galgano, who, after a vision of St. Michael the Archangel, plunged his sword into a fissure of a rock to renounce war - transforming his sword into a cross. (This sword is found in a building on the hill above the Abbey's location). Though it has been centuries since the Abbey has had a roof, the acoustics of this space were magical.

Pierce, Ann, Art, Gary and Jess.

Anthony calibrating the Blue Sky 5.1 Speaker System.

























Neil, Pierce, Gary and Jesse.




















Visitors take in the music in this unique setting.


















Neil and Gary with Jesse behind the rig at San Galgano.

Musical Sidetrips

With the help of our La Spezia hosts Grazia and Gianni Bolongaro and Giorgio Bendinelli, we spent a few days while in La Spezia doing presentations and visiting sites in the La Spezia area that had the potential for musical activity.


The Fortress












Once a Military Facility, then a Jail, now a Conference Center, the Fortress is located at the far tip of the small island that creates the isthmus at Portovenere. We visited this location to consider the musical possibilities.















Neil playing in one of the many spaces at the Fortress.

The Naval Museum











Neil speaking on the local La Spezia TV News at the Naval Museum.














With interpreter assisting, Gary answers some questions for Local TV.














The Naval Museum hosted a gathering of prominent local citizens who met our group while we presented the Sanctuaries in this rather unusual site.



















Marble Quarry












Mr. Bendinelli introduced us to a charming 85 year old man who took us high into the hills above La Spezia to try the acoustics of his marble quarry.
























Neil playing in one of the underground spaces.

The Church of Saint Marie

The Festival of Media and Time Based Art, Benevento, Italy

Stage for evening events, which included performances by Pierce Warnecke, Anthony Baldino, Jess Hewitt, Marco Benda and Neil Leonard.

Many thanks to Rettore Mons. Mario de Santis for granting us permission to install Sanctuaries at the Basilica S. Bartolomeo AP, Benevento, Italy.

The Blue Sky 5.1 System in action at the Church of San Bartholomeo.

Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome, Italy

June 20, 2007 - The second Sanctuaries installation took place in the Studio Theater leading up to the Sguardi Sonora 2007 Concert, which included such notable electronic sound artists as Olivia Block, Stephen Piccolo and Gak Sato, Pamela Z and Neil Leonard.













Olivia Block













Stephen Piccolo and Gak Sato


















Pamela Z













Neil Leonard

Neil and Pierce Warnecke in the Studio Theater.
























Gary, Pierce, Jess and Anthony discuss the installation setup.
























Pierce, Gary and Jess lay cabling.

Anthony Baldino setting up a Blue Sky SAT 6.5 monitor.

Church of San Lorenzo, Portovenere, Italy

June 16, 2007 - Our first installation was in the Church of San Lorenzo, Portovenere, Italy. Our installation team was Neil Leonard, Gary Chang, Pierce Warnecke, Daria Trevisan, Ann Chang and Arthur Chang. Many thanks to Bishop Don Franco for his permission to use the church while still open to the public.

Pierce Warnacke, Neil Leonard, Gary Chang and Arthur Chang in the Chapel San Lorenzo.















La Spezia Host Giorgio Bendinelli with Ann Chang.

Berklee Graduate Pierce Warnecke and Gary Chang laying cables.

Italian Sound Student Daria Trevisan and Neil Leonard listening.


























Neil, Pierce and Gary moving the Blue Sky Subwoofer through the narrow streets of Portovenere.

















One of many visitors to the church listening to the sound installation....