In February 2016 we returned to Montreal for another edition of Art Souterrain, this time with a new installation called “Transmissions“. Exploring the question of whether or not noise is art, “Transmissions” exposed the audience to a more natural state of hearing by immersing them in an aural environment defined by super-positioning white noise as received, processed, and broadcast by a collection of antennae-like metal spires. While these naturally occurring aural sources are normally filtered out of conscious hearing, “Transmissions” discretely blended all of those sound sources to create a fluid soundscape defined by audio frequency radio waves that the listener would normally be unaware of.
“Transmissions” differed from other installations that we had presented up to that point in that there was an inherent abstract quality to the aural component of the work. We were a bit concerned that the installation may not be as well received as our past work because we were using more challenging sound sources that might not translate as well in a public setting, but we were also committed and excited about the ideal and theme behind what we were doing so we were determined to see it through, regardless of what people thought. Evidently we were right to stick by our guns, as we found that much of our audience in Montreal thought “Transmissions” was an interesting and engaging display, and it continued to be well received at a residency in South River at the NAISA North Art Space in February 2017, and at 401 Richmond as part of Nuit Blanche Toronto in September 2017.
In addition to being a successful installation, the abstract sounds that were generated in “Transmissions” also served to inspire and inform our next Kalte album. Join us again and we’ll tell you more about that process…
For the entire month of October while we celebrate #10yearsofKalte, if you buy a copy of “The Lanthanide Series” through Bandcamp you can send us your email at info@kaltemusic.com and we’ll send you a free copy of our latest release, “Covalencies“!
