location: la pommerie (two)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ part two
This second part of the report about the KODAMA residency at La Pommerie – the focus shifted to ‘topics’ and not just daily walks.
hunting season
The morning of the 19th day – I woke up in my tent to the sound of packs of dogs and gun fire somewhere to the north of La Pommerie. A few days later we found the below–skin and intestines of a Sanglier (wild boar) – It was clear that things were about to change with the context of our project.
After that day – it began to rain for a period of several days.
going inside
Due to the coming of rains and a drop in the temperature, we moved our adventure indoors. The other day we spent several hours improvising indoors – there is a nice and comfortable challenge to continue exploring ‘momentary composition’ – we begin to note our differences in this. Where I feel must not ‘think’ too much – and rather explore moment-to-moment expressions – while at the same time beginning to experience the ‘technical’ matters of improvising with more transparency. I feel Koz prefers a more ‘musicians’ approach concerning technical matters of ‘staying in key’ or in ‘rthymn’ – which I must confess are both things I hardly ever think about – nor do I really know how to do, even if I did ‘think’ about it. Nonetheless, we find places of sublime beauty in our improvisations – after some moments of being lost – the process is rather like our pre-occupation with mushroom observing and gathering in these last days. Sometimes, not much, but always, eventually, with patience – a big surprise.
sad_landscape.mp3
mushrooms
After a week of rainy days, it got warm and the mushroom hunt began. Throughout this residency, Koz has been collecting images of mushrooms. We have found by now over 35 different species – here is a small document of koz’s catalog:
15khz 
Since my arrival at La Pommerie, I have noticed a 15khz high frequency in my right ear. I attribute this to a kind of ear-infection I had at the moment I arrived in France – but it becomes a curious ‘icon’ of my time during this residency.
I have written to some friends – that the silence is ‘screaming’ here – and it is true, in the sense that after not having spent so much time in near constant natural silence, my ears are hyper sensitive to the quiet atmosphere. When I sit in meditation, over the course of an hour, the high frequency fragments or ‘flakes’ away – and I am returned to a relative perception of silence.
I therefore begin to attribute this high frequency to a kind of ‘background’ stress that I have been experiencing much of this year, due to a perpetual uncertainty of how I might survive in the next several months. It could also be simply that I have been drinking too much coffee…or the high tension lines that cut right next to La Pommerie?
[audio:high-tension-line_insects_cowbell_2.mp3|autostart=yes|loop=yes]
bolete valley
One day we decided not to go very far, and headed to the hill side on the other side of the Malepouge stream just below La Pommerie. There we found a very pleasent valley – later to be known as ‘Bolete Valley.’ Before heading inside, we made a nice recording of one barbed wire fence. Later we headed to the bottom and I took up a place to play my dulcimer/delay combo. Koz recorded this some distance away while ‘bimbo’ the dog jumped around and into the small stream. This I thought was one of the best location events we made. There is also a nice video tryptic to me made, eventually.
Now back to Berlin, I have linked the barbed wire sound to Radio Apogee – you can see/hear it here (more sounds will be added on this service regarding the residency).
busy weekend
Suddenly the weekend of 19&20 September – we had the visit of Jean-Luc Guionnet, who was going to do performances in a couple neighboring churches – an event organized also by Appelboom.
The same night Carole, Koz’s wife, arrived from Switzerland as well Pomme Boucher (the production manager of Appelboom) and her friend Matthiew arrived. So our solitary work was suddenly shifted. We visited one performance of Jean-Luc at Meymac and the following day went to the source of the Thaurion to attempt a recording for Cedric Peyronnet’s project about this river. There we prepared quickly some impromptu installations using the flowing of the creek there. Then it began a constant and heavy downpour. Under a small tarp we had lunch and proceeded to do a session under a 1meter square tarp.
Arriving back and getting dry & warm at the center we were very surprised to see “Moss” arrive. An old friend from my life in Portland, Oregon. She hitchhiked from Paris – and arrived directly at La Pommerie. That evening we immediately did a session together with Carole and Moss and later made a nice dinner with Jean-Luc.
moss
The following day, Monday 21 September was Autumnal Equinox. Carole and Jean-Luc had to leave, but Moss stayed on and we made a walk up to the river Diége. The weather was getting better, and you could tell that people came out in force for mushroom gathering. Suddenly with the hunters and the mushroom hunters – we were not alone, as it had been before. Along the path we came across a huge crop of shaggy parasols encircling a huge ant hill – we harvested there and carried on towards the river. Before the river we were distracted by a patch of Fly Agaric and realized the surrounding space was a beautiful position to explore and make music. We spent quite a while there as one round mushroom gatherer walked around observing us at distance. Later we explored a bridge over the small river and found many small secrets. Coming back in the evening we made a Nettle/Shaggy Parasol quiche and Blackberry/Fig tart.
Moss’s arrival has been perfect timing as her vast knowledge of plants has helped us ‘gel’ some of the loose ideas that we began this residency with. As well her movement and spontaneous sonic accompaniments are perfectly aligned with our work.
dispersion of energy
I began to realize that after visitors – the delicate energy of the place began to shift. For me time spent in nature (as I reflect back, sitting in an apartment in Berlin) gives a literal expansion in a mental/spiritual sense – and helps me find what matters. I noticed that already the creative process inside of this KODAMA project is very fragile – as we each have strong feeling in sometimes opposing directions and the gentile trust that is necessary for growing a complex creative project can be sometimes smashed by the slightest distraction. In this case – I noticed that the visitors to the residency created a particular distraction that was difficult to return from. Anyway – as the installation came to a close, such distractions were inevitable – and so – it began to mark the end of the project.
The consistency of gravity
During the last days, I noted two sounds which were a sonic constant of the residency. Both falling things—acorns on the metal roof of magda’s garage which was attached to the performance space of Appelboom & the decay of stone walls of the space itself. The acorns created occasional loud bangs that were heard everywhere, except for the ‘normal’ sleeping ares (which i intuitively avoided). Each bang was something like a small reminder to remain awake and a cut through the strange ringing silence of the place. On the other hand, the slow crumbling of the stone walls were a nightly sublime reminder of change that left small dust patterns in the morning. A ‘slow’ falling in contrast to the sudden ‘bang’ of the acorns. These were the ‘real’ soundtracks of the my time at Appelboom.
the last walks
During the last days of the residency a friend from Berlin, Kurt, arrived. With him made a couple of the longest walks on our ‘stuttering stroll.’
Both walks concerned the discovery of interesting valleys. The first to the northeast – was a long and wide valley along the river Diége. We walked there during a particularly overcast sky which reminded us of the Pacific Northwest (he is originally from Sitka, Alaska). The last walk to the western extent of our wanderings, ended up at an amazing clearing at the bottom of a steep gorge. Koz and Kurt choose to stay at the top of the gorge watching the sun-set while I scampered down below through dense pine afterwards to an opening at the bottom of the gorge populated by giant ferns. Walking blindly through a maze of huge fern, the size of mature corn, I ended up at a lush green grove and stream. A small shame to find such lovely places on the last days. I would have enjoyed to spend more time and a special recording at this magical gorge bottom.
In general – I felt a very strong connection growing with the region and sensed on numerous occasions that I would be there again. So – I keep an eye out for some unique situation that might enable me to move back to such a rural location in France. Everyone says that it would be difficult or impossible, but I believe that there might be a chance if I look out for it. However, sadly, those with such ideals might be aware – as I learned about the fate of some other local idealists – a complicated and sad story, but surprisingly close to where we were. I was a bit shocked to learn how much the French politicos seemingly follow the same paranoid knee-jerk fears like their right-wing cousins in North America…
seeds planted
If not France – somewhere – I feel I must establish a rural location for myself and my work. This residency has made it clear to me that this is a crucial ‘next step’. The ‘where, when and how’ must be sorted out – but at least – this much is clear now.
next up – the final document of ‘the stuttering stroll’
Topic: paths | Tags: location, photos, projects, sound
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