sonic experimentation

 

 

On Thursday 11 APRIL 2013 at  8PM  Russian author Andrey Smirnov will be giving an illustrated talk entitled
'The WIRE Salon: Synthesized Voices of the Revolutionary Utopia:Early Sonic Experiments in the Soviet Union'.

 The talk will mark the official launch of Andrey Smirnov’s book
‘Sound In Z: Experiments In Sound And Electronic Music In Early20th Century Russia’

This publication offers an introduction to Russia’s contribution to the birth of electronic music, sound synthesis and audio technology in the early 20th Century. It is a story of politics and power, of the institution and the avant-garde, of collaboration and personal achievement, of ambition, opportunity and oppression. It is a story of remarkable personalities, curious inventions, astonishing performances, radical ideas, complex mathematics, pioneering electronics, engineering, design and experimentation. It is also a story of patents and funding applications, of success and failure, support and rejection, optimism and disillusionment, hunger and poverty.

The book produced in partnership between Sound & Music, London and Verlag de Buchhandlung Walther Konig, Cologne is currently on order and when received will be added to Howard Gardens Library .
More of Smirnov's projects here including the Laptop Cyber Orchestra (2006), Sound out of Paper (2005) and Brain JAZZ (1985/2001)

The talk and book launch will be at

 Cafe Oto
22 Ashwin Street
London E8 3DL
020 7923 1231
cafeoto.co.uk

Cafe OTO opened in April 2008 with the aim of providing a home for creative new music that exists outside of the mainstream. Cafe OTO is comprised of one large cafe/performance space open during the day as a cafe and hosting an evening programme of adventurous live music almost seven nights a week.

 

For those who are interested in Russian art and history

The Society for Co-operation in Russian and Soviet Studies (SCRSS) promotes knowledge of the culture, language and history of Russia and the former Soviet Union through its activities and unique library and archive. Their Centre is in London on the Brixton Road .The Library  is a collection of over 35,000 books, journals and pamphlets in English and Russian relating to Russia and the former Soviet Union  covering  its literature, theatre, music, dance, history, art and architecture. There is also a photo library of  60,000 photographs, slides and realia covering all aspects of social and cultural life in Russia and the former Soviet Union from pre-1917 to the present, of interest to picture researchers, set dressers, designers and drama students.
Go to their website to read the fascnating history of the Centre and how to visit-go perhaps on April 14th when they will have a special exhibition and celebration of Yuri Gagarin's flight into space. First time visitors must make an appointment and there are charges for using the library, events (they screen films from the 30's-70's) cost £5