ESS provides production facilities and support services for projects involving music in its many forms, audio art, radio art, performance art, theater, dance, film, video, poetry, and installation art, as well as cultural institutions who utilize audio for educational and outreach programs and exhibition design.
Studio A
An 800-square-foot multi-track live recording studio, with isolation room
Studio B
A soundtrack and mastering suite, with overdub booth
Audible at ESS is a public space and gallery for exhibitions, meetings, workshops, performances, and artists projects. A simple 400-square-foot space at street level, the space is not only used for ESS programs and events, but is also open to proposals by artists, organizations, and community members.
Luftwerk: Seacurrent
September 18 – October 25, 2009
Seacurrent is the latest video installation by Luftwerk, a collaboration between Chicago-based artists Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero. Their innovative work transforms surfaces and environments into a moving and illuminated canvas—using scale, light, motion and perspective, they make the architecture of a given site fluid and evocative. Seacurrent is a composite of horizontal slices of images of Lake Michigan, shot at various times of day and night under varying conditions, and rearranged into large-scale shifting patterns, projected on undulating paper strips and crystallized salt. These rolls of paper act as canvas and water surface, evoking the cyclical motions of the sea.
The opening reception for Seacurrent on September 18 will include a performance at 7pm by Hans-Peter Pfammatter on solo piano.
Luftwerk
Luftwerk currently develops multimedia works informed by natural elements. Luftwerk is the collaboration of Petra Poul Bachmaier and Sean Gallero. Bachmaier earned a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a MFA from the Hamburg Academy of Arts, where she graduated with special honors in 2000. Sean Gallero, originally from New York City, received a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1999. Since 2000, both artists have worked together on multiple video installations, forming Lufwerk in 2007. Besides developing independent projects, Bachmaier and Gallero design projections for special events and entertainment productions. Their work has been presented at the Chicago Cultural Center, the Hyde Park Art Center, MASSMoCA anniversary Gala, Caro d’Offay Gallery and various other public venues.
Luftwerk: Seacurrent is curated by Lou Mallozzi for the Audible Gallery at ESS.
Fred Holland: Golden Splinters (May - July, 2009)
Linda Kramer: Stray Flowers (Feb-April 2009)
Hal Rammel: Regional Light: Both Near and Far (Nov-Dec 2008)
Karen Lebergott: Magic Mountain (Sept-Nov 2008)
Kristin M. Frieman: Thread Tracings: a Dressmaker’s Still Life (May-June 2008) & Return Relief (June-Aug 2008)
McArthur Binion: Simplicism II: Gouache Work (Mar-Apr 2008)
Jeff Abell: Clarity & Confusion (Feb-Mar 2008)
Rebecca Kressley: Five Girls (It Held Her Very Close, Their Terrible Cries, There, at the Bottom, They Knew if They Stayed Very Still) (Nov-Dec 2007)
Various: Signals Across Borders (Sept-Oct 2007)
Jesse Seay: Mechanical Tide (July-Sept 2007)
Terri Zupanc: listening - drawings and photos (May-June 2007)
Michael J. Schumacher: Room Piece Chicago (March-April 2007)
Stephen Lapthisophon: The Sound of Music (February 2007)
Peter Brötzmann and Tom Raworth: Visual Works (November-December 2006)
Experimental Sound Studio (ESS) will offer four 30- to 40-hour residencies through the 2007 Artists Residency Program (ARP). At least three of these residencies are for Chicago area artists, and, for the first time, one residency will be open to non-Chicago US artists. Each residency includes access to the ESS recording facilities with engineering assistance. The ESS recording facilities include:
o one 600-sq-ft live recording studio with 16-track ProTools system, baby grand piano, isolation booth;
o one soundtrack, mixing, and mastering studio with ProTools and MAX-MSP/Jitter;
o multi-channel playback and sync-to-image capabilities;
o various digital and analog processors and recorders.
The purpose of the ARP is to facilitate the production of finished works that will be presented to the public, so please propose only projects that can be completed within the allotted time frame. Application deadline: April 2, 2007
ESS provides production facilities and support services for projects involving music in its many forms, audio art, radio art, performance art, theater, dance, film, video, poetry, and installation art, as well as cultural institutions who utilize audio for educational and outreach programs and exhibition design.
Membership
ESS is a membership organization. Annual memberships are $40/year for individuals, $25/year for full-time students. Besides supporting the Midwest's only public-access sonic arts organization, membership entitles you to access to the recording facility at an inexpensive rate and discounts on workshops and ESS-sponsored events.
Application deadline: April 5, 2008
Experimental Sound Studio (ESS) will offer four 30- to 40-hour residencies through the 2008 Artists Residency Program (ARP). At least three of these residencies are for Chicago area artists, and one residency will be open to non-Chicago US artists. Each residency includes access to the ESS recording facilities with engineering assistance. The ESS recording facilities include:
• one 600-sq-ft live recording studio with 16-track ProTools system, baby grand piano, isolation booth;
• one soundtrack, mixing, and mastering studio with ProTools and MAX-MSP/Jitter;
• multi-channel playback and sync-to-image capabilities;
• various digital and analog processors and recorders.
The purpose of the ARP is to facilitate the production of finished works that will be presented to the public, so please propose only projects that can be completed within the allotted time frame. An ESS Artist Residency does not carry with it any commitment from ESS to present the finished work, but we often do work with ARP artists in facilitating presentation.
PLEASE NOTE: REVIEW THESE GUIDELINES CAREFULLY and contact us if you have any questions or require clarification. If your proposal does not strictly conform to these categories, it may still be eligible, so please contact us to discuss and facilitate your application.
First, there are two ARTIST CATEGORIES in which you can apply. Please choose the most appropriate category for you.
ARTIST CATEGORIES (choose one only):
A1. SONIC ARTIST OR GROUP: This category is for audio artists, composers, musicians, sound installation artists, radio artists, or anyone who considers themselves primarily an artist working with sound, with a demonstrable history of commitment to such work. THIS IS ALSO THE CATEGORY FOR COLLABORATIONS INVOLVING A SONIC ARTIST WORKING WITH A “NON-SONIC” ARTIST OR ENSEMBLE (see below) – for example, a composer collaborating with a dance company, or a sound artist collaborating with a video installation artist.
OR
A2. NON-SONIC ARTIST OR GROUP: This category is for film or video makers, performing artists/ensembles (dance, theater, performance art, etc.), installation or intermedia artists, etc. whose work is primarily visual — that is, artists whose history is not focused on working primarily in sound. ARTISTS IN THIS CATEGORY MAY WANT TO BE “MATCHED” WITH A LOCAL SOUND ARTIST, COMPOSER, OR SOUND DESIGNER FOR THEIR PROJECT. This is something E.S.S. will do if requested (check appropriate box on Application Form).
Next, there are two PROJECT CATEGORIES in which you can apply. Please select the one that best describes the project you are proposing.
Lou Mallozzi - Executive Director, Staff Engineer
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Studio Manager, Staff Engineer
Alex Inglizian - Studio Assistant, Staff Engineer
Sonia Yoon - Creative Audio Archive Manager
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Public Relations Coordinator
Experimental Sound Studio
5925 N Ravenswood
Chicago, IL 60660
773-769-1069
Amy Beste
Mary Elizabeth Ferraro
Lesly Flores
Kristin Frieman
Annie LoPrieno
Lou Mallozzi
Darin Walsh
ESS programs and services are supported by our members and benefactors, and by the generous support of the Alphawood Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the DEW Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs.
Outer Ear Festival of Sound is an annual presentation of sonic arts, including performances, installations, and broadcasts. It is the only comprehensive sonic arts festival in the Chicago region.
10th annual Outer Ear Festival of Sound
November 4 - December 13
25 Acres of Coins: Sound installation by students from the Sound Department of the School of the Art Institute
Wednesday, November 4 - November 25
Opening reception: Thursday, November 5, 4:30pm–6pm.
Presented in conjunction with the Poetry Center of Chicago and the Learning Modern exhibition at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Poets: Bill Allegrezza, Ray Bianchi, Justin Cabrillos, Steve Halle, Philip Jenks, Simone Meunch, and Lina Ramona Vitkauskas
Sound artists: Matt Bourque, Ian Chan, Becky Grajeda, Elon Katz, Lucas Lasky, Jordan Scrivner, Aaron Zarzutzki, Ben Chaffee, Kelly Morrison, Kendra Calhoun, and Orla McHardy.
Sullivan Galleries entrance foyer, SAIC
33 S. State St.
Exhibition hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 11am-6pm
Free
Melissa St. Pierre: Prepared Piano Performance and Workshop
Sunday, November 8
Performance: 2pm, Workshop: 4pm-6pm
Workshop: 4-6pm: Prepared piano workshop, for pianists, composers, musicians, and experimenters interested in altering the piano’s innards. Presented in partnership with Links Hall.
Experimental Sound Studio
5925 N. Ravenswood
Suggested donation for concert $10, all proceeds benefit ESS as part of its Sunday Solo performance series. Workshop registration: $30, $25 for students and ESS members. Advance registration strongly recommended.
Reactor and Countdown: two sound installations by MW Burns
Monday, November 9 – Wednesday, December 9
Opening reception: Friday, November 6, 6pm.
Burns’ uncanny installations take advantage of inaccessible locations, such as locked closets, to tease the listener and call attention to our innate curiosity and desire for inclusion
Chicago Cultural Center
77 E. Randolph St. map
Free
Forasonic is a unique program that commissions composers and artists to make new site-specific music and audio art installations for the Fern Room of the Lincoln Park Conservatory, a turn-of-the-century greenhouse. Curated by ESS Executive Director Lou Mallozzi, florasonic presents each project for three to five months, visited by an estimated 500 to 1,000 people each day.
Current project:
In the event that the stag horn fern becomes metallic and that each of its bifurcating leaves rings like a tuning fork, please turn off this recording, Mark Booth, June 3 - September 30, 2007
Lincoln Park Conservatory
2391 North Stockton Drive, Chicago
Hours: open daily 9AM- 5PM, free admission
In the event that the stag horn fern becomes metallic and that each of its bifurcating leaves rings like a tuning fork, please turn off this recording is attempt to approximate cicada songs in response to those insects that surround us in summer - similar to what we often do by whistling back to birds to respond to them. Mark uses two sources that he records and manipulates to make this piece: acoustic guitar and voice. The guitar strings are set into continuous vibration by electronic devices, and the resulting drones are subtly altered by inserting cards, paperclips, and paper into the strings. The vocal sounds are called "uvular trills", soft clicks and vibrations produced in the back of the throat.
Mark Booth is a language artist who works in several artistic disciplines, including music, sound installation, visual art, and writing. He has exhibited and performed in numerous galleries, festivals, and venues, including the Overgaden Festival in Copenhagen, the Chicago Cultural Center, Links Hall, Hyde Park Art Center, and Bodybuilder and Sportsman Gallery in Chicago. He teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Special thanks Kathleen Odell and Brood XIII.
According to a recent story in the Brooklyn Rail siting this year’s Outer Ear Festival as a driving force, the answer is yep…sure looks that way. Author Kurt Gottschalk marvels at the enthusiastic turnout for Hal and Olivia’s performance at the Cultural Center and the support (collaborative, if not financial) available to put on presentations the magnitude of Train Time–an installation Gottschalk describes as “almost unprecedented in scale in the history of sound art; drawing allusions to the Philips Pavilion at the 1958 World’s Fair, where Edgar Varèse premiered his electronic tape piece Poème électronique, would not be overstating the scope of the piece.”
A nod from the creative core of the Big Apple is always welcome, but the accolades just reiterate what Chicagoans have known for a long time: this is a fantastic city for making art. Thanks to all of you who continue to support and create groundbreaking sound art in our city!