Nordic Sound Temples

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Permalink Reply by Skye Løfvander on February 15, 2010 at 1:08pm

... but it is not that I should complaint never to have got a chance to sing in one of these cylindrical acoustic cathedrals. The photo is from Islands Brygge, a port quarter of Copenhagen which has now been turned into a fashionable quarter but in the 90'es was characterized by small and large industries. Some of the larger silos (for grain etc) now houses people, but these particular acoustic temples were sailed away around 2000. In 1998 when i recorded this 18 minutes session (NB! on minidisc recorder with tiny standard microphone) I was still a beginner in the world of overtone singing so it was really a privilege to be granted this opportunity of a silo whose walls sang along and I am always on the watch for something which may match this first love.

Permalink Reply by Skye Løfvander on February 15, 2010 at 2:06pm

... I realized that Jan Stanek has uploaded recordings from when he and his choir Spektrum visited Scandinavia in 2008. They gave an evening concert in Klosterkirken and you may listen to 11 tunes at this link!

Permalink Reply by Skye Løfvander on February 15, 2010 at 4:19pm

Denmark is a country where the highest point reaches 171 breathtaking meters towards the sky so it seems just natural that the inhabitants by virtue tend to worship the humble or often even the mediocre. The name 'Ekkodalen' - the echo gorge' - indicates that here you may have an interesting acoustic experience and Bornholm is really an almost astonishingly beautiful island, but most travelers will probably be disappointed with the echo which is really not of a volume which making it an obvious element of the 'World Acoustics Heritage List'.
Even more funny it becomes when you watch this video on YouTube where the photographers breath is heard clearly but he doesn't seem to dare giving a sound so that the echo may be heard:-)
Bornholm is the only area in Denmark where your feet may stand on solid rock.

Permalink Reply by Skye Løfvander on February 18, 2010 at 12:44pm

Vestmannaeyjar/ Westman Island
There are many caves on Vestmannaeyjar - some of them with interesting acoustic properties.
Watch this video

Permalink Reply by Skye Løfvander on February 18, 2010 at 12:46pm

Songhellir – 'The Singing Cave'.
"This cave, probably because it is close to the road, rates a mention in the Lonely Planet guide (Swaney 1997): “it contains some old inscriptions”. That it does, but as an interpretive sign nearby tells us, there’s more to the story: In the Saga of Bardur Snæfellsas it is said that Bardur stayed in The Singing Cave for a while with his people while he built his houses at Laugarbrekka. The cave was full of echoes (dwarf talk) but Bardur didn’t mind that as he was brought up among dwarfs. After his houses were built he used the cave for councils with his men and continued to do so while he lived. It is believed that The Singing Cave is the first place name in Icelandic with reference to singing. In later ages people used the cave as a shelter on their travels and one can find many initials and dates which people carved into the cave walls while they stayed there. The cave is really only a single chamber and it is hard to imagine many people actually living in it but it does have remarkable acoustics. It is not a lava tube, but is formed in a tuffaceous breccia, perhaps by erosion by groundwater.”
Journal of the Sydney Speleological Society, 2003, 47(7):205

Permalink Reply by Skye Løfvander on February 18, 2010 at 12:53pm

At Karin Höghielms profile page here on OMN the playlist contains a number of recordings named 'Lausong'. These titles refer to the Lau Church on the isle of Gotland, Sweden.
Karin has had a colaboration project with the church for some years: Voice and music.
Do listen to a beautiful voice in marvelous acoustics!

Permalink Reply by Skye Løfvander on February 19, 2010 at 11:40am

CISTERN FESTIVAL

An experimental art festival during summer solstice at the beautiful island of Svanö situated in the mound of Ångermanälven. Improvisatioal music, world music, storytelling, dance, performance,...
Parts of the festival take place at the two old oil cisterns with a reverb of about 25 seconds
Arranged by the Cistern Association in a collaboration with Svanö Cultural Association.

Permalink Reply by Skye Løfvander on February 21, 2010 at 1:04am

Listen to soundbytes here!

Permalink Reply by Skye Løfvander on February 21, 2010 at 1:49am

Herning Art Museum - three attractions within few hundred meters

Elia
This monument created by Elias Cronhammar has it name from the biblical prophet who ascended to heaven in a fire chariot, so the poles are designed to attract lightening and once in a while the flame throwers send up meter high flames. The inside is hollow and has the shape of two joined deep plates. It is all steel, and the acoustics marvelous, naturally. Sadly it is close to impossible to be allowed access... so you can visit for the glimpse of an acoustic dream and to see the other harmonic attractions nearby.

Angli Building
The circular walls are decorated by the famous COBRA painter, danish Carl Henning-Pedersen. With a radius of 35 meters the echo arrives with a delay of 0.2 seconds. You need to emmit quite some sound volume to enjoy the effect. It is also interesting giving sound along the sides.

The Geometrical Garden
A mute but very harmonical attraction. Actually this is one way of depicting the harmonic series in two dimensions.

Permalink Reply by Skye Løfvander on February 22, 2010 at 12:48pm

Wiki link to Klosterkyrkan

Permalink Reply by Skye Løfvander on March 18, 2010 at 12:31am

- where art and telecommunication meet
Telemegaphone Dale serves as a sonic mirror for the inhabitants of Dale in western Norway. At the same time it serves as a reminder of the fact that the world can interfere, uncensored, at any moment. Anyone can call Telemegaphone Dale and let the echo of one’s voice be heard out across the mountains, the fjord and the village of Dale in the valley below. Telemegaphone Dale stands seven meters tall on top of the Jøtulshaugen mountain. It is a sculptural landmark at the same time as it interfaces to practical and poetic functionality that caters to unexpected telecommunication needs. Since August 2009 Telemegaphone Dale is a permanent landmark and service. Telemegaphone Dale is the pre-project of Unsworn Telecom – a new series of public art installations and services initiated by Unsworn Industries. The project involves actors from Norway and Sweden.
Contact person: Erik Sandelin Web address: www.unsworn.org
Telemegaphone Dale stands seven metres tall on top of the Jøtulshaugen mountain overlooking the idyllic Dalsfjord in Western Norway.
When you dial the Telemegaphone’s phone number the sound of your voice is projected out across the fjord, the valley and the village of Dale below.

Permalink Reply by Jens Mügge on March 18, 2010 at 7:40am

This is one of my favourite Lausongs - I have heard about that church on the isle of Gotland because Nils Landgren recorded maybe his album Gotland in this church - isn't it?

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