Blu Rose

🌈 Celebrating Pride and Defending Rights! 🌈

In this special episode of the Blu Rose podcast, we had the honor of speaking with Harmik Mackartoomian, founder of Diaries Event and Artist Management Platform, and Communications Manager at Poligraf Club. Together, we explored a pressing topic: the recent police raid on Poligraf and the incredible response from the rave community in defense of their rights and freedoms.

With unwavering determination, the passionate community united as one. Through protests, media outreach, and demands for the club's reopening, their voices resonated powerfully. This response sends a clear message against any infringement on counterculture, embracing values of unity, togetherness, and LGBTQ+ rights.

Poligraf Club's reaction to the raid reaffirms their commitment to providing safe spaces for cultural and societal transformations. Going beyond societal norms, they offer a creative haven for artists and warmly welcome diverse communities, including the LGBTQ+ community. Their resistance challenges oppressive regimes, as the assault on the club becomes an attack on the very essence of dance and music – universal symbols of liberation and self-expression.

The resolute response from the community emphasizes the importance of advocating for human rights and fostering unity and solidarity, especially during Pride Month. Harmik shares his inspiring thoughts on refusing to succumb to fear instigated by the government, highlighting the power of collective action. Their unwavering determination to protect their safe spaces and fight against oppression showcases their dedication to the cause.

To prevent future incidents, Poligraf Club is taking proactive steps to educate the public about the significance of cultural institutions like theirs. They strive to cultivate inclusivity, freedom, and understanding. Harmik emphasizes the need to recognize and value these spaces as community assets while advocating for their rights and freedoms. Together, through ongoing mobilization, mutual support, and active resistance, we can shape a brighter future for Armenia.

During this Pride Month, let's celebrate by standing up for the rights and freedoms of all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Together, through collective action, resilience, and unwavering support, we can create a world where everyone can freely express themselves and thrive. 🌈✨ #PrideMonth #DefendingRights #UnityInDiversity

In the fifth episode of the Blu Rose Podcast, our guest is the renowned writer and sonic artist Lale Rodgarkia-Dara, celebrated for her contribution to electro-acoustic literature. As a seasoned participant in radio workshops and community projects, Lale's focus lies at the intersection of literature, media art, and open-source technology. Presently, she is the strategic Managing Director of Radio Helsinki 92.6. Lale delves into her fascination with transforming the digital realm into analogue reception, and she discusses the obstacles confronting journalism and media freedom.

Lale opens up about her upbringing near the Iron Curtain, along with her early explorations in music and writing. She reveals a lifelong passion for radio, a fascination that began in her youth when she built her own radio and recorded songs from broadcasts onto cassette tapes. Lale underlines the significance of radio as a communicative medium, highlighting its ability to reach a wide-ranging audience.

The discussion shifts towards Lale's creative ventures, particularly her exploration of the fusion between literature and music. She elaborates on her concept of electronic literature, a form where literature isn't confined to ink on paper, but can be performed and experienced in tandem with electronic sounds. Her work seeks to blend literature and music into one cohesive entity, creating a distinctive and engaging experience.

The conversation broadens to encompass societal issues, such as the emergence of right-wing ideologies, propaganda, and the necessity for dialogue and tolerance in religious and political arenas. Lale voices her concerns about the inclination towards military solutions and the effects of structural violence on society. She argues for a pacifistic approach and the pursuit of alternative conflict resolution strategies.

The discussion also highlights Lale's recent project, "Aramesh" a radio drama which investigates the recollections of violence, war, and peace through acoustic means. Lale stresses the value of comprehending the sound of war and the experiences that come with it.

Finally, Lale discloses her current artistic pursuits, which involve working with circuits and illustrations, and a project centred on the solitude experienced by multicellular organisms. She emphasizes the necessity to reassess our relationship with technology and its influence on our perception and interaction with the world.

In summary, this podcast episode illuminates Lale Rocker Kidada's artistic trajectory, her viewpoints on societal matters, and her current projects that aim to amalgamate literature, music, and technology.

In the fourth episode of Blu Rose Podcast, Korean audiovisual artist Xena Xang, based in Prague, Czech Republic, delves into her artistic journey, exploring the intersections between shamanism, contemporary art, and spiritual practice. Drawing connections between animation and shamanism, Jang discusses her unique approach to performance art, influenced by her Korean cultural background and her experiences in Europe. She shares her passion for combining various artistic elements, such as vocal improvisation, live music, visuals, and dance in ritual performances, to create immersive experiences for the audience.

Jang's artistic vision is deeply rooted in daily rituals and multidisciplinary art mediums, allowing her to convey profound experiences through different senses. Studying visual art and animation, and currently pursuing a PhD in time-based media, her doctoral research, "Contemporary Art of Healing (2019–)," is a series of multidisciplinary ritual projects that attempt to illustrate the processes of self-healing, trance, and energy purification through audiovisual art mediums. Jang's synesthetic ability to connect colors, tastes, and sounds is a vital part of her creative process. Throughout the conversation, she emphasizes the importance of self-purification, meditation, and experimentation to access one's creative flow and maintain artistic spontaneity.

Working with vocal improvisation that ranges from chanting to screaming, Jang focuses on the non-verbal voice as an instrument and intends to create authentic sound for spiritual practices. She includes body movements as a visual communication tool and actions like hitting the ground with a rope to illustrate the detoxification of negativity from her sweat and clear her mind. Her music composition is based on field recordings that she syncs with live visuals used for her own performances or concerts by other musicians.

The artist aims to describe her spiritual practice without relying on well-known terms like shamanism, focusing on a more authentic connection with spirituality through her body and mind. By embracing contemporary music and art, Jang hopes to regenerate ancient shamanism without using existing elements, envisioning a future where people feel a strong connection to spirituality without needing to rely on traditional symbols or practices. Join us on this captivating episode to discover Jena Jang's sonic journey and her quest for spiritual awakening in art and performance.

Explore Xena's world and her creations by checking out her Linktree at https://linktr.ee/jenajang

In the third episode of the Blu Rose podcast, we dive into the world of sound and space with renowned musician, composer, and music researcher, Prof. Gascia Ouzounian. An Associate Professor of Music at the University of Oxford, and Fellow and Tutor at Lady Margaret Hall, Gascia heads the trailblazing SonCities ERC project. Her wide-ranging research delves into spatial audio, sound installations, and the history and aesthetics of electronic music.

Gascia shares her insights on interdisciplinary research, the fascinating concept of stereophonica, and the aesthetic, ethical, and political dimensions of sonic space. We discuss the materiality of sound, the latest spatial audio technologies, and their applications in various artistic fields. Additionally, Gascia provides an overview of her SonCities project, the importance of listening as a methodology for unlearning, and the power of sonic memories. As we explore the future of spatial sound research, we also touch upon balancing research interests with professional responsibilities and personal life. Join us for this enthralling conversation and discover the profound impact of sound and space on our sensory experiences.

More information about Gascia's work:

Gascia Ouzounian: https://www.music.ox.ac.uk/people/professor-gascia-ouzounian

SonCities: https://www.soncities.org/about

Scoring City: http://scoring.city

Stereophonica: Sound and Space in Science, Technology, and the Arts: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262044783/stereophonica/

We met with Christine Schörkhuber to talk about her Digital Skins, the politics of sound and the approach to music and technologies. 

Christine Schörkhuber is living and working as sound- and media artist, video maker and musician, mainly in Vienna but also in international context. She realizes big sound installations in public space as well as video art, musical composition and silent/noise performances. The artist is mainly interested in close listening, in the intersections of audio and visual arts and the dynamics of relations and systems on individual, sociopolitical and technological level.

As a solo musician she is performing under the name Canned Fit. She released several Albums and is part of various compilations. The artist is also member of the bands Laster Kanaster, Palovnia, Ratatoeskr u.a.

Christine is a former member of the executive board of the „IG Kultur Österreich“, the feminist hackerspace "Mz. Baltazar ́s Laboratory" and the network for improvised music snim. CoFounder and Curator of the sound art festival "Klangmanifeste" since 2010.

Check Christine Schörkhuber's website and accounts to learn more about Canned Fit and Klangmanifeste:

https://www.chschoe.net/

IG: @christine_schoerkhuber | @klangmanifeste

We met with Nicole Sabella to talk about their path from ballet to sonifying caterpillars.  

Nicole is an artist, cultural scientist and art educatrix engaging in performative strategies that are strongly informed by queer feminist thinking and collaborative practices. Through them she investigates the sociopolitical bonds between body, language, voice, sound, and space, and the way they unfold in constantly changing constellations or “choreo:spheres“. Their work is driven by the basic forces of rhythm, humour and failure (nowadays known as glitch), often assembling or dissolving into analog:digital performative sound installations. Technology is their friend and foe.

Check their website to learn more about Nicole's Sabella's work: https://choreospheres.jimdofree.com/about-1/