an acoustic world atlas
on ORF-Kunstradio

[ go to: german translation ]

Crosswalks Sound-Files:

Graz, Wolfgang Temmel
Linz, Markus Decker
Bregenz, Hubert Matt
Wien, Norbert Math
Klagenfurt, Gerlinde Zimmermann
Salzburg, Ruth Tünkler
Stuttgart, Johannes Auer
Zürich, Fritz Fro
Quebec, Jocelyn Robert
Groznji, Gue Schmid
Sidney, Etienne Deleflie
Tokio, Tetsuo Kogawa
Toronto, Germaine Koh
Gdansk, Felix Kubin
Hamburg, Felix Kubin
Hannover, Mareike Maage
Oslo, Erich Berger
Vancouver, Matthew Smith
Berlin, FL3M
Goteburg, Manoa University
Madrid, Jose Iges
Nitra, Julio Fujak and Lucia Vadelova
Norway, Risto Holopainen
Hagen, Knut Aufermann
London, Alfredo Genovesi
Manchester, Ednun Pourtahmasbi
Stockholm, Kaye Mortley
Celje
Liverpool, Ednun Pourtahmasbi
Sidney, Jon Rose
Melbourne, Andrew Garton
Warsaw, Schick / Staniszewski
Arnheim, Christoph Cargnelli
Graz II, Wolfgang Temmel

when it clicks quickly, a green light goes on, when it clicks slowly, it turns red. it is as simple as that. or at least the austrian version is.

but what are the actual deeper meanings behind a rhythm that in a broad but also profound sense assumes responsibility for the stop-and-go society?

an acoustic signal - the above mentioned "clicking" - greatly changes our world of perception. for those who are blind or have severely impaired vision it can be of vital importance; others hardly notice this so very essential sound and information carrier.

what we are talking about here are so-called "blind traffic lights", those devices found at crossroads on all five continents between melbourne and montreal, between tiny towns in patagonia and vladivostok. in the usa these traffic lights and signals have been poetically called "talking crosswalks", and this expression will serve here also as the meaningful title for a form of "talking radio" certainly unique in both its preparation and presentation.

for this senseless sound project, artists are being invited from around the globe to record authentically on location these minimalistic "signal symphonies" which often resound so differently from country to country. they can also feel free to add or not add an artistic statement based on their associations and intuitions.

these senseless songlines will then be broadcast beginning march 2003 on orf-kunstradio.
playing time: 150 seconds each. nonetheless, these seconds will carry listeners off around the world and in this context provide them with unheard-of global acoustic picture postcards.
talking crosswalks, signal and sound tracks that invite listeners in their living-rooms and elsewhere on an imaginary and yet extremely real acoustic world excursion.

concept:

wolfgang temmel

collaborator:

norbert math

translation:

cathy saxon