- Field Recording
- Radiophonic
- Soundscape
- Atmospheric
- Meditative
- Melancholy
Field Reports from 非場所 by Peter Lenaerts
Dear Miyuki,
I’m sending you this postcard from 非場所.
15 years ago it was rural farmland, now it’s a rapidly developing new city with high rise apartments, office buildings, shopping malls, hotels, and a dilapidated entertainment park. Most of these are still empty though. It’s a city built for 1 million but the current population is around 300,000. It’s not a ghost town—no one has left—but not enough people have arrived yet either, which makes it feel rather eerie.
This place is not exactly a tourist destination.
I don’t speak the language.
Kids stare at me.
I’m gonna start recording now.
I’ll send another report soon.
Peter
Peter Lenaerts is a Belgian sound artist. He is fascinated by empty spaces and invisible or acousmatic sound. Sound that doesn’t scream for attention but sneaks into the listener’s ear unnoticed. Sound without ego, pure sound, with a focus on the medium rather than the maker. Peterstrongly believes that in a culture dominated by visuals, nothing is as powerful, intense, and rewarding as simply listening.
Credits:
Producer Peter Lenaerts
Actor Maria Assunta the Dino
Commissioned by ABC RN’s Soundproof.
Playlist
This Is 非場所today calls the future… in the grand blueprint for the new millenium there raises a new modern coastal city... this is 非場所
First Impressions
Dear Miyuki,
Here I am again, in the same room of the same hotel in 非場所. It’s been a couple of years since I was last here. I didn't know what to expect, as it’s almost impossible to find any clear information about this strange new city. So all I can tell you is what I see and hear and smell, so imagine if you will.
A Surprise to Visitors
The government is taking an unhurried approach to the development of 非場所. It's like painting on a blank sheet of paper. You don't want to ruin the picture with reckless brush strokes.
Grand Hotel
It is 1:30 in the morning and I’m standing in front of the Grand Hotel. I stood here two years ago and there was nothing else. There was nothing here.
Ferris Wheel
Imagine, if you will. It's early morning. You've left your hotel and you're walking along the boulevard. After 5 minutes you’re covered in a film of dirt. After half an hour the road comes to a sudden end.
Please note there is some swearing in Cantonese in this piece.
Final Report
Dear Miyuki,
This is my final report from 非場所. My work here isn't finished, but it has been decommissioned and I’ve been called home. So it goes.
