Philip Samartzis is a sound artist and curator with a specific interest in the social and environmental conditions informing remote wilderness regions and their communities. Philip is an Associate Professor within RMIT School of Art, and the artistic director of the Bogong Centre for Sound Culture.
Philip's art practice is based on deep fieldwork where he deploys complex sound recording technology to capture natural, anthropogenic and geophysical forces. He is particularly interested in concepts of perception, immersion and embodiment in order to provide audiences with sophisticated encounters of space and place.
Philip's Sounds Unheard masterclass series, "Environmental Sound", takes us into the world of field recordings and sound art. We'll be looking at how everyday and natural sounds from different environments can be used in compositions and collaborations, and hearing some of the stories behind Philip's works created in remote areas including Antarctica, the Swiss and Australian Alps, and the Kimberley region of northern Western Australian.
In the first episode, "Field Recordings", Philip introduces some ideas about composing with everyday and environmental sounds. We'll touch on the work of composers John Cage, Edgard Varèse and Ottorino Respighi, look at how new technologies are allowing artists to record environmental sounds and compose in new ways, and how listening attentively to our surroundings can create a much deeper engagement with the world around us.
Sounds Unheard is a free music education program for gifted and talented Victorian secondary music students. Hosted by the internationally acclaimed Speak Percussion, this program offers unique opportunities for young musicians and composers from all areas of music making to expand their knowledge and creativity, inspiring innovative approaches to music making.
www.soundsunheard.com