Fourteenth International Festival of Experimental Sound
Prepared Surroundings 2022
(informal dedication to John Cage)
(for Russian version click here)
Almaty:
Dates: November 2 - November 3
«Until I die there will be sounds. And they will continue following my death.
One need not fear about the future of music».
John Cage «Experimental Music» (1957)
Prepared Surroundings (PS) is one of the strangest sound festivals in the Russian-speaking space, which has been taking place for 14 years. As always, our focus is on experimentation with sound and technology.
Алматы \ Almaty
PS operate according to the logic of the "prepared" instruments widely popularized by John Cage. From the beginning, however, we declare a more abstract approach. Prepared Objects, Surroundings, Constructs. This is what awaits the viewer in our shows. The easiest way to explain it is schematically: the Object is something in front of the author, the Surrounding is something around the author, the Construct is a mental construction within the author. In a sense, PS is a kind of creative voluntarism. An avant-garde within an avant-garde. A place for trial and radical experimentation within the experimental scene. Those who have followed the Festival all these years know what it can lead to. Sometimes it felt like we had strayed unacceptably far from music. Yes, but that's how the PS may have become the first sound culture festival in the Russian-speaking space. Indeed, from electroacoustic improvisations we moved on to sensors, lasers, robots, swallowing pills and setting pianos on fire, to sound walks around town, to exploding mushrooms and chemical experiments right on stage, to compositions without beginning or end, to ether-catching, architecture, gallery exhibitions, learning human echolocation from the blind people, acupuncture, all kinds of board and non-board games, microchip programming and dancing with dogs, etc. Artists from all over the World have come to us, and over the years the PS has become a unique event where cultural exchange between non-profit sound art communities has taken place. The PS has become part of the international sound rhizome.
Over its long history, the Festival has undergone changes. From chamber concerts on Wednesdays, to a chain of connected events in different cities and countries over a period of months. The PS is dedicated to experimental art and therefore has the freedom to experiment with the forms of its own representation. This year we will present only two chamber events, and both will take place for the first time in Kazakhstan, in Almaty. On the one hand, it's a presentation of the Festival for the Kazakhstani public, and on the other, it's a full-fledged Festival. PS-2022. Several regular participants will show their prepared performances at the traditional concert on Wednesday. And on Thursday there will be a micro-conference on the history of the Festival, with documentaries, artist presentations, and discussions. We would like to thank the Center of Contemporary Culture Tselinniy and the KORKUT Biennale for the unique opportunity to show the Festival in Kazakhstan.
Our format
We plan to hold live events in Almaty. However, in addition to this we will try to organize a live broadcast from the sites and audio-video documentation.
The world is changing and the Festival is changing with it, only our slogan remains unchanged:
"Participants will demonstrate their work with prepared objects, environments, and constructs."
PS-2022 curator: sergey kasich
Program:
02|11|22 WEDNESDAY
- a concert of prepared performances
start at: 20.00 (local time) (GMT+6)
admission: 15000 ТГ (link)
venue: Total Theater (114 Shevchenko St.)
participants:
Boris Shershenkov (RU spb)
Alec Petuk & Tel Quel lab (RU msk \ KZ alm)
vitalinair (RU msk)
Lovozero & Monekeer (RU msk \ AM yrvn)
Dmitry Morozov aka ::vtol:: (RU msk)
(more about the event in KORKUT program)
03|11|22 Micro-conference: "PS-Festival - 14 Years of Sonic Avant-Garde".
- presentation of the Festival (Vitalina Strekalova)
- video-documentary demonstration of PS-2016 (Anvar Musrepov)
- Round table: Dmitry Morozov, Nikita Prudnikov, Anastasia Tolchneva, Vitalina Strekalova, Anvar Musrepov
start at: 18.00 (local time) (GMT+6)
admission: free
language: russian
venue: Central Exhibition Hall (137 Zheltoksan Street)
(more about the event in KORKUT program)
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The festival is initiated by the community SoundArtist.ru
and this year it is supported by the CCC Tselinniy and the KORKUT Biennale.
Accreditation: (contacts)
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organizers:
festival director: vitalina strekalova
director of CCC Tselinniy: jamilya nurkalieva
coordinator of CCC Tselinniy: madina sadybekova
curator of the biennale "Korkut": anvar musrepov
technical director: dmitry morozov
curator: sergey kasich