Tuesday, November 23, 2010



'sonata for clarinet & nodar'

Jez riley French (field recording / composition)

Joana Silva (clarinet)

Luis Costa (field recording)


egcd035 / nodar002


(a joint release between engraved glass & edições nodar)



in the last days of my residency at binaural (Nodar, Portugal) an idea came from a series of chance occurrences. Luis spotted Joana in the village & knew she was a clarinet player & that she had come from Lisbon to visit family for the summer. In the days before, myself & Luis had talked about recordings of instruments & singers in the natural environment - the roots of field recording. A decision was made to ask Joana if she would be willing to play her clarinet whilst walking slowly along a path that swept around the curve in the Paiva river that runs through Nodar. Joana, still at school, still learning the instrument, agreed & a day was arranged.


I think it's fair to say that what took place was truly a unique moment. This was not a 'perfect' realisation of a score that had been rehearsed. This was not a seasoned performer with a vast experience of contemporary composition playing a piece they knew well. Instead what was captured was a young player truly exploring the idea for the piece. There was no detailed instruction to her in regards to overall duration or the space between the played sections. This, therefore, is a composition of a moment.


Of course, the very nature of field recording & one of it's charms, is that it is a gesture to capture an unpredictable environment. Given the rural nature of Nodar village some aspects of everyday village life were bound to make an appearance. It was another chance occurrence that at the time we were recording someone decided it was time to trim the overgrowth on their plot of land with one of the loudest machines invented for the purpose. As this sound went on & on my thoughts went from frustration to resignation - we were, after all, capturing an aspect of life as it was happening. In composing the final piece it would have been possible to leave this intervention of modern rural reality out. However doing so would have also removed a memorable part of the experience.


It is the emotive capture of this day, this moment that motivated the composition drawn from the recordings made that day & the decision to create this release.


my thanks to Joana for her openess, exploration & dedication to the essential qualities of the music (both performed & environmental) & to Luis & all at Binaural for their hospitality & commitment.









price + postage options




Wednesday, November 10, 2010


residency positions:

Residency at Wired Lab, Australia - September 2012

Residency at Gift-Lab, Matusdai, Japan - July / August 2012

Residency / symposium - mellowcroft, wales - September 2011

Residency at stazione di topolo, Italy – July 2011

Residency at Mullae arts space, Seoul, Korea - June 2011

Residency at Nodar, Portugal – July 2010

Residency at Skolska 28, Czech republic - April 2010

Residency at Connected:09 festival, Pollau, Austria – July 2009

Residency at q-o2, Brussels, Belgium – June 2009

Residency at Moks, Estonia – May 2009

Artist in residence – Hull School of Art & Design 2008-2009

Residency @ Skolska 28, Prague – June 2008

Residency at Generator projects, Dundee + release of resulting cd / images – July / August 2007

Residency @ Skolska 28, Prague – May 2007

Residency @ Hull Time Based Arts - 2002



selected exhibition / performance

headphone piece commission for Tate Modern - february 2013

performance / talk @ wired lab, australia - september 2012

performance / talk @ gift_lab, Matsudai, Japan - August 2012

performance @ gift_lab, Tokyo - July 2012

performance with Tokyo Phonographers Union, Tokyo - July 2012

talk / performance / workshop @ soundfjord, london - June 2012

performance, The Noise Upstairs, Sheffield - March 2012

performance, Arts space college, Bristol - March 2012

performance / lecture, PVA AudioLab, Kingscombe, Dorset - March 2012

photographic exhibition, metricubi, Venice - February 2012

performance with CGAS ensemble, showcase cinema, Sheffield - December 2011

performance / lecture tour - czech republic - November 2011

performance / lecture - FieldFest, q-o2, brussels, belgium - october 2011

installation - ‘resonances de lumiere’, folkstone triennial, Kent - september 2011

performances (2), Topolo, Italy - July 2011

performance / talk, Goldsmiths college, London, UK  - July 2011

performance, dotolim, Seoul, Korea - june 2011

performance / lecture tour (inc. 5 concerts - 3 solo + 1 with Toshi Nakamura / 1 with Sawako), Japan - June 2011

performance, showcase cinema, sheffield, UK - march 2011

performance, Huddersfield University, UK - march 2011

solo performance / installations @ Nodar / Binaural ‘paivascapes’ festival, Portugal - March 2011

solo performance @ Skolska 28, Prague - May 2010

‘often ingress’ - audio / visual work @ Hull school of art & design, Hull - December 2009 / January 2010

solo performance at Expo, Leeds - July 2009

solo performance @ Y Gallery, Tartu Estonia – May 2009

‘in place’ – solo exhibition, ArtLink gallery, Hull April-May 2009

Performance at New Work Yorkshire event, Leeds – March 2009

 ‘in place’ – on going project 2008-2009 – including work with:

Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge (July 2008)

Jaqueline Du Pre building, Oxford (July 2008)

Humber bridge (July / August 2008)

Solo performance @ Skolska 28, Prague – June 2008

‘Sudek’s studio’ – site specific piece for Sudek Attelier, Prague – June 2008

Performance (trio with Patrick Farmer & Dom Lash) @ LMC festival, London – May 2008

Audio / visual performance at Spike Island gallery, Bristol – Jan 2008

Performance (with Daniel Jones, Max Eastley, Evan Parker, Mark Wastell and Graham Halliwell) at Chisenhale dance space, London – Dec 2007

Performance (audio / visual) – ‘’audible architecture # 6’ at Bloc assembly, Sheffield – Dec 2007

Performance at Amann (solo & with Taku Unami, Noid, Klaus Fillip & Tim Blechmann) – Vienna, Nov 2007

Photographic commission for ‘Hammonds’ exhibition, Hull – Sept 2007

‘east riding’ (audio/ visual) – 4 part audio work presented 2007 at various venues in Hull

‘mouth of the humber’ – audio / visual work commissioned by Humber mouth festival – July 2007

Duo for field recordings & strings (with Rhodri Davies) – UK, July 2007

2 UK performances with Toshimaru Nakamura & Billy Roisz   -  April 2007

solo performance at Skolska 28, Prague – May 2007

solo performance at Amann studios, Vienna – May 2007

solo performance + collaboration with Ivan Palacky at Sklenena Louka, Brno – May 2007

solo performance at Rhiz, Vienna – May 2007

solo performance at Quitch gallery, Linz – May 2007

‘Then the silence increased’ group exhibition Manchester, University of Salford – May 2007

5 duet performances with Lee Patterson – Feb / March 2007

Durational performance of intuitive composition – Kinetica gallery, London – November 2006

Performance & exhibition – Holy Trinity, Leeds 2006

‘Tristesse 22102006 1 & 2’ – performance @ New Work Yorkshire perambulator @ South Square gallery, Bradford 2006 

Re-soundtrack performance @ digital Scarborough festival – Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough 2006

Solo & trio performance @ resound exhibition – Mid-Pennine gallery, Burnley 2006

‘quartet avj2004-1’ – intuitive composition performed at NewWorkYorkshire, Bretton Hall

‘limitedspace’ – limited space performance – Tokyo 2003

‘k-foundation – burning a million’ – live soundtrack, Ferens Art Gallery, Hull 2003


Curatorial work / on-going projects:

Engraved Glass

A Quiet Position

Tristesse Engarved

CGAS (coast guard all stars ensemble)

in place (on going) – online resource exploring field recording, sonic architecture & compositional arcs.

seeds & bridges (on going)  – arts event series for Hull & East Yorkshire ( Arts Council England funded.) 

Founder / composer – ime (intuitive music ensemble) 2000 – on going

New Work Yorkshire – member of the advisory group 2006 – 2012



Published work (selection):

'instamatic: snowdonia' (engraved glass)

'birdcage wallpaper' - with Hankil Ryu (engraved glass)

'estonian strings' (gruenrekorder)

‘resonances di topolo / resonances de lumiere’ - audio cd (engraved glass)

'four objects' - audio cd (engraved glass)

'instamatic # 8 - portugal' - audio cd (engraved glass)

'between gestures' - free download (engraved glass / compost & height)

‘....until now - photographic scores until 2010’ - pdf publication (engraved glass)

'sonata for clarinet & nodar' - audio cd (engraved glass / nodar binaural)

'dawn chorus - north & south banks' - audio cd (engraved glass)

'trammals' - with Barry Chabala (engraved glass)

‘instamatic # 6 - prague’ - audio cd + photo card (engraved glass)

‘the bright work’ - audio cd + photo card (engraved glass)

‘....audible silence’ edition – audio cd + photo cards (engraved glass)

(nb. an extract from this edition also appears on the Wire Tapper cd given away free with the April 2009 issue of The Wire magazine)

‘the view from the studio window’ – audio cd + photo card (engraved glass)

‘drying rack and cabinet door’ – track on compost & height compilation volume 3 (compost & height)

‘instamatic series’ – volumes 1 – 4 – series of 3 audio cds + photo cards (engraved glass)

‘pocklington canal & wansford beck’ – audio cd (engraved glass)

 ‘field recordings volume 21’ – audio cd (engraved glass)

‘generator pieces 2727807’ – audio cd (generator projects / engraved glass)

Featured on ‘Autumn Leaves’ release to accompany book on sound art by Angus Carlisle (gruenrekorder)

‘two events’ – audio cd (engraved glass)

Text piece ‘silence’ for ‘Then the silence increased’ exhibition catalogue – Manchester, University of Salford – May 2007

‘Global ear – Hull’ – article in ‘The Wire’ magazine 

2 hour radio program on the film music of Toru Takemitsu – Resonance FM 2006

Field recordings Volume 20 - East Yorkshire & Germany 2006 – audio cd (engraved glass)

 ‘Hull on earth (Jez Riley)’ – radio documentary on resonance fm radio 2003


Lecturer / tutor positions:

Regular tutor (alongside Chris Watson) - wildeye location sound recording courses - norfolk - 2009 ongoing

tutor - field recording workshop, Sweden - October 2012

tutor - field recording workshop @ wired lab, australia - september 2012

tutor - 'a quiet position - a weekend workshop on the act & art of field recording' @ Soundfjord, London - June 2012

tutor - wildeye field recording course, Sweden - May 2012

Guest lecture - EMS studios, Stockholm, Sweden - May 2012

Guest lecturer - Lincoln University - November 2011

Guest lecturer - culturelab, Newcastle University - November 2011

Guest lecturer – Newcastle University - 2009

Guest Lecturer – Leeds School of Contemporary art & Design - 2008

Guest lecturer – Hull school of art and design – 2008

Lecturer in intuitive composition – independent art school 2004

Guest lecturer – Hull school of art – 2003


Monday, November 8, 2010



issue two & three of the free pdf arts zine 'tristesse engraved' are now available by clicking


&


several of my field recordings have been used in one of the versions of 'July Mountain' by Michael Pisaro, available on the 2nd release from his new label 'gravity wave' - which can be purchased by visiting Michael's label blog here.


Monday, September 27, 2010


Jez riley French - 'dawn chorus - north & south banks'

ltd edition taiyo yuden cdr mounted on art card

*limited edition release featuring recordings made along the banks of the river Humber in east yorkshire. The recordings were made for a durational performance as part of 'seeds & bridges' 2010 & the cd comes mounted on the art-card flyer for the event. For this release I have composed a 64 minute single piece using the unprocessed recordings - mostly recorded on the north bank near to Flaxfleet *


postage options





Monday, September 13, 2010


engraved glass is pleased to announce issue one of a new free to download pdf arts edition:
tristesse engraved
featuring:
photographic response to Wandelweiser / Michael Pisaro on 'ascending' series score / David Velez - two photographs / by Amy Newton / Bridget Hayden - three works / treasure hiding pages / leaf explorer pages
to download click HERE
please spread the word about this if you can - & do consider getting involved