Sonic Time Capsule is a piece created by Andrea Zarza specially commissioned by Radio Reina Sofia. The point of departure of the piece is a homonymous text by the same author written in 2012. This text, laid out as a manual to build A Sonic Time Capsule, has North American Time Capsule by composer Alvin Lucier, the Crypt of Civilization and the Golden Record as its references. All these projects encapsulate, in different ways, the most representative aspects of their present with the purpose of communicating them to future generations. Setting aside material samples of the present for the future is a way of generating history, and of giving meaning to the present. But how do we preserve something that is ephemeral, the intangible that gives meaning to the objects inside the capsule? This podcast is accompanied by a PDF that explains some of the theoretical and technical aspects of the piece. The PDF text also lists and explains the different collaborations that form the piece. Along with field recordings by Andrea Zarza, we can listen to the saxophones of Artur Vidal and Caroline Kraabel, the rhythms of Verity Susman and the voices of Ángeles Oliva, Toña Medina and Ciaran Harte.

Andrea Zarza was born in Madrid and grew up between Spain and USA. She currently lives in London, where she works at the British Library Sound Archive. She has a BA in Philosophy from the Universidad Complutense of Madrid and postgraduate studies in Sound Arts and Design (London College of Communication) and Archives and Records Management (University College London). She has taught workshops about sound and listening to children at the Institución Libre de Enseñanza and has attended workshops with Ángeles Oliva and Toña Medina, Francisco López, Jana Winderen and Pauline Oliveros, amongst many others.

This piece is part of a series that proposes different ways of thinking and listening to the past through sound, of which the already published podcasts Harder Posher Pinker by EVOL and La Guerra by Mikel R. Nieto are also a part. On this occasion, the piece suggests an imaginary voyage into history, posing a series of questions about the construction of history and its possible future interpretations. Given the characteristics of this podcast, it is recommended that headphones be used if the sound system available does not have adequate amplification.

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Código copiado al portapapeles.
Date:
02/03/2014
Production:
Andrea Zarza
License:
Creative Commons by-nc-nd 4.0

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