Radio That Matters news!

 

Radio That Matters – the European project dedicated to experimentation between the performing arts, acoustic research and accessibility – enters the heart of its journey, reaching the production phase of three new performing arts works that are created as accessibles to both people with / without visual impairments thanks to a collective participation process between artists and participants. Each festival partner (Baltic Circle, Parallele and Short Theatre) identified an artist with whom to realise this performance in collaboration with national project partners and other contexts identified during the course of the project. The three works will have the characteristic of being displaced in time and space, and will converge in the RTM Festival, a nomadic format that will travel in the three festivals and ‘radio’ disseminated via Listening Biennale.

 

For this project, Parallèle invites here the choreographer MAUD BLANDEL in collaboration with the ASLAA association (Marseille).

 

Maud Blandel, a long-standing partner of Parallèle, will be continuing the meeting with members of the ASLAA association – promoting sports and recreational activities for people with visually impairements – that began in January 2024 with the presentation of her choreographed piece L'œil nu at the Ballet national de Marseille. 

The aim is to embark on a joint exploration of musical and choreographic composition, and to give everyone the power to make it their own, whatever their abilities or limitations. On the programme: collective reflection and elaboration, physical experimentation and the creation of sound materials.

 

Initially trained in contemporary dance, then in directing and visual arts, Maud Blandel has been developing her own choreographic pieces since 2015. Singular and physically engaged, each of her works relies on a conceptual musical base in order to put into body and form various phenomena altered by the passage of time.

 

 

The other artists and festivals involved are :

 

ALESSANDRO BOSSETI, in collaboration with ASP Sant’Alessio – Marcherita di Savoia (Rome), produced by Short Theatre / AREA06

> Una memoria di suoni

collective creation workshop

 

The composer and sound artist Alessandro Bosetti invites participants to the collective creation of a ‘Palazzo della Memoria’, a physical and imaginary space that collects the memory of sounds connected to life stories. The workshop is addressed to blind and visually impaired people and is conceived as a collective experience in which real and imaginary sounds can be mixed in a path of creation of ‘sound memories’, which will become material for a performance/installation of noises, sighs, melodies and words. Partner in the project is ASP S. Alessio - Margherita di Savoia, a historic institution in Rome that carries out activities aimed at the autonomy and social inclusion of blind and visually impaired persons.

Alessandro Bosetti is a composer and sound artist with a particular interest in the musicality of language and the voice as an autonomous object and expressive instrument. His works set up a dialogue between language, voice and sound within complex tonal and formal constructions, often marked by an oblique irony.

 

ELLEN VIRMAN & MIA TAKULA in collaboration with Verna Vilppula and Marja Mikola (Helsinki), produced by Baltic Circle
> Hevosen silmin – Through the Horse's Eyes 
audio work

 

Hevosen silmin – Through the Horse's Eyes is an audio artwork by Ellen Virman and Mia Takula that conceptualises the world from a horse-centred perspective, highlighting the possibilities horses offer to expand the sensory experiences and life sphere of a blind person. Equine researcher and ethologist Verna Vilppula presents research findings on horse emotions and communication. Paralympic equestrian Marja Mikola describes her experiences as a blind horse person.

Ellen Virman works diversely in radio, performing arts, and music. They have worked as a sound designer, lighting designer, technical producer, and solo artist under the name Eilien.Virman is inspired by combining documentary and fantasy and making societal topics accessible.

Mia Takula is an author, documentarian, and journalist born working in the art and media field for over 25 years. Takula's main themes include the intrinsic value of animals, nature, the eco-crisis, and humanity. Despite her strong subjects, Takula aims to encourage rather than blame, seeing the possibility for change.