At the beginning of September, Michiel Huijsman, together with Hans Fidom and Jasmine Karimova, gave a three-day listening workshop by the Wadden Sea in and around Lauwersoog in the windy north of the Netherlands. Composers, musicians, scientists, artists and members of local communities conducted joint research into the sonic properties of this highly dynamic coastal area, where weather changes are immediately noticeable and land masses move under the influence of sea currents.
Livestreams
As part of the research, Michiel created radio earth livestreams from two coastal locations. One was a remote salt march where an abundance of feathered creatures gathered at high tide. Amazing, hear for yourself. The other was one of the harbour piers of Lauwersoog just opposite the WEC. Here an ever-changing mix of ‘natural’ and ‘cultural’ sounds was to be heard.
Centuries-old organs
The group of researchers listened not only to these streams, but also went into the field to listen, to record and to interview inhabitants and visitors. The research group linked their auditory impressions of the landscape to the rich musical heritage of the area, focusing on sounds elicited from some of the centuries-old organs that have been preserved in churches in the Groningen countryside. On the second day, the group visited a series of churches in the area to play and listen to these organs. The question that remained was: Could it be that generations of living in a windy area cultivate a preference for wind instruments?
WEC
The workshop was based in the brand new WEC (World Heritage Centre Waddensea, open since last April), and is part of SHORES, a collaborative research project of University of Aveiro, Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
