Artists in residence: SOUNDER (UK/CH)
29 October – 07 November 2021

In late 2021, Sound Art Brighton welcomed our first artists in residence! Swiss artists and members of the SOUNDER collective, Stefano Christen and Flurina Mia Häberli stayed in Brighton for a ten day residency during October and November 2021. They were accompanied by Professor Teresa Carrasco from Bern University of the Arts.

SOUNDER is an international collaboration exploring the sounds of Bern, Switzerland and Brighton, UK; founded by artists Esme Wright (UK), Hal Kelly (UK), Flurina Mia Häberli (CH) and Stefano Christen (CH) in 2020, guided and coordinated by Sound Art Brighton’s Olivia Louvel. This residency will allow the Swiss and UK members of the collective to work in-person for the first time after many months of working virtually.

SOUNDER’s project explores the sonic characteristics of Bern and Brighton (two locations recognised as UNESCO biospheres); addressing environmental issues through an inclusive sound art practice. The group utilises digital technologies to promote awareness of our local sonic environments. The collective undertook sonic investigations, recordings, and sound walks in the Downs and across the city of Brighton & Hove, collecting sound material their project. 

At the end of the residency period, SOUNDER presented their findings at our Environmental Sound Practices event on 3rd November 2021 as part of the Brighton Digital Festival programme. The virtual event featured a talk on Sound Art in Bern with sound artists Michael Harenberg and Teresa Carrasco. SOUNDER led a listening session presenting their ‘Sound Postcards’ project, an exchange of audio snapshots of environmental sounds between Brighton and Bern.

Research from this residency was later shown at Brighton CCA for the Sound Art Brighton Festival in March 2022 and in Bern at the Sound Arts in the Field of Tension between Electroacoustic Music and Media Art symposium in September 2022. They also conducted initial tests for their Sound Skating project, in collaboration with the Brighton Skate Collective, which was documented by BDF21 Camera Crew.