Cities and Memory - remixing the world

"My composition, titled “Berliner Mauer,” draws inspiration from ambisonics recordings made by Anders Vinjar at the Berlin Wall. "The Berlin Wall, officially known as the Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart, was a fortified concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. It physically separated West Berlin from East Berlin and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Construction of the Berlin Wall began on August 13, 1961, by the government of the GDR. The wall featured guard towers along large concrete walls and a wide area known as the “death strip,” which contained anti-vehicle trenches, beds of nails, and other defensive measures. The primary purpose of the Wall was to prevent East German citizens from fleeing to the West. "The intricate history of the Berlin Wall captivated me. Its origin as a tangible symbol of the Cold War division holds immense power. It embodies various aspects, including the brutal suppression of East Germans and their families, its unintended symbolic significance for freedom, and the challenging socio-economic adjustments that followed its unexpected fall in 1989. These events led to German reunification and broader movements for Eastern European liberation. "Anders Vinjar’s field recordings captured fragments of everyday life at the Berlin Wall, and these sounds carry an intangible weight. The post-fall complications in the area continue to impact everything and everyone around it in subtle ways. My intention was to convey this multifaceted and complex reality within my composition, leaving listeners with a potential sense of optimism for the future. By utilizing field recordings, synthesizers, and tape loops, I hope to unveil these hidden layers and inspire others to envision a better future." Berlin Wall soundscape reimagined by Jeff Dungfelder.

Ambisonics recording at the wall, physically separating Eastern Europe from Western Europe in Berlin during the Cold War in the years 1961 to 1989. This recording is part of the HEYR project, presenting 3-dimensional soundscapes from special locations, connected to special events. Find out more by visiting https://www.heyr.no Recorded by Anders Vinjar.

"I liked the space in the recording, and used it to slot in percussive and electronic elements to create a composition where all elements had parity of presence." Sanlin Old Street, Shanghai reimagined by Fergus Kelly.

"Estonian autumns arrive with shortening days, cooler air, and long, unbroken stretches of rain. There is also a particular sound to this small country — quiet, restrained, and deliberate. Voices fall softly; movement slows; even the strings of daily life seem slightly muted. In such an atmosphere, time itself can begin to blur. "This recording, made in Nõmme, Estonia, tries to capture that sensation — the drift of sound and stillness as they dissolve into one another." Nõmme food market, Tallinn reimagined by Paul Beaudoin.

Estimated to be more than 130 million years old, the ancient rainforest of Sabah comes alive in sound as night descends. The air vibrates with the calls of nocturnal creatures, forming a chorus in the darkness. From the steady hum of countless insects to the distant cries of animals hidden, the forest pulses with life. Within this vast wilderness dwell some of the world’s rarest and most remarkable beings - the Orangutan, Proboscis Monkey, Pygmy Elephant, Rhinoceros Hornbill, and Estuarine Crocodile - together known as the famous ‘Borneo Five’. Wrapped in shadows and mystery, the rainforest holds their presence like a secret, offering a timeless symphony. Recorded by Jake Edwards.

The ice on Son Kul lake, Kyrgyzstan melting with spring coming. Recorded by Melissa Aubin.

At the fruit and veg market in the Nomme district in Tallinn, with shopper buying their weekly groceries on a windswept day. Rain starts midway through the recording and we shelter beneath the canopies and listen to the rain beating down above our heads. Nõmme is a natural district of Tallinn. Some of the most beautiful residences from traditional wooden to art nouveau styles stand underneath the pine trees of Nõmme. The Nõmme Market, selling fresh produce and local goods, will transport you to an cosy Estonian village without leaving the city. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

In this recording, traffic sounds increase during thunderstorms and rainy weather. In wet conditions, vehicle engines and tires are more audible. These sounds can be heard as a form of white noise and are sometimes accompanied by thunder. Recorded in Trabzon, Türkiye by Ugur Aslan.

"I kept the original recording and a filtered it a bit and afterwards I added a pad. Humidity & Haze capturing the feeling of the air and the rain-streaked city, while the "Passing Thoughts" introduces the human element (the traffic). The combination of pad with the detached sounds of the rainstorm and traffic creates a feeling of lonely movement or stillness in a noisy world." Rainstorm in Trabzon reimagined by Konstantinos.

"The original piece had a feeling to me of drifting through the rainforest canopy, so I thought it would be interesting to contrast these sounds with the "jungle" of empty space between radio signals." Borneo rainforest recording reimagined by {AN} EeL

"Sitting among the glaciers in the living room, my ears are carried away by the enchanting sound of tectonic movements... my mind floats, my eyes glimpse this sonorous place..." Kyrgyzstan Son Kul ice lake reimagined by Philippe Neau.

"Listening to the sound of the market in Ramallah just a week before it was attacked and burnt was a powerful experience - but to hear that later after that the market was repaired, regenerated and back in action was an even stronger feeling of the power of resistance. "The beautiful poem "A better day will come" by Afghan poet Hosnia Mohseni seemed to me to strike the perfect tone of hope and possibility among fear and violence, and the presence of resistance within poetry and within art. "This piece is a prayer for a better day." Featuring vocal readings by Nogol Madani, Rebecca Denniff, Tiurlan Sitompul, and Judith Mann. A Better Day Will Come - Hosnia Mohseni Sister, The day will come when you and I will fly Over the proud hills of our land. A day will come when the doors won’t be locked And falling in love will not be a crime. You and I will let our hair fly, Wear red dresses, And intoxicate the birds Of our vast deserts With our laughter. We will dance among the red tulips of Mazar In memory of Rabia. That day is not far. Perhaps it is just around the corner. Perhaps it is in our poetry. Ramallah market recording by Anders Vinjar reimagined by Cities and Memory.

When I first listened to the recording of the depopulated village in Jerusalem, what really stood out was the bird song sounding like a voice of hope. I decided to use this as my focus as it was in keeping with the Echoes For Palestine Project theme ’hope, healing and a reimagined future’. I wrote the lyrics from the point of view of the village itself longing for inhabitants to return. The village grieved because of the silence and death, hoping that the homesick people would come back and live there once more. Ultimately, everyone needs a purpose and the village’s purpose was to be a home once again. ‘Diamond I Am’ considers these ideas, focussing on a village full of its people as somewhere beautiful; a diamond. It also recognises the need for people to be honest and talk about the plight of Palestine in order that it may heal. Jerusalem depopulated village recorded by Anders Vinjar, reimagined by Simon Holmes.

"All lands, one voice drifts like breath through every place at once. "Choral fragments rise and dissolve inside an ambient field, evoking a world without borders. Robert Lax’s line — “the same moment in every place” — guides this sound: a single moment, stretched to gather all lands in one voice." Jerusalem apartheid wall recording by Anders Vinjar reimagined by Paul Beaudoin.

"It takes Palestinian prayer and thoughts with repeated phrases including 'so hasten to all that is good' whilst encouraging the people of Palestine to march forward despite the conflict. Using loops and samples from recent news reports to build a picture of the current situation against a backdrop of hope." Dubberrookie creates ambient dub sounds often with a back story to each composition. Often including his own found sounds he uses loops and samples to build up his pieces. Jerusalem Mount of Olives reimagined by Dubberookie.

"For this track, I used the field recording made by Anders Vinjar on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. This place has always had a mythical resonance to my ears, it sounds like a place of sacred peace, but obviously it is no longer. "What I tried to express through this piece is how a land of peace gradually transforms into a place of conflict, how what was once a sacred site has become a battlefield. After starting calmly, the recordings and sounds become confused, the rhythm breaks, something is wrong… "One day, the Palestinians will return home, but nothing will ever be the same again." Mount of Olives, Jerusalem reimagined by Zuunzug.

"Built from a field recording by Anders Vinjar of Ramallah’s Al-Hisba market, captured one week before Israeli soldiers set it ablaze, Seven Days Before transforms the market’s voices, footsteps, and ambient bustle into a slow-moving reflection on memory, loss, and the fragile beauty of everyday life via modular synthesis. "The source recording is processed through Make Noise Morphagene and accompanied by melodies provided by Mutable Instruments Rings. Glitchy, fragments of melody emerge and dissolve through further processing. This layered approach allows the original soundscape to remain present yet altered, a sonic parallel to how memory holds onto places that no longer exist in the same form." Ramallah market, Palestine reimagined by Richard Charles Boxley.

"A meditation on life, disrupted by injustice. I listened to the location recordings and was inspired but saddened by the sounds of life as it goes on under conflict. The two field recordings were used both relatively unprocessed, but also through a feedback network of resonant delays. Location recording by Anders Vinjar." Wailing Wall, Jerusalem reimagined by Logickal.

Recordings of ambience from Aṭ-Ṭūr (Mount of Olives) overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. The Al Aqsa temple-mount in the distance, the jewish graveyard close by, site of important historic and contemporary events. The recording is from April 2024, while the catastrophic war in Gaza was going on full speed. This soundscape-composition is part of the HEYR project, presenting 3-dimensional soundscapes from special locations, connected to special events. Find out more by visiting https://www.heyr.no Recorded by Anders Vinjar.

The famous market Al-Hisba in Ramallah. Sounds of busy buying and selling. This Ambisonics recording was done exactly one week before Israeli soldiers lit the whole place on fire, destroying everything. This soundscape-composition is part of the HEYR project, presenting 3-dimensional soundscapes from special locations, connected to special events. Find out more by visiting https://www.heyr.no Recorded by Anders Vinjar.