Image: "Blind piano drawing no. 1 made with eyes closed,
left hand black, right green" Made on Hank Bull's I-Pad. 

Wiencouver 2011

---

A COPY OF THIS PROGRAM CAN BE ORDERED FROM THE "ORF TONBANDDIENST"

---

Wiencouver  is an imaginary place located somewhere between Vienna and Vancouver, manifesting itself in radio space on the occasion of various art projects. Ever since 1979, when radio art pioneer Hank Bull founded Wiencouver, dozens of projects have been realized under this name, with the ORF Kunstradio in Vienna and the Western Front, one of Canada’s first artist-run societies, in Vancouver, operating as sort of Embassies. Hank Bull, who has also co-founded the Western Front society, has withdrawn from producing radio art in the last couple of years, and we are excited to welcome him back on air: Kunstradio presents three new works from the series of Radio Songs by the Vancouver based artist. Before, we listen in to some of Hank Bull’s previous productions and projects, such as “The Last Words of Gertrude Stein” (1989) and “Dravidia” (1992), and also to his online performance with Erin Gee and Melanie Perreault as the Eternal  Crew on the occasion of this year’s Art’s Birthday, “Eternal Jam 2011 #1“. Foto by Kate Henderson Below you can find some notes by the artist on his three Radio Songs “Tune Up”, “Talking Dog” and “The Blindness of Men”, which Bull considers a continuation of the project Wiencouver. “Wiencouver is a a series of works begun in 1979 in collaboration with Robert Adrian and others. Wiencouver explores the construction of an imaginary city existing somewhere in the aether over Vienna and Vancouver. Wiencouver was realized through a series of telematic events linking the two cities, often as part of larger network creations.” 1) „Tune Up“ Notes: There is sound and there is music. Tune Up is somewhere in between. To tune up is to get ready, to enter into the world of sound. To tune up is not to play but to listen. It has a kind of justice about it, although each tuner has his own style. Everybody loves the slow cadence and solemn sonorities of the piano tuner's art. Bob Bjerki still tunes the old way, by ear. For this, the first in a new series of Songs for Radio, I recorded him tuning my old Steinway, then arranged the sound loosely into seven tracks, folding the seven octaves of the piano. Random sonorities occasionally rise to the surface like echoes of old songs before dissolving again into the palimpsest of memory. Like all tuners, Bob gets his own little coda at the end. Composition: traditional Performer: Bob Bjerki Arrangement: Hank Bull PLAY 2) “Talking Dog“ Notes: The Talking Dog, it doesn't really matter what he says. The mere fact that he speaks is amazing. Composed and performed by Hank Bull PLAY 3) „The Blindness of Men“ The Blindness of Men is a quotation from the Confessions of Saint Augustine. "Such is the blindness of men that they boast even of their own blindness." It means that only when we abandon hope in our own vanity will we be able to see ourselves and the world as we truly are. I have been thinking about blindness for several years. What is life like for people with impaired vision? I once met a blind artist at a festival. She explained to us that blindness is just a different kind of visual experience, where you see colours, or things really close up, or mental projections. Blindness changes the sensory mix. And of course, radio is blind. I have been making drawings with my eyes closed, usually abstract, but sometimes I will try portraits of people I know. I made several musical scores for "Songs for Radio". Closing your eyes can be a good a way to see the invisible. PLAY Link: http://kunstradio.at/WIENCOUVER/index.html

---

---

PROGRAM
CALENDAR