Residency Dates: October 16, 2016 - November 05, 2016
Application Deadline: May 17, 2016
I am a composer, performer and researcher in the field of contemporary electroacoustic art music. My work encompasses electroacoustic and acousmatic concert compositions as well as more diverse forms such as sound-architectural installations, collaborations with visual artists, designers and scientists. I am a leading expert in the creative application of 3D sound and immersive spatial audio in contemporary art.
I studied for my Masters degree in composition and analysis at Birmingham University, where I first experienced spatialisation and sound diffusion performance with BEAST (Birmingham Electroacoustic Sound Theatre). For my PhD in electroacoustic composition I studied at City University, London, supervised by Denis Smalley. Both degrees were fully funded by grants from the British Academy. In 1998 I moved to Norway, initially for a one-year postdoctoral project, and have lived in Oslo since 2000.
Between 1995 and 2006 I received a large number of prizes for my compositions in the major European electroacoustic music competitions: Giga-Hertz Award (Germany), Edvard Prize (Norway), twice in Noroit-Leonce Petitot (France), three times in the Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Awards (France), along with receiving the ‘Euphonie D’Or des Concours de Bourges’ for the period 1992-2002, Musica Nova (Prague), CIMESP (Brazil), Concours Scrime, (France), International Electroacoustic Creation Competition of Ciberart (Italy), twice in the Concours Luigi Russolo (Italy), Prix Ars Electronica (Austria), both the public and jury prizes in the 9th International Rostrum for electoacoustic music (2002). In 2006 I was awarded the prestigious Nordic Council Music Prize, which is Scandinavia’s highest award for contemporary music.
Since completing my doctoral degree I have maintained an active research profile and currently hold a researcher position at the University of Oslo Department for Musicology (2014 – 2016), focusing on the composition and projection of 3D gestural-spatial audio imagery. For more information please visit www.natashabarrett.org
Residency Statement
During the residency I’m interested in working with composers and sound artists who want to explore how the details of our spatial environment can be harnessed in sound and music. Areas in which we may work are in the interaction between frequency, space and time, and exploring a continuum between abstract musical fantasies through to hyper-realistic ecologically-based sound-art. The residence will involve use of microphones and sound transformation, consider listening perspectives and work practically with the local sound environment.
Composers and sound artists will be encouraged to consider a creative approach from a multitude of angles, to explore their imagination and see how we can together address and realize fascinating and musically inspiring ideas that may have originally appeared unattainable. Interested applicants will primarily be acousmatic composers, installation artists and composers working with live electronics (with or without acoustic instruments). However, performance artists interested in exploring sound in relation to the physical objects of their work are also welcome.
Application Requirements
Two recent compositions and / or sound-art works. The submissions can be in stereo, ambisonics or multichannel. For ambisonics please remember to state the decoding norm, and for other multichannel formats, the speaker routing. For multichannel formats, applicants can submit multiple mono or interleaved files. Please limit these examples to 120 MB. For files larger than 15MB, please use a cloud service such as dropbox or google drive to share the files. Please upload a document to ‘submittable’ with a link(s) that will allow Natasha to download the large files. All applicants should submit a stereo example on ‘submittable‘ even if their main submission is a multichannel format. If appropriate, applicants may also supplement the recordings with photos, videos and other visual materials (such as installation schematics, or scores).
- Two recent compositions and / or sound-art works. The submissions can be in stereo, ambisonics or multichannel. For ambisonics please remember to state the decoding norm, and for other multichannel formats, the speaker routing. For multichannel formats, applicants can submit multiple mono or interleaved files. Please limit these examples to 120 MB. For files larger than 15MB, please use a cloud service such as dropbox or google drive to share the files. Please upload a document to ‘submittable’ with a link(s) that will allow Natasha to download the large files. All applicants should submit a stereo example on ‘submittable‘ even if their main submission is a multichannel format. If appropriate, applicants may also supplement the recordings with photos, videos and other visual materials (such as installation schematics, or scores).
- A short biography or CV. (.doc, .docx, .pdf)
- A letter of intent presenting the following: (.doc, .docx, .pdf)
- An idea of what you are interested in working on during the residence. This may be a specific idea or a more general topic that you find fascinating and are curious to investigate in your work.
- General information on influences and interests.
- Musical / sound-art strengths.
You will be expected to bring your own computer / laptop and good quality headphones. It would be advantageous to bring personal recording equipment if possible. A limited selection of equipment is available at Atlantic Center for the Arts.
Residency Fee: $900
Includes a $100 administration fee, weekday meals and housing; does not include artist materials, transportation, or weekend meals.
Scholarships / Financial Assistance
Only accepted Associate Artists may apply for financial assistance. For details, please visit the master artist details page.