Messages for/from Brooklyn Soils
Lisa Ann Schonberg's Messages for/from Brooklyn Soils
Schonberg presents a sound installation of cryptic insect sounds of New York City, with an emphasis on the vibroacoustic soundscape of soil and vegetation. The sounds were recorded and composed on-site in New York City green spaces through a hybrid system of microphones, playback, digital modulation/processing in Max/MSP, and percussion.
At Reforesters, I arranged segments from this raw compositional material, rendering it for spatial sound installation. I present this musical material in hopes that audiences might auralize (hear in the mind, as coined by Pauline Oliveros) about these organisms in their day-to-day lives.
Artist: Lisa Ann Schonberg
Lisa Schonberg is a composer, percussionist and author creating sound works based in ecological research. Informed by her background in entomology, Schonberg is interested how these sound works can reveal and challenge assumptions about insects and other overlooked or avoided nonhumans. Since 2017 she has been collaborating with Brazilian entomologists on research investigating ant bioacoustics in the Amazon. Recently presented work includes the participatory sound installation The Insects are Present, the art-book and album Old Growth Playback, and works on endangered Hawaiian bees, fungi, and plastics. Schonberg's compositions are performed by Secret Drum Band and UAU.
Her work has been presented at SALT Istanbul, The Staten Island Museum, EMST Athens, The Nobel Prize Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp, FILE Festival, and Museo Reina Sofia. She has performed at the TBA Festival, the Pompidou, the Brooklyn Museum, Bosque da Ciencia (BR), and the American Museum of Natural History. Schonberg has been an artist in residence at Wave Farm, Labverde, the Banff Centre, Pioneerworks, HJ Andrews Experimental Station, and Signal Fire.
Her work has been supported by NYSCA, The Center for Deep Listening, the Oregon Arts Commission, Regional Arts and Culture Commission (OR), & The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. She is currently a PhD candidate in Electronic Arts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY.
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Come Early to Elevate Your Experience with Adaptogenic Foods and Teas
Reforesters Laboratory is an experimental adaptogen cafe and sound clinic located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We utilize music – including spatial, sub-bass-centered, and organic instrumentation – along with breathwork, meditation, art, plant care and adaptogenic, nutritional foods + beverages to cultivate kindness—both physical and spiritual. We aim to create an environment that offers peace, space, and clarity, helping people understand the connections between themselves, their communities, and the world around them. To that end, we offer "pay what you can" ticket options on all events and classes.