Simon Whetham
Simon Whetham has been capturing and composing almost primarily with field recordings since taking part in a research trip to Iceland in 2005.
Simon Whetham has been capturing and composing almost primarily with field recordings since taking part in a research trip to Iceland in 2005.
Channelling
*300 copies limited edition* Channelling is a kinetic sound performance that utilizes various components salvaged from discarded and obsolete consumer technology, reanimating them by piping amplified sound through them. The motors and mechanisms respond to these sound impulses in erratic and unpredictable ways. The actions of, and emanations from, the devices are subsequently amplified.
"An array or swarm of vitalities, intertwined, of non human powers which transit channels. Trajectories that f…
Dry
*2024 stock. 160 (hand-numbered) copies limited edition* "Two bodies of water, contained in man-made channels and held back by barriers. Such is our desire and need to control nature, that we have used this resource to aid our industrious endeavours, often at the expense of the local area and environment. Steel, wood and concrete stand tall, holding back huge volumes of water to be channelled to produce electricity, cooling processes or simply be stored for future use. Often these processes cont…
Organic Volatilisation Near Imperceivable
*20 copies limited release* Over two weeks in September 2022 Simon Whetham was invited to join Milena Farioli at OVNI, a creative space in Fribourg, Switzerland, to explore the sounds of various fermentations including red and white cabbage, green beans, ginger, courgette (a huge one donated to the project by the neighbouring florist), (non-lactose) kefir and mead. He recorded the whole process with various techniques and mics, also capturing some of the sounds from bustling Rue de Lausanne that…
InTolerance
«Tolerance can be used to describe how things fit together. Another term is allowance. Situations do not always run smoothly alongside others. People are not always able to accept new situations presented to them. With this work, I have stated “Many borders crossed, communities welcomed by, moments shared, ideas exchanged. Everyone on the planet should have this basic human right.” I truly believe this and have grown in every way through my own experiences, here combined in a way to reflect both…
Open And Closed Circles
Mappa invited me to make a work for cassette release. At the time I was putting finishing touches to a work for CD that was the result of 3 years of collection, distillation, presentation and consideration. I had made a conscious decision to stop composing in favour of making work for installation and performance.
However, the idea struck me to make a ‚format-specific‘ piece. For many reasons the cassette didn’t excite me in the same way as vinyl or CD. But then I considered the compact cassette…
What Matters Is That It Matters
Simon Whetham is an acute listener, a field recorder, a thinker, a globetrotter, and a mobilizer. However, he is also a sonic cook. Wherever he goes, he picks up sounds and atmospheres as if they were exotic ingredients. And for 'What Matters Is That It Matters', he made us a stew, slowly simmered until all the flavours come through.'What Matters Is That It Matters', Whetham's first album for Baskaru, is slow music. And slow music deserves to be taken in slowly - you don't wolf comfort fo…
Yoi
'In April 2011 David Vélez invited Simon Whetham to Bogota to run a field recording workshop at the Nacional University as part of the Masters in Fine Arts that Vélez was taking. They also planned to work together outside the workshop, a major part of this exchange being to visit the Colombian Amazonas to record, explore and collaborate - capturing sounds and sharing experiences.
During the trip, they were removed from their comfort zone and endured the rigors of the jungle in different situatio…