15 g, 6 x 9 cm, MP3 and WAV
Released: February 2015

The border area of Norway and Russia, where the sparse beauty of the Arctic landscape meets industrial decay and heavy pollution, serves as the setting where BJ Nilsen and Karl Lemieux collected material for their collaborative audiovisual project Unearthed.

Composed by Nilsen to accompany Lemieux’s moving images, the soundwork was originally included on a USB device accompanying the publication The Geologic Imagination, but it is now available for purchase separately.

In their textual contribution to The Geologic Imagination, the artists write: ‘Nikel’s red and white chimneys hiss and growl as they spew out clouds of smoke. The air is difficult to breathe today. With little wind, the acoustics are more noticeable, and sound travels in unexpected patterns between the blocks of buildings. There is also an interesting short echo effect in some open-air locations, perhaps resulting from the reflective façades on the buildings and the lack of vegetation.’

★ Preview Unearthed on YouTube (live recording)