Peter Cusack

 

Peter Cusack
based in London, works as a sound artist, musician and environmental recordist with a special interest in environmental sound and acoustic ecology. Projects move from community arts to research into the contribution of sound to our senses of place to recordings that document areas of special sonic interest, e.g. Lake Baikal, Siberia, and Xinjang, China’s most western province. Recently involved in ‚Sound & the City‘ the British Council sound art project in Beijing 2005. His current project ‚Sounds From Dangerous Places‘ examines the soundscapes of sites of major environmental damage, e.g. Chernobyl, the Azerbaijan oil fields, controversial dams on the Tigris and Euphratees river systems in south east Turkey.

 

He initiated the ‚Your Favourite London Sound‘ project that aims to discover what Londoners find positive in their city’s soundscape, an idea that has been repeated in other world cities including Beijing and Chicago. He produced ‚Vermilion Sounds‘ a monthly environmental sound program on ResonanceFM radio, London, and is a Senior Lecturer in ‚Sound Arts & Design‘ at the London College of Communication. Recently appointed research fellow on the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council’s multidisciplinary ‚Positive Soundscapes Project‘
As a musician he tours regularly at home and abroad. Musical collaborators include Clive Bell, Nic Collins, Alterations, Chris Cutler, Max Eastley, Annette Krebs and Viv Corringham. Available recordings include „Where is the Green Parrot?“  (ReR PC1 – solo CD, „Your Favourite London Sounds“ (Resonance), „Operet“ (Rere121) with Viv Corringham, „Day For Night“ (Paradigm) with Max Eastley), and „Baikal Ice“ (ReR PC2)

 

Senior Lecturer Sound Arts & Design
Member of CRiSAP (Creative Research into Sound Arts Practice)

 

Consultancy and Residency
Consultant for the GLA on sound for their London Wildweb website stage 2 development (2007/8)
Artists Residency (1 week) at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA, March 2006

 

Memberships
World Forum for Acoustic Ecology
London Musicians Collective
PRS//MCPS
Wildlife Sound Recording Society

 

Research Interests
Electro-acoustic composition and performance
Acoustic ecology
Ambient sound
Sound environment
Field recording
Improvised music
Collaborations with visual artists
Phonography
Favourite Sounds

 

Research Outputs
Articles
Article on Azerbaijan Oil Field sound, UOVO, August 2007
Interview by Angus Carlyle in ‚Autumn Leaves: A Sound and Environment Reader‘, Double Entendre, 2007, ISBN 095480743X

Installations and Exhibitions
‚Favourite London Sounds‘: Arts Council – Installation for the foyer of the Arts Council’s building at Pear Tree Court, London, April 2007
‚Soundtrack for ‚The Black Sea Files‘ – video installation and DVD by Swiss artist Ursula Biemann. Shown Kunst Werke Gallery, Berlin, 2005/6
‚Beijing Soundscapes‘ – installation commissioned by the Capital Museum, Beijing in collaboration with David Toop – supported by British Council
‚Sound and the City, Beijing, China‘, commission by the British Council – 2 visits to Beijing to create pieces ‚Beijing Bike Ride and ‚ Favourite Beijing Sounds‘. Also concerts and workshops
‚Your Favourite London Sounds‘ exhibition as part of the launch of GLA’s Cultural Strategy – City Hall, June 2003
‚Urban Grime‘ exhibition at the Museum of London Sept 2003 to Jan 2004

 

Concerts and Projects
‚Field Recording‘ concerts and workshop tour – Quebec State, Canada; Organised by Daimon Arts and visiting Montreal, Quebec City, Gatineau, Saguenay
Concert at Roulette, New York City, USA – with Nic Collins
‚Soundlines‘: City of London Festival educational project concerning music/environmental sound in East London schools, April to November 2003
‚Baku, 5 Quarters‘ – Azerbaijan, Baku University of Architecture based project on 5 Baku neighbourhoods, collaboration with Swiss video artist Ursula Biemann, 2004
Send+Receive Festival performance & workshops, Winnipeg, Canada 2004: LMC Guitar Festival performances, Museum of Garden History, London 2004

 

Radio and Compositions
‚Vermilion Sounds‘, continuing bi-monthly radio series for RESONANCE FM on environmental sound, field recording, acoustic ecology, co-produced in collaboration with Isobel Clouter, started in 2002

 

Papers
MutaMorphosis: Challenging Arts and Sciences, International conference organised by CIANT – International Centre for Art and New Technologies in Prague in association with Leonardo/ISAST, November 2007
Beyond Text conference, Manchester University, July 2007
EMS07, de Montfort University, Leicester, June 2007
Performance of Sound Symposium, Tate Britain, May 2007
Sounder Spaces, organised by GLA at London Zoo March 2007
Sound and Anthropology conference, St Andrews University, June 2006

 

CD
‚Voila Enough‘ , CD, Atavistic ALP239CD CD release of the group Alterations (Steve
Beresford, Peter Cusack, Terry Day, David Toop) – recordings from 1980 – 83
Leonardo Music Journal written overview and curated CD ‚Interpreting the Soundscape‘, 2006
‚Baikal Ice‘ , (ReR PC2),  CD release of recordings of the spring ice break-up on Lake Baikal, Siberia, 2004

 

en.wikipedia.org
www.crisap.org

 

Gruenrekorder:
V.A.: “Rhythm” (Gruen 050/07)

V.A.: “Autumn Leaves” (GrDl 088/07)

V.A.: “Somewhere on the Edge” (GrDl 100/12)

Peter Cusack: “The Sounds from Dangerous Places” (GrD 25/13)