Elin Már Øyen Vister’s exhibition Soundscape Røst 2010–2020 shows a selection of work from the project since its inception.
Central to their exhibition at Lydgalleriet is the multichannel soundscape installation 'Vedøya – lament to the bird mountain who lost it’s voice #1'. The piece tells the story of the bird mountain Vedøya, from its geological birth through its history as a bird sanctuary to how it lost its voices. The work speaks of the significance of the mountain for the lives of birds and people throughout the millennia.
The 8 channel work is been mixed specifically for the space at Lydgalleriet, where Øyen Vister’s composition process weaves together field recordings, newly composed music, guest musical elements combined with archival sound and narrator voices. They have conducted research interviews with local informants and archaeologists which again have inspired the musical material and poetic scripts in the soundscape. The installation is embraced in duojar Venke Tørmænen’s draped textile work and played through Lydgalleriet's specially built speaker system.
The project investigates how cultural and natural sonic landscapes change as a result of climate change, loss of biodiversity, industrial fishing, pollution and social policy. Øyen Vister takes on the role as an ear witness to our changing planet as heard through the unique ecosystem of Røst, an island located in the Lofoten archipelago in Northern Norway where they are now based.
Soundscape Røst 2010– 2020 brings together many of Øyen Vister’s fellow workers and highlights the importance of collaboration to their work. Maria Garred presents a series of drawings that represent the landscape and birdlife of Røst. Some of Garred's pencil drawings are part of the cover art on Øyen Vister's album 'Soundscape Røst - Spaces and species Vol II'. Lydgalleriet has this album in our Listening Library.
Supported by Regionale prosjektmidler (KiN), Association of Norwegian Visual Artists, Arts Council Norway, Bergen City Council and KORO.