What are we used to hearing on Mykhailivska? Noise on a clear day, especially in the evening, acoustic singing and covers of street musicians. And recently, on July 10, Zhytomyr.Travel «caught» in the city center partly «dolphin sounds», partly mentioned the peak of electronic music of our parents’ youth or the film, French musical tape of 2014 «Eden», the events of which are also electronics . So, we tell and show which movie we got into. How to hear?
Vita Bazan, Measurer Program Coordinator
«Now an action-intervention is taking place on Mykhailivska Street, which we did not specifically announce. Here are some musical equipment that was manufactured on the «Electric Measurer» and which was repaired. A few quasi-choruses, a pulsar, which, you see, children like. Children always react first, they have no barriers to contact and communicate»
«I was invited to work on the topic of revitalization and develop partnerships and programs for the future Innovative Measurer Park based on the Electric Measurer. Cases of transforming former industrial territories into new cultural, creative, innovative spaces and modern offices are already working in Ukraine, for example, Promprylad in Frankivsk, UNIT.City and Platform Art Factory in Kyiv»
«Zhytomyr Electric Measurer» is unique in that it has preserved production and people still work there. There are modern machines – laser engravers on wood and metal, also preserved old Soviet mechanical machines, some of which are no longer used. Previously, each machine was «tied» to a person who had knowledge of how to use and maintain, and this knowledge to pass on to anyone. One of the plant’s specialists spent several months in the library to find out how one of the machines works»
«It seems logical to us to start working with the history of the plant and the resources that are here. That’s why we started with the organization of the sound residence and the opening of the Sound Laboratory. We have a great team, which is currently working on the residence «V: UNCASE / Measuring: unpacking» and later, I hope, in the future will join the work in the Sound Laboratory. The curators of the residence itself are the Institute of Sound, Sasha Dolgy, Olesya Onikienko, who is currently playing. The founders of the Kyiv Ostriv platform, in particular Roman Sakh and Kostya Kuchabsky, are working on the architectural planning of locations and design. I am very glad that we are partnering with a local manufacturer of sound equipment TCM Audio, which helps with equipment, settings, streams, etc»
«We want the Sound Laboratory to become a space for local musicians and engineers, and for people from all over Ukraine and abroad to come together, solder musical instruments, hold lectures, workshops, study and create music and art products. The interest is already quite high, we can see by the number of applications for residency. I am sure that it will grow. Especially since the factory is already setting up a hostel to come and stay right there. We plan that the Sound Laboratory will work constantly, now we will «test» the idea at the all-Ukrainian ten-day residence»
«From the factory workers who made musical instruments at the time or worked in the factory, we mostly get a good response, which finally drew attention to this story. The positive wave of feedback comes from the artistic, creative party of Zhytomyr. Yes, I saw the skeptical comments of Zhytomyr residents when information about the creation of the Innovation Park appeared last year, such as «don’t make us laugh»… But we need to move. So now we are preparing a residence, and talented musicians and those who are interested in finding new sounds and create their own tools for this should gather from all over Ukraine. With them we want to determine what the future of the Sound Laboratory may be. The residence itself will last from July 30 to August 09. They will live in furnished rooms at the factory, study, record sounds, everyone will choose which project they want to work on… And then on August 8-9 the installations will be presented in the Sound Gallery and there will be a concert program»
«A crowdfunding campaign is underway. On the Commonwealth website you can support the creation of the Sound Laboratory and receive good gifts, in particular, invitations to the opening of the Sound Gallery, designer T-shirts and upcycling jewelry, participation in master classes. We are also planning to announce the recruitment of free students, so it will be possible to attend lectures, workshops, so that not only residents have access to the educational program. We think that we will invite volunteers who would help with navigation for guests. Get involved! (smiles) »
Andriy Chiburovsky, General Director of PJSC «Electric Meter»
«I’ve been running the Electric Measurer for five years. I heard a lot from the residents of the city that there was no family here that would not work at Elektromyryvach, a factory in the center of Zhytomyr, which is very close to lots and lots. Today, unfortunately, like most Ukrainian plants, the Electric Meter does not work at full capacity: previously it employed 6,000 people, and now – up to two hundred workers. But the company continues to manufacture electrical measuring equipment, including laboratory equipment for educational institutions. In cooperation with Elizlabs, we provide Ukrainian schools with modern equipment for physics, chemistry and STEM laboratories»
«Now, with a creative team, we are trying to make a certain rebirth «of the «Electric Meter». This is an attempt to «relocate» the company to the Innovation Park or «plant of inventors». There is enough space, there is a base of the design bureau. We want to create such an infrastructure for all those professionals, educators and scientists, pupils and students … who have inventive plans. So that they can come – and make either a specific development or a prototype and together with our experts to test the product on the market, as far as it can “come”. And then – to help with production and support sales or help find other places to set up product production. In today’s world, some parts can be made in one country and assembled in another»
«The Sound Laboratory is the first planning project for the development of the Innovation Park on the Electric Meter. Why are we launching the Sound Lab here? Because in the Soviet period, «Electric Meter» was one of the most powerful manufacturers of music equipment. And today these samples of tools are stored in a warehouse and, in spite of everything, they work! The sounds from these instruments have their own color and they delight connoisseurs of electronic music!»
«The next project was planned as a maker space – a laboratory for makers with a variety of modern equipment, laser, milling, etc. Then there will be the School of Robotics, the School of Programming for Children. In general, we want to create conditions for the development of projects related to education, many projects that will transfer knowledge and skills. It is possible that these projects, which will be located on a common platform, will be able to cooperate in interesting and modern areas. For example, music and electrical engineering can help develop electronic music or inspire the creation of new musical instruments. Alternatively, electrical engineering and programming can help build models of robots that will translate into specific industrial models. There is a plan to collect and create a museum of science, which is already operating in many European countries, gradually this idea is coming to Ukraine»
«… About two years ago we met Roman Sakh, curator of the Scientific and Artistic Platform «Island». As an architect, he helped us design the facade of our building, where we began reconstruction. And then Roman introduced us to Vita Bazan and his team. We can say that during these two years the idea gradually «grew», today it is specific events and their schedule. So far, there are not enough resources to speed up the process, so we are developing naturally. We are ready to cooperate with all those who see development as their goal, in particular, the development of education, science and technology»
Olesya Onikienko, NFNR musician
«We come to Zhytomyr many times and work a lot on the creation of the Sound Laboratory and the residence of V: UNCASE. At the plant we got acquainted with its employees, listened to how the machines sound, so for now Zhytomyr is calling industrial associations»
«Soviet synthesizers are interesting for their frequencies, because they make such a raw, wild sound. The big thing here is listening, it’s about the acoustic experience of contact with sound, not the kind we are used to hearing from acoustic instruments whose frequencies are limited and cleaner. And these sounds are close to the sound of the city. As a composer, sound designer, I am interested in such sounds. When I «meet» them in the city, I am quite normal. Mykhailivska is «noisy» as in Kyiv, its sounds are little different now from the capital. It’s the same noise, it’s the study of the «noise effect» through instruments and the Sound Lab. Today personal invention is presented on Mykhailivska, played by Sasha Dolgy. These are magnetic harps. The rest of the tools were created on the «Electric Meter»
«Sound Lab is a collective name. We would like to point out that nowadays it is interesting for modern musicians to work with sound, different frequencies and textures, and music may not necessarily be harmonious. Musicians of different styles and directions today use dry and polished sound a little less»
«The sound we hear now on Mykhailivska Street is probably closer to drone noise, buzzing, saturated with frequencies, and noise scattering. But Pulsar drum machines also give a style that is close in part to disco. The meaning of today’s intervention is to show that the sound is very different, but it can be constructed from this and you can also enjoy such a sound»
Upcoming events of the Sound Laboratory:
July 30 – August 09, 2020 – All-Ukrainian Sound Residence V: UNCASE / Meter: unpacking.
August 08-09 – public program of the residence, opening of the Sound Gallery.
Vocations that may come in handy:
Video about the project on YouTube
Support the Sound Lab
