“PAISAJE DORSAL/DORSAL LANDSCAPE”_ Nader Koochaki*

Three-day outing into the mountains, to an area where shepherds graze their flocks, to follow the work rhythms and movements of the flocks in order to complete the sound register of the flocks of Gipuzkoa. Flocks will be recorded as they graze, walk or run,whenever their bells can be heard. The time of the flocks will be our own time. It is also important for the flocks to be identifiable, which is not always the case in daytime. We will never record an unfamiliar flock or one whose ownership is unknown. The best recording conditions occur at dawn and in the evening, when the flocks separate and the shepherds appear. At dawn, the shepherds seek out their flocks to make sure they are in the right place, walking in the right direction, and moving away from other flocks they may have spent the night with. In the evenings, the shepherds go to their flocks to round them up, take them to their watering troughs, and check their condition; after which they are herded back to their fields.

We will spend two nights at our chosen place. This will give us the chance to witness two dawns and two evenings and work onsite. No recording will be made the first evening. We will use it to find our bearings, find shepherds, and find out about the next morning’s movements. The following morning, we will try to make a few recordings and also find out about the evening’s movements, as we did the previous evening. That evening and the following morning, we will go out to record, having found our bearings, with enough information to work with some foresight. We will make no visual recording. Each recording will be accompanied by written notes describing the situation of each recording (location, distances, arrival, encounter with the flock, direction, occurrences, brandmark of the sheep…). We will use maps. We will sleep onsite. We will apprehend the landscape through sound and movement.

Nader Koochaki (1983, Donostia-San Sebastián) has a degree on Sociology from Universidad del País Vasco, EHU/UPV, attempts to carry out his work artistically. He works with different materials. Having opened up several lines of work, he has not yet closed any of them.

*The outing will take place from Wednesday 17 July to Friday 19 July, leaving Bulegoa z/b at 14.00. The group is already made.

Recording equipment:

– Microphone (shotgun, preferably; otherwise, omnidirectional)

– Windshield

– Sound recorder with XLR input (with preamplifier where necessary)

– Headphones

– Memory card

– Microphone stand/holder