Detailed description of the workshop/module 

A refugee’s journey usually takes in a number of different places. Before they “arrive”, people must spend time in places that make no reference to traditional thought patterns or to history. Between the place from which they are escaping and the place where they will arrive, people are accompanied by placelessness. Railways stations, ships, airports and motorways are examples for places of transit or non-places. A non-place is a construct coined by the French anthropologist Marc Augé. It designates an absence of place, making it harder for people to build references around it. Although the concept is now widely known, questions can be asked about the way non-places are perceived, such as: Can a non-place generate a sense of home? Does a non-place always result in loneliness? Do non-places have their own identity or do they depend on the subjective perceptions of individuals? These questions acknowledge new references and permit people to fill places that have no history of their own with personal meanings.

In the course of the workshop, with reference to the Archive of Refuge, attention is focused on the following questions: What non-places do refugees encounter during their flight? How do they experience being placeless? And how do these non-places affect people’s lives?

Rough structure 

1  Introduction to the workshop (What are the aims? Why are we doing it? Why is your contribution to or exploration of the theme important?)

2  Introduction to the Archive of Refuge and non-places

3  Introduction to sound (2-3 listening exercises)

4  Forming groups, watching video sequences together, group discussions (working on sound sketches)

5  After brief instructions about using the portable recording devices and about recording techniques, the participants groups make their first recordings.

6  Listening to recordings together

7  Brief introduction to Audacity (splitting sound tracks, sound editing, exporting sound collages)

8  Production of sound collages in Audacity

9  Export of finished sound collages as wav or mp3

10 Uploading sound collages onto Soundcloud

Detailed schedule – Day 1

Part 1: Archive of Refuge

Presentation and exploration of the Archive of Refuge (15 min)

Task 1 (45 min): What do you think when you hear the following terms/questions?

What parts of the story really caught your attention and why?

How are decisions made about what goes into history books?

What do you associate with the term “migration”?

What do you associate with the term “refugee”?

Share thoughts about places of transit and non-places

Task 2 (50 min): Choose a video and take 20 minutes to look at it. Answer the following questions:

Who is the person being interviewed?

Was there anything in their story that particularly interested you? If so, what?

Part 2: (120 min) Working with sound / recording

Joint listening exercises (see Listening exercises)

Formation of groups (recommended: max. three people per group)

Production of sound sketches in groups (see Sound sketches)

Instruction in the use of recording devices

Recording of sounds

Day 2

Part 3: Working with sound / Audacity (180 min)

Introduction to Audacity (see Introduction to Audacity)

Production of sound collages on Audacity (see Design options)

Export sound collages as mp3 or wav

Listening together

Upload sound collages to Soundcloud

Sound sketches

Before the participants begin recording sounds, each group should create a rough sound sketch. It provides orientation and sets out an approximate plan for the sounds/noises to be recorded.

Tools: paper (A4 or bigger), pens

Useful tips:

> How does the interviewee describe memories, impressions and emotions that might be associated with the concept of non-places?

> What defining terms are used in describing that memory (e.g. silence, noise, uncertainty, fear, loneliness, home etc.)?

> What sounds/noises might illustrate these associations?

> Don’t forget: A voice can also be used as an element in the sound collage.

Introduction to Audacity

The brief introduction should make it as easy as possible to start using Audacity and provide some initial orientation:

Open Audacity 

Name and save your project

Generate tracks, import audio files and check out functions (solo, mute, gain, pan)

Tools: select, align

Edit and crossfade (fade in /fade out) 

Note: A manual explaining the software is available online

Design options

Sound collage can create a powerful dramatic framework with just a few tricks. Although the workshop will encourage participants to experiment with sound, the following “tools” are helpful:

Volume: Well-chosen volume settings for specific sounds can generate effects such as depth, e.g. if a sound is to seem distant, the volume can simply be lowered. If the sound is to be dominant or feel close-at-hand, it can be raised.

Stereophony

Stereophony can add a “spatial” dimension to a sound collage. It means that the sound comes not only from the centre, but also from the left or right. Different sounds can be skilfully distributed along the stereophonic structure to lend “depth” to the collage. Tip: Fine editing can also make a sound move (e.g. from left to right). Audio software often has a pan slider to create this movement automatically.

Contrast

One dramatic device is to set up a relationship between sounds, e.g. quiet sounds/loud sounds, harmony (birdsong)/noise (motorway), short sounds/long sounds, distant sounds/close sounds, etc.

Comparisons

Although sounds have different physical sources, some sounds have similar structures, rhythms and shapes. Interesting soundscapes can be created by establishing a relationship between these, such as by superimposing several different sounds.

Further material, tools and aids

Interview sequences

Detailed schedule

Listening exercises

Further information and aids [mostly German]