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Photo credit: Jussi Aalto
I think that artists are for the most part in tune with what’s going on in the world. We’re all reporters, somehow journalists, who translate our message into our art, as art is in my mind, a readout, a digested or raw readout of what it is that we’re experiencing. Our wish to be an artist is in fact, in order to be able to spend our lives doing that process.
charlie morrow, conscient podcast, April 16, 2021
Charlie Morrow is a composer, sound artist, performer, and innovator whose goal over the past four decades has been to bring experimental sound and music to a wider audience. Morrow calls himself a ‘framemaker’, a creator and producer of context. His life’s work – 50 years as a hybrid, with one foot each in the classical and commercial music worlds. Born to a family of doctors and inventors, Morrow uses his creativity to make tools to share with others—not only musicians and sound artists, but teachers, architects, and engineers – ‘so that they might create positive spaces for work, education, and healing.’
My first point of contact with Charlie (who I did not know before then) was an email I received on April 10, 2021 where Charlie said:
‘I am a fellow lifer in the sound trade. Thought it would be fun to have a recorded conversation. I am completing production for Immerse! book and podcast with over 45 chats with collaborators on immersive projects. I am curious about what you have gathered from your conversations and happy to spontaneously share my experiences. … Hope you like the idea.’
This conversation took place on April 16, 2021 which I recorded at Charlie’s request. About halfway through the exchange I said:
‘I regret not setting this up as a conscient podcast interview because you’re saying so many interesting things. I probably could use some of it. I don’t know how you’d feel about that.’
Charlie responded:
‘Feel free to use it any way you like. I’m finding the conversation very stimulating. We’ve been through so many of the same patterns, you know, and we feel that we’re doing the work we do totally out of conscience and interest moved by the people who want to make life on earth better. Having noticed acoustic ecology, that’s my work right now, I talk about sonic health. ‘
Charlie and I exchanged on a wide range of issues including the origins of the conscient podcast, music, acoustic ecology, art and climate, health, hope, artists as journalists, etc.
As I am doing with all episodes in season 2, I integrated excerpts from e19 reality and e01 terrified into this episode as interludes.
I would like to thank Charlie for inviting me to speak and allowing it to become a serendipitous episode of conscient, for sharing his deep knowledge of music, sound and climate.
For more information on Charlie’s work, see https://www.charliemorrow.com/
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