Vatnajökull to Eqip Sermia is a sound composition based on field recordings made during six expeditions to Greenland and Iceland in 2013-2015.
The recordings were made with condenser microphones and hydrophones in the Sermeq Kujalleq – Ilulissat and Eqip Sermia glaciers on the west coast of Greenland, and the Vatnajökull outlet glaciers – Fjallsjökull, Breiðamerkurjökull and their glacier lagoons – Fjallsárlón and Breiðárlón in Iceland.
The piece takes the audience into the underwater and surface acoustic sound field of these places, all of which are experiencing unprecedented and increasing ice melt and glacier calving, all of which are heard in the composition.
The work transports the listener into a fascinating world of sound that can evoke feelings of wonder and appreciation of its beauty, but also the realization that this is the sound of great change in the Arctic regions, with consequences that will be felt around the world. In this way, it engages audiences in the conflicting duality of appreciative attraction and anxious concern about what is changing in the Arctic and its global implications. Attraction in the face of uncertainty.
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Based in Brussels (BE), Peter Caeldries is a recording artist with a background in sociology, anthropology and sound technology. His recording practice aims to capture the essence of remote environments and transform these raw sounds into ambient sound compositions bringing audiences closer to the overlooked narratives that echo in our ecosystems. His work has been released on labels such as Gruenrekorder (DE), Engraved Glass (UK) and on Ash International (UK) in a long-form collaborative piece. His sound work has been performed at the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (ES), BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels (BE), the End of the Road Festival (UK), the Meakusma Festival (BE), the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, New York (US). Most recently his work was part of a collaborative installation at the Bobst Library, New York University, New York (US) that explores climate change through art.