Crush Grind

In this work Samartzis continues his research in the areas of sound art, acoustic ecology and sound spatialization to investigate the impact of extreme environmental conditions on humans and the way in which they adapt to those conditions in order to survive. 'Crush Grind' is based upon a series of sound recordings of the icebreaker Aurora Australis, the Antarctic base of Davis and the sub Antarctic base at Macquarie Island. The field documentation form the basis for a series of works for installation, performance and publication that explore the environmental, philosophical and poetic dimensions of Australia's incursion into Antarctica and its subsequent effects upon the human condition.
'Crush Grind' employs specialist field recording technology to capture extreme weather events in the coldest, windiest and driest continents on Earth and draws on the fieldwork of Douglas Quin (US) and Werner Herzog (Germany) to shape compositional focus and structure. Crush Grind is a result of an Australian Antarctic Division Arts fellowship and an Australia Council for the Arts project fellowship which facilitated fieldwork in Eastern Antarctica and Macquarie Island. The 'Seven Thousand Oaks festival' at Heide MOMA in which 'Crush Grind' featured was supported by an Australia Council for the Arts grant. The work also features in the '16 Daily Experiences Festival' in Hanover, Germany and the Echoes cultural exchange program at the Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town. Photo documentation of the fieldwork also featured in 'Sur Polar 2-Art in Antarctica Exhibition' curated by Andrea Juan and presented at the CCEBA, Cultural Center of Spain in Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina.