Craig Wells is a sound artist and composer based in Bergen Norway. His practice focuses on synthesis, sound diffusion, electroacoustic composition and field recording. His research interests oscillate around materialism and phenomenology with particular emphasis placed upon listening and sonic encounter. He works under various monikers such as Refrains, Klunks, John Feathergail and Vonrik Haug and has released multiple albums internationally. Central to his practice is using sound as a means to inflect philosophical epistemologies; what forms of thought does sound provoke and agitate? In what ways can we reconcile the written word with sonic experience? He is investigating ambisonics and sound diffusion techniques to extend compositional material beyond the stereo image. What becomes pertinent through these explorations is the malleability of elevation and azimuth; these spatial transformations act as a syntax for sculpting, extending and concluding sonic material.
Research Interests
Ongoing Curatorial Positions
Blue Rinse
Experimental Sound Event
2018- present
Bergen
Co-curated w/ Tijs Ham & Julie Lillian Porter
Higher Education
2017- 2020
KMD Research Associate
Grieg Academy
Spatial composition
(Funded)
09/2010 - 09/2014
Ph.D Philosophy
sonic materialism
(AHRC funded)
University of Newcastle Upon Tyne
09/2008 – 09/2009
Masters in Composition
Awarded: (Distinction)
University of Newcastle Upon Tyne
09/2006 – 09/2008
Bachelor- Composition
Awarded: 2:1
University of Newcastle Upon Tyne
09/2005 – 09/2006
HND Music-Composition
Awarded- A grade
University of West Scotland
09/2004 – 09/2005
HNC Music-Composition
Awarded- A grade
University of West Scotland
09/2003 – 09/2004
NC Music-Composition
Awarded- A grade
University of West Scotland
Up and Coming / Recent
10/2021 Dekal Trio-Album (Jørgen Træen and Kjetl Møster)
09/2021 Lux Passerine- Album Release
08/2021 Bergen Acousmonium (Lydgalleriet) performance and installation
07/2021 Trond Lossius, Jeremy Welsh- Immersive Installation at Kabusso
06/2021 EMS Stockholm Residency
03/2021 Arnt Siwertsen / Vonrik Haug double LP in quadraphonic (sky etudes)
02/2021 Sound Residency -1 month Latvia (Pedvale)
01/2020 Lux Passerine performance Gylenpris kunsthall
01/2020 Publication chapter (In a Quiet Forest, I Feel Disquiet)
Projects
11/2020 Lydgalleriet (Numenous Begginings) (Arnt Siwertsen / Vonrik Haug)
11/2020 Vonrik Haug - Piksel Festival with (Dime ensemble Nante)
11/2020 Sound design for "Are You ready" project with Frans Jacobi and Gitte Sætre
11/2020 Gylenpris kunsthall 1:1 (Lux Passerine Performance/sound installation)
10/2020 (Wilderness-studio 2005-2019)- Release compilation with Francisco Lopez
10/2020 "working with children" sound design for Nicola Gunn- Oktoberdance- Bergen
09/2020 BEK work residency (1 month)
07/2020 Sacral Spaces, w/ Marc D'arcy at Mikey Laundry Art Garden, Bergen
07/2020 Vonrik Haug - Album Release (Planets)
07/2020 Klunks- Album Release (Ancient)
07/2020 Slette Festival (modular duo with Marc D'arcy)
06/2020 BEK summer festival (Lux Passerine performance)
03/2020 Meta Morf Festival Trondheim (Live performance)
03/2020 Sonic art unit, NTNU & KMD -Surnidal residency
03/2020 SAR audio paper/performance (KMD Bergen)
03/2020 Vonrik Haug- Album Release (Scenes)
03/2020 Vonrik Haug- Album Release (Vacillation)
02/2020 Resonant places - field recording (South Korea & Japan)
01/2020 FRST festival -Visby 3D Audiorama (Diffusion Concert- Sweden)
11/2019 Field Recording South Africa (Francisco Lopez & Christina Kubisch)
09/2019 Østre live set with Medikal
07/2019 BEK residency - with Carsten Aniksdal
06/2019 Piksel Festival (noise to signal) modular performance
05/2019 Electro Audio Unit (Anders Vinjar & Trond Lossius) Østre 24 speaker
04/2019 Klunks Bubbles. (Album Release)
04/2019 Galleri Kit Trondheim, Sounds and Spaces, Performance and Installation
02/2019 Ulang Droog, Ostre- 6 hour performance- (Thomas Espedal spoken word)
02/2019 Clocks (Report on the thing) album release (major streaming platforms)
12/2018 IAC Malmo. Audio Paper
11/2018 Installation “Joy Forum” Bergen (Professor Jeremy Welsh)
11/2018 Proveromet - Sound Diffusion Ambix (Eirik Havnes)
11/2018 Stockholm KHM Multi Rig 5 days
09/2018 Notam Workshop (Joseph Anderson) Ambisonics
06/2018 IAC Malmo residency, (Multi-channel concert with Giuseppe Pisano)
04/2018 Expand Residency Surnidal
03/2018 IEM- Ambisonics Graz (MUMUTH)
03/2018 Borealis Festival (Live Modular Synthesis with Joachim Koester) Landmark
02/2018 Prøveromet (Sonic Fiction/Theatre)
10/2017 Meteor Festival / Live Electronics
04/2017 Playdate/Landmark- Electronic Music solo
05/2017 Sonified Gesture/Clocks (Funded by Bergen Kommune)
04/2017 Cave Acoustics, Bulgaria Sofia –Field trip
03/2017 Borealis Performance, Multi Speaker (Østre)
03/2017 Prøvermomet- Solo Electronic Performance
10/2016 Bergen Assembly Performance with Trond Lossius
09/2016 Album Release- Klunks... Hollow Scenes. Hush Hush Records
08/2016 Field Eecording in Sardinia, Italy, “Submerged Lobes Project”, release date 2017
08/2016 Artist Residency at ARC Switzerland – 2 weeks, Site Specific Composition
06/2016 Broken Symbols- Analogue Improvisation Duo- Hans Knut Sveen
05/2016 Artists Residency Baer Arts Centre Iceland
04/2016 SAR Conference Paper- on artistic research, guest speaker (The Hague)
03/2016 Album Collaboration with Mathias Loose (Denmark) “Perfume”-EP released on Hot Gem
03/2016 Submerged Tones- (Water Play) with Fritjdof Wesseltoft
02/2016 Athens (Mountain of Black Stone) Bentano 7, Residency and Performance
12/2015 Tis Tis artist residency - Estonia (2 weeks)
11/2015 Collaborative album with Electronic trio (Pøda)
05/2015 Album Release... Klunks- Elastic Forest. Released on Hush Hush Records Seattle
05/2015 Skok (Bergen) Guest speaker (paper on the body and technology)
06/2014 Funding for The Politics and Poetics of Trauma (see above)
Funded by NICAP
08/2014 Cut Lip. Berlin Collaboration with Peter Tickell- Electronics and Violin.
06/2014 Online releases on both Felt Beak and WFMA under the moniker....Basik Profile
07/2014 Residency- “Sound Foam”- Sheffield UK- Axess Spaces
09/2013 Talk: The Schizophonic, Baltic- Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
08/2013 Interdisciplinary Collaboration with poet Professor Sean O’Brien.
06/2012 The Late Shows- Botanic Gardens, sound work (Decay Machines)
08/2011 Tuned Infinity, Belgium-Brussels- listening through suspensions
06/2010 Micro album with David Stackenas and Ludo Brunel
08/2010 Chauffer dans la Noirceur Festival. France. Live performances.
09/2010 Music and Machines. University of Newcastle- Two day performance
04/2010 AV Music Festival, (award) sonification
01/2010 “Playground”, improvisation group, five albums
Documentation of creative works
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8o6jS0LMHU
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0HbpvoqKuH2Gtu1cNEIfAo?si=23hKfQd_T_mS2i0mvRgs4A
https://soundcloud.com/refrains
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2t1kddN33JPMSigJaCAuld?si=wNgvk8XlQ8aRnGMLqRFG0Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4m2Q_90e8o
Reviews
https://www.kexp.org/read/2016/12/09/song-of-the-day-klunks-vanersom/
https://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/12/xlr8rs-best-of-2015-new-artists/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/08/premiere-hear-klunks-elastic-forrest-in-full/
memberships
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