Material takes the form of a triptych release documenting three site-specific installations and recordings developed by emptyset throughout winter 2012. The project spans three locations: a decommissioned nuclear power station in Snowdonia, a vast concrete testing bunker below central London and a 22 mile medieval mine tunneled into the earth beneath Kent. The recordings further the work developed through the release Medium, exploring the relationship between space and the fundamental properties of sound, applying extreme bass, noise and feedback as means of extracting the essence and sonic signature of these unique sites. Across the recordings, there is a focus on the nature of sonic decay, as each space imparts its signature reverberant characteristics to the signal, ranging from detailed noise reflecting across sheer concrete surfaces to low frequency sonics tunneling through subterranean earth. Collectively the recordings provide an immersive document of these three locations, crafting a unified exploration of structure, material and sound.

The release is comprised of a recording from within the Trawsfynydd nuclear power station in North Wales, a former uranium reactor site currently being decommissioned, with the interior recording forming the soundtrack to a film installation for Tate Britain. Alongside this is an excerpt from a sound installation commissioned by the Architecture Foundation at Ambika P3, the former concrete testing bunker below Baker Street in London, known for extreme testing of sections of the Channel Tunnel and British motorway. Then finally there is a piece recorded within Chislehurst mine, a 22 mile tunnel network carved into the earth through chalk and flint extraction that spanned from the middle ages up to the early 1800's.

Material emerges as meeting point of these three sites, providing a sonic narrative that links the locations, whilst forming a wider exploration into themes of architecture, industry and recursion.



All tracks written and produced by J. Ginzburg & P. Purgas
Location recording engineer tracks 1 & 3 - Mat Sampson
Mixed at Multiverse Bristol, UK
Photography by J. Ginzburg
Published by Multiverse Media Publishing
Sleeve Design by John Coulthart

Thanks to:
Tate Britain - Marianne Mulvey
The Architecture Foundation - Justin Jaeckle
Magnox Ltd - Ian Edwards & Mark Chevis
Clayton Welham & Sam Williams
Joanie Lemercier

Released in March 2013