Anderlecht Artist-Run Audiowalk ugne&maria

A multilayered mind map of the Brussels where ugne&maria came home, composed as an audiowalk through Cureghem, Brussels

19/06/2024, 18h
Meeting point: corner of Rue de l’Argonne and Place de la Constitution, 1060 Brussels
Ending point and hangout with artist Gabri Molist: VROOM, Dokter De Meersmanstraat 19, 1070 Anderlecht

“This compilation of our pieces invites you to have a walk in Cureghem, densely populated and lively, yet one of the most precarious areas in Brussels. Extremely multicultural, affordable and not (yet) gentrified, it remains a place that welcomes everyone, including us. Every street crossed during the walk is filled with memories which, transposed into music, create a personal mind map of this area. The pieces contain various synthesisers, samples and field recordings taken from Les Abattoirs and other surrounding zones.” — ugne&maria

Text cited in the sound piece: Paul B. Preciado, “Le lieu qui t’accueille”, Un appartement sur Uranus (2019), pp. 236-239.

ugne&maria is a collaboration between Marija Rasa Kudabaite and Ugne Vyliaudaite. The duo is originally from Lithuania but now resides in Belgium. Their musical output began in 2016 with a live debut in Brussels and continued with various experimentations using violin, synthesisers and sampling techniques. Their compositions revolve around down-tempo as well as dance-orientated approach, including multilayering composing principles and improvisation.
Work commissioned by Beursschouwburg for their covid-era series On the Go.

Audiowalks offer stories, music, sound experiments, or all kinds of other sensory information that artists and musicians compose for you. With the app Tracks, discover a variety of sound artists and musicians and the walks they create – seamlessly with your smartphone. Offering a growing collection of audiowalks and many functionalities, Tracks connects anyone with a smartphone to the work of sound artists and musicians to be discovered in the most immediate way.

Search on the map or by the names of the artists to find the ‘track’. Walk to the starting point and let the autoplay option use the GPS function of your phone to trigger the walk – or opt for listening without autoplay and start when and where you want.

Audiowalks are guided walks thoughtfully combined with the sensory attention of listening. While walking with headphones on, the sight, scent, and feeling of your surroundings are present, but sounds take the lead. This modulates your usual sense of body and consciousness, promoting a new understanding of the environment. With every step, hear the artist play with sound, experiment with composition, and lead you to new perceptions. Think of a film, where sound and image are strongly linked and controlled by the artist. In audiowalks, the ‘point of view’ becomes the ‘point of hearing’.

Sound artist and Jubilee member Justin Bennett initiated a collaboration with Soundtrackcity, which led to the idea of an app that unites the audiowalks produced by art organisations in Brussels and The Netherlands: Beursschouwburg, BNA-BBOT, Jubilee, Overtoon, Q-O2, and Soundtrackcity. Together, they curate Tracks. Put on your headphones and get walking!

This walk is organised by the Brussels Artist-Run Network, supported by the Anderlecht Cultural Service

Practical

Come prepared: download Tracks on your smartphone and bring headphones.