“Praise of formlessness” — soundscape composition by Rafał Mazur

“In Praise of Formlessness” is a multi-channel soundscape composition with transformations. The starting point is the natural sounds of water, recorded by Rafał Mazur during field recordings: the sounds of a stream, a river, pouring water, a waterfall, a water heap, the sea, the lapping of waves, the sounds of fountains, etc. During the course of the composition, individual sounds are gradually processed, changing their sound, becoming abstract sounds., detached from their source, gradually losing their original sonic shape.

The “water”, which is the material of the composition, is transformed, showing its adaptability, following the individual “streams of sounds” after the transformations that appear gradually in the subsequent channels. At the climax, the sound of the composition is closer to contemporary electronic music than the so-called soundscape composition composed of natural sounds.

Dr Rafał Mazur — philosopher, musician and sound artist. Doctor of Philosophy of the Jagiellonian University. In his practice, he combines improvised music, field recordings, soundscape composition and sound installations with a philosophical reflection on listening as a way of knowing reality. Creator of the author's project Listening Philosophy and the Deep Listening Concerts realized in the House of Utopia, during which the audiosphere of Nowa Huta becomes a space for the experience and practice of conscious listening. For many years he has been involved in spontaneous improvisation, drawing inspiration from, among others, Daoist philosophy and its concept of spontaneity. He is a composer of theatrical music, conducts listening workshops and creates projects on the border of music, philosophy and acoustic ecology.