ABOUT
Christian Richer is a Montreal-based artist mainly working in sound and photography.
Richer has released three albums (on Sul Pont, Ottawa/Hull and Magnanimous Records, West Virginia) and has performed his dynamic and captivating ambient sets in Montreal QC at the Mutek Festival (La S.A.T, 2008), the Soirée ruban (Casa del Popolo, 2008), the Textures series (Cagibi, 2007), at the Lab.synthese series (Lab.synthese Studio 2007), and at Words and Music, (Casa del Popolo, 2007); in Ottawa ON at the Electric Fields International Electronic Music and Media Art Forum (Saw Gallery, 2005), at Arts Birthday (Gallery 101, 2004), and the Pleasure Through Sound series (at Gallery 101 as a featured performer in 2003). He also featured at the Sonic Circuits festival in Washington DC (2007).
He has composed soundtracks and done sound recording for art videos and animation projects (Subtle Structures by international performance artist Victoria Stanton, Dear Sacha by interdisciplinary artist Eric Bond, and Faber Hominis by award winning illustrator and concept artist Sylvain Lorgeou). He has also arranged and produced music for singer/songwriter Jordi Rosen and again for performance artist Victoria Stanton.
His photo work was presented during the 2008 edition of the annual Contacting Toronto photo exhibition in the Toronto subway system. He was also director of photography and lighting for the animation project Gore-puter (Eric Bond, 2007).
HIS WORK
Christian Richer's work is a combined, complimentary exploration of disregarded urban landscapes and secluded rural terrains. Interested in the aesthetic of the everyday, Richer takes the seemingly mundane and transforms it - whether through sound or photographic image - into atmospheric, otherworldly environments.
In his sound pieces the result becomes ambient aural compositions where acoustic, organic and artificial elements mingle to create enormous spatial depths and levels of sonic contemplation and convergence. With his photo works, the effect is one of reflexive magnetism, as the image pulls the viewer into familiar, yet re-considered settings.
In his practice of collecting and transforming, escapades through industrial city streets or bucolic surroundings provide the necessary inspiration to produce these architecturally responsive, softly post-psychedelic, multi-textured musings.
HIS PERFORMANCE
For Christian Richer's tape deck performance, the initial sounds were recorded with a mini disc recorder and an omni-directional microphone. The pieces were then composed and produced with computer software, a Roland JX-3P synthesizer and/or software synthesizers, and guitars (electric and acoustic).
Performed live, the final compositions (many of which appear on the album, Le Village) are then de-constructed and transferred to approximately 30 individual audiocassette tapes. With the pre-recorded tracks as a point of departure, Richer then re-constructs the tracks in a spontaneous improvisation in "real time," using a mixer, an effects processor and 4 cassette decks. These decks vary, and have included a stereo cassette deck, a portable cassette recorder, and several cassette walkmans.
During these live sets, Richer also inserts tape loops, recorded on the spur-of-the-moment, improvising and layering variously treated sounds such as harmonica, tin whistle and vocals - all to mesmerizing effect.
Bio (pdf version)
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