Audiodetour

Audiodetours are audio-led walking tours. They layers written texts, choreography, soundscapes and songs on top of real places and ask you to use everyday space with a playful sense of experimentation and exploration and to keep an ear out for hidden histories.

Concept and Origin


Audiodetours 


Die Arbeit Des Vergnügens / The Work of Pleasure

Potsdam, Germany.
2011
Duration: 37 minutes
as part of Localize Das Heimatfestival.

Potsdam, audiodetour, you're only massive, maebh murphy, maebh cheasty, the work of pleasure, die arbeit des vergnuegens, audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge

An audiodetour for two people through the gardens of Charlottenhof, the former summer residence of Crown Prince Frederick William. Combining historical documents about the landscaping of the gardens with interviews with and audio of garden workers, The Work of Pleasure seeks to provoke thought about the processes that shape the creation and maintenance of leisure spaces and their relationship to the society that both enjoys and works within them.


Audiodetour: The Banker and the Caregiver

Sligo, Ireland.
2010
Duration: 30 minutes
Commissioned by The Model, Sligo.

Audiodetour: The Banker and the Caregiver – a site-responsive audio walk for two people.

audiodetour, sligo, audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge, ireland, model, the model sligo

Using audio material gathered along the route in Sligo aswell as interviews conducted and interpreted over eighteen months, Audiodetour draws lines from traditionally female work such as rearing children, the fact of women’s lower wages to the system of banking and capitalism and the concept of arrogance.

With the Audiodetour in their ears, the two participants walk from the shops of Grattan Street and O’Connell Street over the river to the banks and solicitor’s offices of Stephen Street and beyond, up to The Model. They hold hands, stand shoulder to shoulder and drink tea.

There are so many histories written onto one space and Audiodetour finds the personal and private, the familial and social, the mythical and imaginary aswell as the historical and official.

audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge, sligo, model, the model sligo

Screeb grab from working process of The Banker and The Caregiver, Sligo.


 

It’s An Audiodetour: Forever and Forever

Dublin, Ireland.
2008
Duration: 30 minutes
Commissioned by the Project Arts Centre as part of the percent for art scheme.

audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, midi grrrl, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge, project arts centre, dublin, berlin


 

Disco-nnect

Various Locations
2007
Duration: 45 minutes

Disco-nnect is a guided walking tour that leads to a concert / performance and has been performed at Dublin Fringe Festival 2007; Conflux Festival of Contemporary Psychogeography 2007 and 2008; We Are Here Festival, 2008; Localize Das Heimatfestival, Potsdam, 2010.
audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge, megan nolan, disco-nnect, disconnect, dublin.

Striking out from the meeting point, your guides invite you to participate in party games, teach you dance moves and tell you stories both made-up and true.
audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge, megan nolan, disco-nnect, disconnect, dublin.
Disco-nnect is not a historical tour and is not aimed at tourists. Instead it is ludic, carnivalesque and transformative; aimed at people who use the city everyday and who are open to transforming these familiar places into the best night out you’ve ever had.
Disco-nnect, temple bar, project arts centre, party, night, audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge, megan nolan,
The tour prepares both your body and mind for the concert. It places emphasis on the reduced means of the human body and the space the body interacts with. It attempts to interrupt the capitalistic, heteronormative conventions of “going out”. A direct connection between performer and audience member, and between audience members is hoped for.
Disco-nnect Dublin, Temple Bar, Alley, Disco-nnect, temple bar, project arts centre, party, night, audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge, megan nolan,
You are encouraged to treat the tour as a rehearsal for the performance. By the time you enter the performance space you will be warmed up and will have an arsenal of dance moves at your disposal.
Disco-nnect, Meeting House Square, IFI, Dublin, Temple Bar, Cultural Centre, Project Arts Centre, Disco-nnect, temple bar, project arts centre, party, night, audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge, megan nolan,
In the age of reality TV and DSDS it is important to note that You’re Only Massive only ever invite you to participate and want you to feel good.
Disco-nnect, Temple Bar, Dublin, Michael Freeman, Disco-nnect, Meeting House Square, IFI, Dublin, Temple Bar, Cultural Centre, Project Arts Centre, Disco-nnect, temple bar, project arts centre, party, night, audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge, megan nolan,

Sara Keating, The Irish Times, September 25th, 2007:
“an elaborate, chaotic party game for audience members, who were invited to hold hands and hug strangers, run riot through Temple Bar, do the Macarena in front of the Project, and hula-hoop to original rap songs performed by Cheasty. It is to the credit of the audience, as impulsive as Cheasty herself, that the evening worked well, although perhaps more as a social event than an artistic experience.”

megan nolan, Dublin Fringe Festival, Disconnect Flyer, Artwork, Dublin Fringe, you're only massive, maebh murphy, Fiona Hallinan, Maebh Murphy, Maebh Cheasty, maebh, fink, dublin, grattan bridge, dublin fringe festival, you're only massive, Maebh Cheasty, maebh Murphy, Peter Morrow, Willie White, Project Arts Centre, audiodetour, you're only massive, audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge

Flyer from Disco-nnect debut, Dublin Fringe Festival, 2007

audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge, maebh murphy, midi grrrl, megan nolan, disconnect, disco-nnect, dublin fringe festival, 2007

++Bonus: Photos from Disco-nnect at Localize das Heimatfestival, Potsdam.
disco-nnect, potsdam, localize das heimatfestival, katinka pleger, bibliothek potsdam, audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge
Disco-nnect, Disconnect, Potsdam, You're Only Massive, maebh murphy, disco-nnect, potsdam, localize das heimatfestival, katinka pleger, bibliothek potsdam, audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge
Disco-nnect, Potsdam, Localize Das Heimatfestival, Katinka Pleger, Localize Das Heimatfestival, Disco-nnect, Disconnect, Potsdam, You're Only Massive, maebh murphy, disco-nnect, potsdam, localize das heimatfestival, katinka pleger, bibliothek potsdam, audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge

 


 

It’s an Audiodetour: Work and Play

Dublin, Ireland.
2007
Duration: 37 minutes
as part of We Are Here, a joint production of Dublin Docklands and Project Arts Centre.

 


 

It’s an Audiodetour, A Christmas Special

Dublin, Ireland.
2006
Duration: 30 minutes
commissioned by Project Arts Centre, Dublin.

Maebh Cheasty, maebh Murphy, Peter Morrow, Willie White, Project Arts Centre, audiodetour, you're only massive, audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge


It’s an Audiodetour! Dublin & Edinburgh

Three varying locations in Dublin, Edinburgh and Dublin.
2006
Duration: 30 minutes (approximate and varying).
As part of Trinity Arts Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Dublin Fringe Festival.

Dublin Fringe Festival: 30 minute audiodetour through Temple Bar, using the boardwalks, bridges and architecture of the city as stage design. Hosted from a small kiosk on Grattan Bridge, Dublin.

Fiona Hallinan, Maebh Murphy, Maebh Cheasty, maebh, fink, dublin, grattan bridge, dublin fringe festival, you're only massive, Maebh Cheasty, maebh Murphy, Peter Morrow, Willie White, Project Arts Centre, audiodetour, you're only massive, audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge

Edinburgh Fringe Festival: hosted at The Forest Cafe, a not-for-profit arts space, vegetarian café and venue on Bristo Place, Edinburgh. Situated in the Forest’s gallery, Total Kunst, the Audio Detour appeared first as drawings covering its windows and then as a site-specific walking tour for two around the Meadows.

"It's An Audiodetour!", Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2006. Photo Credit and Drawing Credit: Fiona Hallinan

“It’s An Audiodetour!”, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2006. Photo Credit and Drawing Credit: Fiona Hallinan

Trinity Arts Festival: Designed as a duet, two participants listened to seperate recordings, which led them on diverging and intersecting routes around the non-places on campus, such as basement lockers in the Arts block, empty corridors, etc. The campus was re-imagined a a series of hiding places and opening and closing viewpoints.

Carol Mulligan, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Arts Festival 2006, audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge

Participant taking “It’s An Audiodetour!”, Trinity Arts Festival, Dublin.

White Umbrella, Audiodetour, Trinity College, Dublin, Trinity Arts Festival, It's an Audiodetour!, audio detour, Carol Mulligan, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Arts Festival 2006, audio art, janet cardiff, maebh cheasty, fiona hallinan, caoimhin o raghallaigh, audiodetour, art installation, audioguide, alex synge

second participant, “It’s An Audiodetour!”, Trinity Arts Festival, Dublin.

 


Audiodetour @ Stadtblind

Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany.
2005
Duration: 20 minutes
As part of Stadtblind Exhibition, Deutsches Architektur Zentrum Berlin.

 


A Rip Around the Block!

Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany.
2005
Duration: 90 minutes
As part of Dance Dramaturgy Coaching Project, Hebbel Am Ufer.

On the trace of ripped bodies and urban myths. A city guide with audio.


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Support

Shout out to PROJECT CATALYST, which is an initiative by Project Arts Centre, based in Temple Bar in Dublin. PROJECT CATALYST has not just made work possible through funding and related support, but also through many other diffuse ways, morale, emotional, wi-fi related etc. Check out their website! http://projectartscentre.ie/


Press

Sara Keating, The Irish Times, September 25th, 2007:

Maebh Cheasty’s audio-detour DISCO-NNECT provided audience’s with a different sort of surprise:it wasn’t the audio-detour described in the Fringe programme at all, but an elaborate, chaotic party game for audience members, who were invited to hold hands and hug strangers, run riot through Temple Bar, do the Macarena in front of the Project, and hula-hoop to original rap songs performed by Cheasty. It is to the credit of the audience, as impulsive as Cheasty herself, that the evening worked well, although perhaps more as a social event than an artistic experience. It is to the credit of the charming Cheasty alone, however, that she pulled it off; in the hands of anyone else, it would have been an unmitigated disaster.

Peter Crawley, The Irish Times, May 5th 2007:
It’s an Audio Detour: Work and Play, Around Dublin city.

“Give your partner a little smile,” says the voice in my head. Can do. “Do you see the pedestrianised walkway?” enquires the voice a few seconds later. Um, well, now that you mention it, no, I don’t. “You should now be turning right onto the boardwalk.” Oh Christ . . . Finding your steps – and particularly your pace – on the fifth edition of It’s an Audio Detour is a cognitive challenge, an intriguing effort of social choreography and – for those not easily embarrassed – lots of fun.

Devised by Maebh Cheasty and Fiona Hallinan (who goes by the name Fink), with sound design and soothingly voiced instructions by Peter Morrow, it is an MP3-guided journey from Grattan Bridge, and it includes a Luas trip, a bike ride for one partner, hopscotch for the other, and concludes in a pub in the IFSC. It is meticulously timed, contextually playful, slightly confusing, and requires oceans of trust and an easy ability to follow directions. For those who have neither, it is still doable, but not exactly idiot-proof. Requiring some familiarity with the city, this detour is not tourist-friendly.

In an almost neurotically cautious age for performance, it is admirable that this open-air experience comes without a chaperone or a safety rail. But, having earlier worried that a plain-clothes Audio Detourist might have been following me, after a couple of hiccups I began to hope one was.

Morrow’s soundscape is nicely calming, though, and the text is gently wry, letting voices chime in during the tour’s idle moments to offer either documentary interviews about their working lives or to impart dubious advice: “Skip the queue,” goes one such voice, urging civil disobedience to people who must slavishly follow orders.

It is never lost on us that in taking the Audio Detour we have become performers; our strange behaviour and daft little movements rarely occurring without an accidental audience.

I’m not sure I learned much new about Dublin, but it reaffirmed my belief in the heroic composure of Dubliners. When two giggling people with enormous headphones, locked in an absurdly amateur pas de deux, barely merit a second glance, you realise just how hard it is these days to make a show of yourself.

Peter Crawley, The Irish Times, August 18th, 2006:

If site-specific performance has been a recent fad of the fringe festival, leading us from car-parks to churches, warehouses to disused public toilets, the new vogue is for promenade performances, or more specifically, guided tours. This year two productions -  It’s an Audio De-Tour and  On This One Night – will take audiences through Dublin. “I’m kind of sick of sitting in the dark and watching other people do things,” says Maebh Cheasty, choreographer with the Audio DeTOURists. Her response has been to drag the stage out into the light and to make the audience her performers.

Taking instruction via Mp3 players, Cheasty’s audience are given “really specific choreographed instructions of how to move around the city.” It’s not a traditional tour – most of the stories are fictitious – but the audio tour is designed to make people see the city anew. Cheasty admits that safety is a concern, and so they perform during the day, avoiding insalubrious routes. “We don’t want to make people feel ill-at-ease. But that idea seeps into the tour as well: who owns public space? Is this space yours? Can you feel safe here?”

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