Nathan Davis, Sylvia Milo – Earthworks

· by Réjean Beaucage

Earthworks describes itself as ‘a love child between land art, environmental activism and musique concrète.’ It was originally the soundtrack to an installation entitled Planetary Home Improvement; From Just-in-time to Geological Time. It’s not easy to do justice to an installation, a work that exists in a defined space and in which you can generally wander around, through a recording. Composer and percussionist Nathan Davis does it very well, however – perhaps it’s best to use headphones to really get the impression of being in the middle of a vast artificial space.

It’s reminiscent of Pierre Mercure’s music for Jacques Giraldeau’s film La forme des choses (1965). But Davis’ work is very calm from start to finish, and one inevitably thinks of the technique aimed at triggering a process of ‘autonomous sensory meridian response’ (this is the translation offered by the Grand dictionnaire terminologique du Québec of the expression ‘autonomous sensory meridian response – ASMR’). Right from the start, Syvlia Milo’s voice is whispering. She whispers the names of objects used in the construction of a house: “Galvanized steel sheet. Foam insulation. Polycarbonate panel”… The text she recites is an adaptation of instructions found in renovation videos, and the accompanying sounds are all the same: drilling, fracturing, scraping, cracking, splintering, hammering… But always in a very atmospheric way.

In addition to the samplings made and arranged by Davis, we can also hear, without necessarily recognising them, contributions from his colleagues in the International Contemporary Ensemble: Katinka Kleijn (cello), Levy Lorenzo (percussion), Josh Modney (violin) and Joshua Rubin (clarinet). The project is a reflection on the fact that it is perhaps the earth, our ultimate home, that we should now begin to renovate… The video is no doubt more explicit on this subject, but Nathan Davis’s work on sound and its use in space is impressive.

Latest 360 Content

Viagra Boys – viagr aboys

Viagra Boys – viagr aboys

Le Vivier: many skills, few surprises

Le Vivier: many skills, few surprises

SAT’s Substrat Sound Series: IRLʼs soundscapes

SAT’s Substrat Sound Series: IRLʼs soundscapes

The two voices of Bells Larsen, for the first and last time

The two voices of Bells Larsen, for the first and last time

Karma Glider – Love Bleeds

Karma Glider – Love Bleeds

Salle Bourgie 2025-26: we talk to the artistic director and general manager about the next season

Salle Bourgie 2025-26: we talk to the artistic director and general manager about the next season

Bells Larsen – Blurring Time

Bells Larsen – Blurring Time

Anika – Abyss

Anika – Abyss

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds hold ceremonial court at Place Bell

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds hold ceremonial court at Place Bell

Black Country, New Road – Forever Howlong

Black Country, New Road – Forever Howlong

OSM | A Morning of Lightness

OSM | A Morning of Lightness

Dead Meadow – Voyager to Voyager

Dead Meadow – Voyager to Voyager

Natalia Lafourcade – Cancionera

Natalia Lafourcade – Cancionera

Ribbon Skirt – Bite Down

Ribbon Skirt – Bite Down

The Waterboys – Life, Death And Dennis Hopper

The Waterboys – Life, Death And Dennis Hopper

Melvins 1983 – Thunderball

Melvins 1983 – Thunderball

Vox Sambou – Hayti Lives

Vox Sambou – Hayti Lives

Corie Rose Soumah & Hypercube at Le Vivier: So Much Material… Skill

Corie Rose Soumah & Hypercube at Le Vivier: So Much Material… Skill

African American Sound Recordings at SAT : Noise Floor

African American Sound Recordings at SAT : Noise Floor

Sylis d’or 2025 Final: Salsa Ahead of Afro-Colombian Roots and Réunionese Maloya

Sylis d’or 2025 Final: Salsa Ahead of Afro-Colombian Roots and Réunionese Maloya

Antoine Corriveau Returns From a Night Flight

Antoine Corriveau Returns From a Night Flight

SAT | Sci-Fi Turntablism: Soundtracking Other Worlds

SAT | Sci-Fi Turntablism: Soundtracking Other Worlds

Subscribe to our newsletter