CAMPBIENT: The 44 Hour Sound Art Residency

CAMPBIENT: The 44 Hour Sound Art Residency

June 6-9, 2024

Millersylvania State Park, Olympia, WA

Rolling Application Opens: January 5, 2023

Applications received by March 1 will receive priority review. Applications received after this date will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Selection Announcements begin March 9, 2024.

Maximum Participants: 22

Application Fee: None

Participation Fee: Sliding Scale starting at $50 (due upon acceptance)

CONCEPT

Campbient is a weekend-long sound art residency that brings together participants for 44 hours to conceptualize, produce, and record two sound art compositions on-site at a state park in Washington State. The residency includes sound-related workshops and creative activities and a start-to-finish audio production process with the results pressed in a limited run of vinyl LPs and distributed digitally. The residency is completely off the electrical grid, and all audio production and other activities are battery-powered. 

Campbient takes place on public land of Coastal Salish heritage, straddling the natural and built environments. An awareness and respect for these sociocultural, ecological, and historical characteristics, and their effect on the soundscape, are core values to having a successful creative and communal experience.

Previous participants include a range of artists, writers, actors, conceptual thinkers, culture workers, and sound makers. Additionally, every year a different Guest Artist-in-Residence is invited to participate.

PROCESS

Participants will arrive on Thursday, June 6th, at 3:00pm for campground setup, introductions, and establishing the agenda. On Friday, a 44-hour production process commences, interspersed with various sound-related workshops, activities, and communal meals. Appropriate amounts of personal and rest time are built into the schedule. Final realization and review of the finished recorded work will be complete by midday Sunday, June 9th.

Participants will be organized into one of four collaborative working groups, and each group will independently have complete artistic control of both their creative process and the content and character of the resulting recorded work. Recordings will be made on a battery-powered multitrack mobile audio workstation with a variety of transducers, with experienced audio engineers supervising the recording sessions. Participants are not required to bring any additional audio equipment, instruments, or sound-making devices of their own, but are welcome to do so (with some limitations).

ELIGIBILITY

Campbient is open to all creative thinkers and doers over the age of 21. The residency is invitational, based on application, and there is no fee to apply. Diversity of all kinds is encouraged, and there is no expectation or requirement of prior musicianship, audio production, or sound art experience by participants.

EXPECTATIONS

Because of Campbient’s brief and intense duration, all participants will be expected to take an active role in the processes and activities, with consideration of their interests, abilities, and experience. Creative risk-taking is encouraged in an environment that is playful, non-judgmental, safe, and supportive. Every aspect of Campbient relies on respectful, open, and honest communication and collaboration. All participants will be expected to demonstrate these qualities to each other and to the creative process.     

Please note that CAMPBIENT takes place in a public location. While we respect everyone’s privacy, state parks are a shared space with others outside the residency. The residency will be documented in video, audio, and still photography for promotional and archival purposes. By applying to CAMPBIENT, you will agree to have your likeness and creative work generated at the residency used by the organizers into the future (for example, the photos on this website, promotional materials, audio remixes, etc.)

FEES

Free to apply. While we try and cover all the costs we can and provide meals during the residency, if selected, there will be a participation fee on a sliding scale starting at $50 USD which helps keep the residency continuing. There are no other obligatory expenses, but further donations are welcomed. If camping fees are a barrier to participation, assistance is available to ensure equitable opportunity.

TRANSPORTATION

Applicants are responsible for getting themselves to the Greater Seattle Area. From there, our team will assist with coordinating ride sharing to get those without vehicles to the campground. So if you’re flying in, just get to Seattle and we will get you to the campground. Additionally, we will help facilitate carpools for those coming from nearby cities (Olympia, Portland, etc.)

CAMPSITE

MILLERSYLVANIA STATE PARK
12245 TILLEY ROAD S
OLYMPIA, WA 98512

Millersylvania State Park is a 903-acre camping park with 3,300 feet of freshwater shoreline on Deep Lake.  Electricity is not available so participants will need to bring battery backup for any personal electronic devices.

Participants will need to provide their own camping supplies such as a tent and sleeping bag, as well as any personal needs for comfort and safety in the outdoors. Participants should dress for inclement weather (regardless of the weather forecast!), including warm clothes, rain gear, and durable footwear. Sunscreen, bug repellent, and any other personal protective supplies will be the responsibility of the participants. If equipment or supplies are a barrier to participation, please indicate as such on your application, as it is not a reason for disqualification and the organizers will attempt to accommodate any reasonable requests or needs.

All meals will be provided by the hosts, with consideration of any dietary restrictions. Transportation from Seattle can be arranged, and carpools by participants will be encouraged and coordinated by the organizers.

EQUITY, INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, AND ACCESSIBILITY

Campbient is a safe space and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity and access for all persons regardless of race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and disability. LGBTQIA+ friendly. ADA accessibility is based on Washington State Parks facilities; questions about special accommodations or accessibility can be addressed in the application. 

APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS

There are no fees for application to Campbient. Applicants are selected on a variety of criteria intended to be as inclusive as possible including, but not limited to, expressed interest and understanding of the concept, previous life experience, demonstrated skill sets, and enthusiasm for a successful project. Lack of previous experience in the sonic arts is not a disqualification.