Staalplaat soundsystem was at the Second Khoj International Artists’ Association International Sonic Art Residency from Nov-10th – Dec 21st 2008. Participants were Geert-Jan Hobijn  Andrej Hrvatin (founder of Satoration), Kiran Subbaiah and Navin Thomas. To examine sound as a form of experimentation in between artistic and scientific exploration. Taking our past experiences with the genre a step further, this residency was beyond simple software generated sound to include kinetics, performance and prosthetic devices that transform sound and light.

At the 5 week residentie each of us has a studio to work and we have a house we all live in. The house is basic, mattress on the floor (I am a bit to old for that?) and you must switch the geyser of after using for it might overheat (and explode). I got myself a bed. It seems that Khoj does several project but I do not really know much about them. The house were we work in is in a rather poor aria of new Delhi and there is a family that lives in the same building. In Cairo it was the same, but there they were more neighbors. Here we share the building with them ore, in a way, we are their guests. It gives a nice informal feeling when a 3 year old boy comes in your studio waves and say “hello” then you have to shake hands. They bring tee and clean up, make sure nothing is stolen, like I said very nice. I have done some residencies but still have the feeling I do not understand the principle, I wonder why I am there and what is expected of me. I am tolled that the result is not so important, but for me it is very important, that is what I do. They want more a sort of exchange, I think. In Cairo that worked well, actually that is still developing, maybe here something similar will happen, in a different way. Until then I just work and enjoy the city, it is loud, dirty, chaotic.

There is info on khojworkshop.org and Khoj Youtube on our work too

During the Sonic Art 08 residency the Indian artist Navin Thomas needed a sound instrument for a performance in New Delhi.
So I made Nancy S. by putting sanding machines in rubber boots and hang bells on them.
He changed his mind, (they were to laud), so I made it for no reason.
Only the children liked it so much that they would come to my studio asking me to play it for them.
I will have to leave it in India, so the video is all I could do now

Khoj made one video too

This yokomono was done by one person, the only solo ever, and its  was “unplugged” so the radio’s are the soundsystem.
There was no documentation so it was not mentioned on our website.
But now that we found this video that situation is changed and so now it is mentioned.

During the Sonic Art 08 residency I have made a “for the spirits of dead computers” a sound-machine from things I got for no reason or for other planned that did not work out.
I used a car window wiper engine ,intended for the otto Berlin piano, and empty computer housing that I took the cd players from plus a set of bells, from a music store.
It took me less than a hour, and maybe just out of frustration that I have with YOKOMONO-Pro.
The machine plays bells for the spirits of dead computers, the India’s like it.
This is the video I made of it:

And Khoj made a video for the spirit of dead computers too.