Between December 2001 and February 2005 I hosted a concert series in San Francisco premised on presenting found sound and field recording-based sound art in as comfortable an environment as possible.

The series, Field Effects, featured work from sound and media artists from the West Coast, other parts of the United States, and beyond.

Field Effects was awarded a a Best of San Francisco award in 2003 from the SF Weekly, and a Best of the Bay award from the San Francisco Bay Guardian in 2004.

The series is now concluded and the name retired, as I lost the warehouse home where concerts were held to the forces of accumulated capital.

marincello unsoundwalk
rodeo soundial
handpans and the hang
as paredes têm ouvidos
flostam resonance #1
a day, a week, a year
field effects concert series
annapurna: memories in sound
quiet, please
serendipity machines
kolam
urban cycles
other recordings

Christopher Willits and Scott Pagano

Field Effects was hosted in my home, a brick-and-timber warehouse in the South of Market district of San Francisco, now lost to the forces of accumulated capital. The audience was encouraged to sprawl and relax on futons, pillows, and beanbags, and to bring blankets and pillows.

The intent was to free the mind for deep listening.

The series averaged a show every six weeks, typically on Friday nights. Doors opened at 8 p.m.; we asked a sliding scale donation, $6-10, but no one was turned away.

My curatorial efforts are currently on hold until I find a new venue to host events at. Write me if you would like to be on the announcement mailing list (very low traffic) so as to hear when the next series starts up.

Jim Haynes (left), Kenneth Atchley (right)

The series strived to offer the listener as comfortable an environment as possible. It sought to be a unique home for quiet, subtle, or lovely sound art that is best appreciated in such an environment. I hoped to broaden the audience for experimental soundwork by presenting challenging work in a welcoming environment.

I tried to provide the best possible sound for the space, often using full-range PA speaker systems underwritten by DJ Vordo or Mobilization Records in conjunction with multiple pairs of room speakers to fill the room with sound: not loud, but everywhere. I also used four-channel systems with the assistance of Bay Area sound artist Sean Rooney.

These principals evolved in a dialog between Bay Area sound artist and curator Matt Davignon and myself. We presented the first Field Effects as a one-night event, but community response was so encouraging that we decided to keep the series going.

Following is an archive of promotional materials for the Field Effects series and related concerts I have curated.

As time allows, I hope to post photos and excerpts from recordings I and others have made of the shows.

Deepest gratitude to the volunteers who made the series possible, particularly Matt Davignon, who co-founded the series. Matt curated and co-hosted the first concert, and without him I would could not have presented many of the shows that have followed.

Matt's now curating experimental sound shows at San Francisco's venerable Luggage Store.

I should mention that the inspiration for me for Field Effects was a night of quiet sound art I'd participated in, Quiet Night, Holy Noise, organized with Kathy Kennedy, Jim Haynes, and Loren Chasse at the Lab in September, 2000. I consider the evening my prototype; among other things, audience members were encouraged to bring pillows and blankets.