Podcast Micro-Residency
PODCAST
This podcast presents highlights from the Sound Topographies Micro-Residency held at the GMEA in Albi from January 20 to 29, 2025. Twelve young artists, including Merlin Tessier, Emilia Elouardi, Leo Van Damme, Ana Kulakova, Qusay Awad, Hany Tea, Rita Santos, Élif Guilin Soguksu, Agita Reķe, Flurina Mia Häberli, Jacob Eckhardt, and Isul Kim, were invited to collectively explore the creation of listening devices in public spaces. These projects took the form of sound walks, installations, and in-situ experiments, reflecting on how sound shapes our experience of place. Participants benefited from guidance by festival artists Yann Leguay and Elena Biserna, as well as the GMEA team.
The podcast features interviews with several residents. Élif Guilin Soguksu and Flurina Mia Häberli reflect on their impressions of Albi and their respective projects — Élif’s work taking place inside a city bus, Flurina’s unfolding under a tunnel with sound and video. Qusay Awad shares the story of his family home in Shahba, connecting private memory with public history. Weeks later, Merlin Tessier, Emilia Elouardi, Hany Tea, and Jacob Eckhardt discuss their experiences, approaches, and discoveries during the residency, including Jacob’s collaboration with Isul Kim.
Through these excerpts, the podcast captures the traces of a collaborative and exploratory process — sounds, ideas, and reflections that extend beyond the residency itself. Each artist brought a unique perspective on listening and responding to a space, contributing to a shared investigation of sound and place.