Water, porcelain bowls, hydrophones, condenser microphones, metal wire and wood spoons (vinyl re-issue of the CD released by and/OAR in 2009).
“Ombrophilia is a collection of sound experiments I made with porcelain bowls filled with water between 2006 and 2008. Inspired by Jalatarangam, traditional Indian instrument, I started to play the 'waterbowls' with wooden spoons and metal wire (Mylapore, Jalatarangam Revisited). Since I immersed hydrophones in them, I have tried various ways of resonating the bowls without touching their surface : flicking, stirring, waving and dripping water... All the compositions here are multitracked and edited on computer. I also inserted thin layers of field recordings I made in South India, notably in beautiful Mylapore of Chennai, where I met one of the last masters of Jalatarangam, 'Aanayampatti Ganesan')” — Tomoko Sauvage, 2011
Tomoko Sauvage, Japanese musician/sound artist based in Paris, has been working on waterbowls, porcelain bowls of different sizes, filled with water and amplified with hydrophones (under-water microphones). She plays with different forms of water—drops, waves and bubbles resonating in the bowls as well as audio feedback creating waving drones and natural overtones. Her work is about the delicate balance between controlled and uncontrolled with random percussion of droplets, acoustic characteristics of the space and the fragile tonality created with the fluid materials constantly evaporating and moving.
Sauvage has been giving performances, exhibitions and workshops in Europe, US, Canada and Japan, often in solo but also in collaboration with musicians and choreographers. Her works have been released by and/OAR (US),
Aposiopèse (BE), dokidoki editions (FR),
Shelter Press (FR)...
In 2011, a new set of porcelain bowls was created during her residency at La Pommerie (FR) in collaboration with Ceramic Research Center in Limoges (CRAFT).
