hasley burgund

Through the evocative memorials at Forest Hills, people from the past “speak” to us about their relationships and lives. Halsey Burgund uses 21st century technology to add a new layer of expression to this landscape. His sound collage combines music with fragments of conversation he collected during interviews at Forest Hills.

You can download One Hundred and Four Thousand here. You can also listen via cell phone by calling xxx; this system will also collect voice-mail contributions, which the artist will selectively incorporate into the piece on an ongoing basis.

I wanted to explore the cemetery’s contemplative nature as well as the relationships that various cemetery ‘dwellers’ have to their surroundings. My intent was to create music that evokes my own personal feelings about spending time within the borders of Forest Hills through the words and voices of other cemetery dwellers.

Over the course of several months in early spring, I interviewed 26 people in the cemetery, both visitors and employees. I used these recorded interviews in tandem with traditional instruments. For listeners, the music and voices will mix with the ambient sounds, smells and sights they encounter as they make their way through the cemetery on paths of their choosing.

Thanks to everyone interviewed for this project, and to Marco Scoffier for technical assistance.