Karl-Birger Blomdahl
Altisonans, 1966
Length: 19 min
Contributors: Bernt Berntson, Ludwik Liszka, Ralph Lundsten, Sture Palmér, Måns Reuterswärd, Béla Thinsz, Kiruna Geophysical Observatory
Swedish composer Karl-Birger Blomdahl’s image-sound composition Altisonans is an experimental film addressing the relationship between Earth and space. The word ‘Altisonans’ can be translated as ‘that which resounds from space.’ The film was initially made for Swedish television, where it premiered on 25 September 1966, and was the first time the composer transposed a sonic idea into visual material.
Blomdahl compiled the Altisonans soundtrack out of bird songs and electromagnetic signals from satellites, such as Sputnik 4 and Explorer 7. Work on the composition was initiated once Blomdahl met astrophysicist Ludwik Liszka, who explained how satellites sometimes sound like the song of the redwing bird. Blomdahl was fascinated with the notion of combining two types of bird songs – those from the artificial birds of space with the natural songs of Earth’s birds. The composition begins with the song of nightingales and blackbirds, and ends with sounds entirely extracted from space. Blomdahl collected the bird songs from the Radio Sweden Archives. The space sounds, however, were recorded at the Kiruna Geophysical Observatory (now the Swedish Institute for Space Physics), which is located above the Arctic Circle and also where Ludwik Liszka served as director.
Blomdahl also collected imagery at the Kiruna observatory. From these he created a visual collage of graphic representations of satellite signals of solar static and the Northern lights and magnetic field. The imagery is purely scientific in nature, yet when projected alongside the soundtrack takes on an abstract, expressive quality. Blomdahl edited the film with Béla Thinsz at Trickfilmsstudio and composer Ralph Lundsten.
Altisonans serves as vivid proof that Aniara was not the only time Karl-Birger Blomdahl found a creative outlet for his interest in space. Blomdahl’s passion for the technology and research of his time is clearly expressed in the unique Altisonans.
