A fun little interview with Heather Perkins in today's Portland Tribune

[swag]

She is so cool. And she played music at my little art show last night:

Q & A with Heather Perkins.



Portland Tribune: What’s an example of a sound you created?

Heather Perkins: There was one set of toy water guns that were electronic. When you shot water out of them they were supposed to make a sound. That was actually kind of hard.

They (the manufacturer) would say, “We want it to be like an explosion,” and they wanted the kids to enjoy shooting the guns, but they didn’t want it to be like a gun. “We’re making a gun and we want it to sound like a gun, but it can’t sound like a gun.”

Tribune: So what did you do?

Perkins: I just used a lot of forceful water sounds like waterfalls and geysers. You can take a gun sound but alter it so it sounds different. There are a lot of different programs that allow you to sculpt with audio. You’re either building up layers, like with clay, or cutting things away. It’s actually a lot of fun.

. . .

Perkins: This is the problem I have sometimes with people I’m working with. They’re on the phone and instead of imitating the sound they’re describing it in words.

I keep saying, “What do you mean?” Sometimes I start making noises at them, and they start making noises back, crazy sounds into the phone, like zoop, bing.

Tribune: You’re making some pretty odd sounds here. What’s one of your oddest?

Perkins: Gosh, there are so many. Once I did sound design for a pageant for the Winter Olympics, and it was huge. We had this giant bear that was going to come out on the ice, and they needed the sound of a bear catching a fish and slapping the water. That’s not in a sound library.

So here I am in my bathtub with all my microphones pointed into the tub and I’m hoping they don’t fall in. I’ve already fallen in. I’m splashing around. And that’s what ended up in the Winter Olympics pageant – me splashing around in my bathtub.

[swimboy]

1. Nice article.

I had no idea. I'd seen some of her art and now I'm looking forward to hearing some.

[swag]

2. Oh, different Heather, I think.

Though this Heather owns some visual art by the other Heather.

And just because they're heartless doesn't mean they don't have hearts.

[swimboy]

3. Later in the day I got to thinking

And my thinking told me I had my Heathers mixed up.

I tried to send a photo via myspace and I am so severely HTML-impaired I'm not sure the text part even made it.

This little bit of character on Broad Street rode out the low times and is still in place for the renaissance. I live two short blocks behind it.



Come to think of it, I ought to share this one as well--it's between the shop and my house on Goshen. Richmond is more interesting than a person might think at first blush.

[swag]

4. I liked v. much the architecture of Richmond when I was there on occasions

in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Your photos are great. It looks as though Richmond would be a very livable, interesting, and comfortable city these days.