Lena Ortega (Leena Lee)
Lena Ortega Atristain, aka Leena Lee, is a Mexican sound artist, researcher, designer, and teacher specializing in nature/culture relations with a focus on soundscape ecology, bioacoustics, and field recordings. Through practice-based research, she aims to cultivate the community’s ecological consciousness by involving listening practices, field observation, recording, and soundscape composition. Her main focus is the bird population/individuals of nearby surroundings and how they relate to and are part of their territory. She approaches these inquiries by incorporating other dimensions of care and relationship with non-human animals and the environment that open possibilities to think critically about the spaces we inhabit and how we are environmental beings.
Niebla was an interesting blend of field recordings, the voice, effects and synthesised sounds. This was inspired by the concept of soundwalk from Hildegard Westerkamp, Kulning, S. Porges’s Polyvagal Theory, binaural beats and E. Durkheim’s work on rituals.
Enjoys mixing binaural beats and field recordings.
Was invited to a series of sound meditations (probably inspired by Pauline Oliveros). This was played in public, and anyone could meditate on it. Was a combination of Buddhist practice, field recordings and binaural beats.
Used a fish bowl full of water as a controller to modulate field recordings in a live space. The listeners were asked to lie down for this performance.
I found Lena’s use of field recordings to be interesting, not as a standalone piece but as something in the background to accentuate the foreground. Another thing I enjoyed was the fish bowl controller, I found that to be a really interesting idea.
Apart from that, I wasn’t inspired by my current project. I have thought about adding midi to my instrument, but I want it to be separate to DAWs so I can use it in different ways and I’m not held down by the grid of Ableton. Niebla did inspire me for my EP as I was contemplating recording tracks outside as more of a field recording, and hearing this made me want to do it more.