State opening of parliament was totally different this year than previous three years. Since the bank collapse 2008 people usually had ruction every autumn in the park front of the parliament building.
But 2011 the ruction went to far when one parliamentarian fell to the ground after egg hit his head. So at 2012 the government decided to make it very difficult for everyone to protest. In fact it was forbidden to protest and government took full control of the whole situation. With riot fence and police they make a big circle around the parliament building and nearby church. But that´s not all. The government used speakers to amplify a mass from the church to the crowd that could possibly gather to make a noisy ruction. But the funny thing was just a few protesters arrived. This day mostly armed police was spread all over the park and nearby streets. The few others was staff from media, some protesters, handicap people, curious tourists and drug addicts, so the situation was in fact very peaceful. This mass „cool down“ all activism. Most people just pass by or sat down and listened.
This recording contains the last minutes of the mass and the ruction during the parliamentarians walk from the church to the parliament building. Notes the funny situation when some protester start to scream the mass get louder from speakers.
This time no eggs or other garbage was thrown from the protesters to parliamentarians.
Setning alþingis september 2012
Það var nokkuð sérstakt að mæta niður á Austurvöll 11. september 2012. Helmingur Austurvallar hafði verið girtur af með álgirðingu og lögreglan var búinn að koma sér fyrir í öllum götum umhverfis Alþingishúsið. Úr hátalarakerfi glumdi orðræða postula ríkiskirkjunnar. Aðeins örfáir mótmælendur höfðu mætt og létu í sér heyra. Austurvöllur var þétt setinn af lögreglumönnum sem voru uppáklæddir til að taka þátt í óeirðum og berja á lýðnum. Helst voru það fatlaðir sem höfðu komið sér fyrir undir styttu Jóns Sigurðssonar til að mótmæla sínum bágu kjörum og erlendir ferðamenn sem gengu hjá. Þá var nokkuð um róna sem voru á heimavelli, en nú að hlusta á messu.
Upptakan hér að neðan er af síðustu mínútum messunnar sem og látunum þegar þingmenn gengu frá kirkju til alþingis.
Download mp3 file (192kbps / 24Mb)
Recorder: Sound Devises 744T
Mics: Sennheiser MKH30/20 (MS setup)
Pix: Sony CyberShot DSC-P120 (see more pictures)
HLJÓÐMYND - SOUNDIMAGE 
I really like this Magnus, you’ve painted a very clear picture. I particularly enjoyed the juxtaposition of the sound of the organ and the sounds of the protesters in the middle of the piece. The clash between the establishment and the voice of protest is always fascinating to listen to.
Thanks Des
I am always learning more and more how to capture sound in Reykjavik downtown. It is not to be close to the sound source. I need to find the places where the echo between buildings can make a „special“ sound.
Afterwards I think I was not exactly at right place for this recording. But it is not so bad anyway.
I have try two times to record gayparade. But both recordings was „just a boring noise“. Next time I like to be 500m-1km distance from the parade and let streets and buildings be part of this huge sound party.
I just need to find the best position. It can takes two or more years to find the first one 🙂
Well, that’s really interesting Magnus and I think it’s what makes our sound recording world so very interesting.
In my view, there is no right and wrong way to make street recordings, it’s all a matter of style and technique. You prefer to record from a distance whereas I prefer to record close to the source. Our techniques may be different but our results are equally compelling.
The Gay Pride parades are a really good example of this. I know exactly what you mean by the ‘boring noise’ and there are many advantages to recording it from a distance. But I prefer to get in close, right in amongst the people, and try to hunt out the unique sounds amidst the boring noise. It’s very hard work but the unique sounds are usually there somewhere, they just need to be hunted down. That doesn’t make my technique better or worse than yours – it’s just means that we use different techniques to achieve our own vision of the event.
I’ve been listening to your wonderful natural soundscapes for a long time, and I really respect the work that you do with them. I know that I couldn’t achieve the stunning natural soundscapes that you produce. I think that your sensitive ear for natural soundscapes influences your approach to street recording – and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just different to my approach.
Maybe one day we can perhaps both record the same event in our own style and then compare the results. There could be two very interesting blog pieces coming out of that I think!
As I said at the beginning, our sound world is so very interesting and I think it’s because we all do our own work in our own way but we all have great respect for the work of others. I think maybe there’s a lesson there for our politicians!
Bon courage!
Thanks Des.
I am agree with you.
There is no right and wrong way to make street recordings, it’s all a matter of style and technique.
For me recording is like photography. It is just a question of how many ways you can capture the subject. Big or small frame, B&W or color, Wide, zooming or micro.
Today people are not used to use ears like eyes. Sound, what ever it is, is just a boring noise for lot of people at the same time they can not analyze the depth of the sound scape. I think it has goes worse in previous years because people are loosing hearing earlier in there life, probably because of all the endless noise today. People can even not go to sleep without traffic noise. It is bad because sound and silence can have so much depth, dynamic and lot of message.
I just wish I was 30 years younger with all this sensitive and low noise equipment. It was my dream in the past to capture all this things I can do now. This equipment open endless possibility’s. It is so much to record it will last as a full time job rest of my life. But there is a problem. This is not my job. I do not have this time or opportunity to travel to all those places I like. It is all question about to be on the right place in right time like a wildlife photographer. I know many interesting „quiet places“ I like to record and bring to public.
I like your „close to the source“ street recordings exactly because it brings so many small details.
That is what I have try to capture in Gay pride in Reykjavik until now. But normally it is so nosy with overloaded amplified music, all details get lost in clipping noise.
So way not try to record this crazy party from distance? Be in place there you can hear people walk by and the leaves sweep in the trees. But from distance heavy sound from Gay pride sounds like a thunder storm.
It would be fun if we can some day record the same event with different style.
We should do that some day. 🙂