Travels In Stasis

Series produced by Joan Schuman

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An exploration of the nomad's movements through geography, aesthetics and the mind.

Five segments explore ideas of nomadic culture that include geography, but also the creative process, the emotional landscape and the treacherous trek from sanity to clarity. Why do we move around and what are we looking for as we travel? Each section tackles the subject from a different vantage and style: "Nomad" follows one woman's musings as she listens to the ubiquitous freight train horns in her urban desert neighborhood; the piece is intimate, poetic, rhythmic. "Exile" is a meditation, a sad but hopeful love letter evoking the weariness of living in a series of waterless cities; it's dark and intimate and weaves quiet stories of living in the desert, dreams of the ocean, and inquiries about the creative possibilities of voices on the air. "Walking" is a short experiment in narrative radio, following a true story of one man's attempts to find his way back to a small village in Mexico; he's been wandering in bad circles, a refrain he repeats in both Spanish and English. Palette cleansers -- "Ghost" and "Memory" -- listen to two different women briefly exploring their sensations while traveling or staying put. Each segment can air on its own or be played as a full series whose length is 33:51.

Suggested airplay order:
1. Nomad
2. Ghost
3. Exile
4. Memory
5. Walking Hide full description

Five segments explore ideas of nomadic culture that include geography, but also the creative process, the emotional landscape and the treacherous trek from sanity to clarity. Why do we move around and what are we looking for as we travel? Each section tackles the subject from a different vantage and style: "Nomad" follows one woman's musings as she listens to the ubiquitous freight train horns in her urban desert neighborhood; the piece is intimate, poetic, rhythmic. "Exile" is a meditation, a sad but hopeful love letter evoking the weariness of living in a series of waterless cities; it's dark and intimate and weaves quiet stories of living in the desert, dreams of the ocean, and inquiries about the creative possibilities of voices on the air. "Walking" is a short experiment in... Show full description


5 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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An impressionist sound montage follows one man's trek that reflects both his physical journey and his state of mind.

Bought by PRX Remix, Connecticut Public (WNPR), and WZBC


  • Added: Jun 21, 2006
  • Length: 03:27
  • Purchases: 3
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A meditation, a sad, but hopeful love letter, a spirited trek.

Bought by PRX Remix and WZBC


  • Added: Jun 21, 2006
  • Length: 22:39
  • Purchases: 2
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A musing on the consequences of frequent traveling.

Bought by PRX Remix and WZBC


  • Added: Jun 21, 2006
  • Length: 01:06
  • Purchases: 2
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How do we remember best - through people or the buildings we live in?

Bought by PRX Remix and WZBC


  • Added: Jun 21, 2006
  • Length: 01:34
  • Purchases: 2
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Freight trains rumbling through an urban desert accompany the musings of an armchair nomad.

Bought by KBRP Community Radio, PRX Remix, and WZBC


  • Added: Jun 18, 2006
  • Length: 05:08
  • Purchases: 3