AMY: Have you ever sat in somebody's lap by accident?
BIANCA: Um, probably not that I can, like, think of right now.
AMY: That happened to me in the movie theater once.
BIANCA: Oh really!? You didn't see there was a person in the chair?
AMY: I was sitting in the chair, and I was a kid, and I was sitting next to my dad, and this lady sat on me.
BIANCA: She didn't see?
AMY: And then finally my dad had to be like, "Excuse me, you're sitting on my daughter.”
[Audio Flux sonic ID]
AMY INTRO:
Hello, I'm Amy Pearl, and whether you're sitting on me or I'm sitting on you, this is the Audio Flux Podcast, and we're back for season two.
But before we dive into the season, a brief refresher. Just what the flux is Audio Flux? Well, I'm glad you asked. Audio Flux is a home for short, innovative audio and bold storytelling.
Twice a year, we team up with creative partners, and together we design a theme and a set of prompts. Then we invite people to make a short audio piece inspired by those prompts. This season, we're listening to fluxworks from Circuit 02, which had the theme Listening With.
We'll also talk to the producers who made them. Why Listening With? We learned about this audio perspective from the sound artist Annea Lockwood. In Sam Green's film 32 Sounds, Annea talks about listening with the world rather than listening to the world. And that felt like a perfect Audio Flux theme.
So keep your ears open for Listening With as you listen with season two! Starting with a three-minute story ('cause all fluxworks are three minutes) from documentary filmmaker and audio producer Bianca Giaever
BIANCA: I'm Bianca Giaever and my Flux work is called “Breath.” And it's about my relationship with my boyfriend when we moved to a small house in Vermont, and it was our first time living together, and there's all those growing pains of living with your partner for the first time, where you're realizing what it's actually like to be around them 24/7.
That was magnified by the fact that we were in a pretty remote area, spending all day with each other working remotely, and so I was noticing everything about him. And he's a loud person, he's a loud talker, he's a loud walker, he's a loud chewer.
AMY: Oh my God, loud walker! God!
BIANCA: He wears through his shoes in, like, six months. It's crazy. See... 'Cause of the way he stomps. But he's also a loud breather, and so for this piece, I was like, "Okay, the only thing I can think about right now are his noises," and so I decided to go with one of them, and that was his breathing, 'cause I felt like that was the one that was the most ridiculous that, I didn't even know that could happen until we moved in together.
AMY: Also probably one of the few things you can't tell him to stop doing.
BIANCA: Exactly.
Bianca’s Fluxwork
Narration: It was honestly because of the sirens, but at the age of 33, with a boyfriend by my side, I finally left New York. For Vermont. [whispering] Where it sounds like this: [Vermont silence]. Where in the silence of Vermont, to my surprise…
Boyfriend: Bianca’s in radio mode
Narration: A new sound emerged.
Bianca: What do you think this interview's about?
Boyfriend: Um, it's about my breathing.
Narration: The sound of my boyfriend's breathing.
Boyfriend: Yeah. It's about my breathing and the fact that it's annoying to you.
Bianca: Can we hear the sound of the breathing in question?
Boyfriend: Sure. [long breath in and long breath out]
Bianca: No, it doesn't go in through the nose like that.
Boyfriend: I think it does.
Bianca: You do a quick suck in and then you do this, like, anxious breath out. You're like [breath… breath and heartbeat continues]
Narration: I noticed it constantly. While watching Jeanne Dielman. Reading our books. Driving to Montreal. Putting on snow tires. Getting ready for bed.
Bianca: Something about the way you exhale when you're anxious, I can feel the anxiety in the exhale. It's almost like you push it out of you and into me.
Boyfriend: Part of the reason the breathing thing is tricky is because it takes place in a context of a number of behaviors of mine that you find annoying. My chewing is annoying. My alarm is annoying. I walk too loudly. Like, what's your ideal- Talk too loudly. Doing laundry at inopportune times.
Bianca: You make me sound like a terrible person.
What are the top three things I do that annoy you?
Boyfriend: I wish you took more proactive steps about your anxiety.
Bianca: Mm.
Boyfriend: You didn't like the critiques, Bianca?
Bianca: No, I, I heard them.
Waterfall of Bianca scenes:
Okay, I'm out here working on my dumb anxiety.
I'm cross-country skiing.
I'm cooking a healthy meal.
Okay, I'm doing one therapy session. [Bianca in therapy: Should people with anxiety not date other people with anxiety? Is that- ; Therapist: I don't think that's a rule.]
This is a little bit of mushrooms I got to microdose.
My new mental health technique is singing to hymns while driving. [radio: Love God each day. Love God each day.]
Narration: Six weeks later, I checked back in.
Bianca: Do you think my anxiety is cured?
Boyfriend: No, I don't. I mean, I don't know if anyone's anxiety is ever cured, but no, I don't think your anxiety is cured. Neither is mine.
Bianca: Okay. I'm an anxious failure. Say something nice.
Boyfriend: I like you.
End of Fluxwork
AMY: Yes! Oh my God, yes! I just feel like your fluxwork, it’s so jam-packed.
BIANCA: Yeah. There was a lot in there.
AMY: But it doesn't feel rushed or smushed or anything, right?
BIANCA: I'm my own worst critic, so I'm like, "I think it was a little rushed." It's trying to do a lot, but it's hard because you're trying to go somewhere in the two minutes, and I feel like we've gone somewhere.
AMY: It's three minutes, Bianca.
BIANCA: Oh three minutes.
AMY: That's why it felt rushed to you, because you thought it was two minutes.
BIANCA: Exactly.
AMY: one thing I found so interesting was when you're describing it like, oh, you know, there's something that's, like, super annoying about my boyfriend.
I'm living with them, and they're doing annoying stuff, and I'm just like, "Ugh, this person's gonna be so annoying. I hate this person." And you can't even imagine. You just can't imagine. And then they come on, and you're just like, "Oh my God, this guy is like, he's an innocent–
BIANCA: He’s not annoying at all.
AMY: He's truly innocent
BIANCA: Wait, she’s annoying.
AMY: I mean, I actually did not think that at all.
BIANCA: Yeah.
I think we both have anxiety is really the truth of the matter, and I think that makes the relationship kinda go in circles sometimes because you're like, "You should fix your anxiety. Your anxiety's making me more anxious." And it's easy to get caught in a vicious cycle when you have two anxious people together.
AMY: But Bianca, how were you able to say that stuff to him, which in what I heard as like a very loving, accepting way?
BIANCA: Oh, I appreciate that. It's 'cause we say way worse things to each other than that one
I've found that most people in my life have been really excited to be interviewed by me or to, like, participate in these personal projects. I think it's because there's like a space where you can go deeper and ask those types of questions that you don't feel comfortable asking in everyday conversation.
And I think it's helped, like, deepen my relationships.
AMY: Are you still with this person?
BIANCA: Yeah, we're still together.
AMY: And still breathing?
BIANCA: I'd say– so his breathing has gotten better. His chewing is definitely still tough for me. The stomping I'm– You know, I'm picking my battles. So I'm still battling the chewing for sure, and I've decided I have to learn to live with the breathing and the stomping.
AMY OUTRO:
Oh my God, he's stomping. He's breathing. Dude, pick one.
Bianca Giaever produced Breath for Audio Flux Circuit 02: Listening With. You can learn more about Bianca and Circuit 02 at audioflux.org/circuit02.
The Audio Flux Podcast is hosted by me, Amy Pearl, and produced by Lusen Mendel with support from Julie Shapiro and John Delore, and sound designed by Lucy Little.
Some of the music and sounds in this episode are by the inspiring Annea Lockwood. You’ll hear more of Annea’s work throughout this season.
One thing you should know about us is that we love to share Fluxworks in real life with real live audiences, and Circuit 02 debuted live and in person at the On Air Fest in Brooklyn, New York.
Circuit 02 was made possible thanks to Bumper, Sounds Profitable, and Sir Chris Bannon.
Season two is supported by Hindenburg, an audio editor designed by storytellers for storytellers like me, like you, like all of us. Listen to Bianca's fluxwork again at audioflux.org or listen to more stories from Circuit 02 or other circuits. You can also sign up for our newsletter and learn about how you can make a fluxwork of your own. That's audioflux.org.
AMY: Can you finish this sentence? Audio Flux is ____
BIANCA: Audio Flux is like a delicious bite of Nutella nugget in your mouth.
AMY: Oh my God
BIANCA: It’s like a yummy dessert you can listen to. Is that usable?
AMY UPDATE:
Yes, Bianca, it's usable. It's very usable because right now we're in the middle of Audio Flux Circuit 08: Confection, local stories with a hint of something sweet inside. This Fall, we're traveling the world sharing our finalists. Check out the episode notes to find out details about where we'll be, and come flux with us!
[Audio Flux sonic ID]
[Hub & Spoke Audio Collective sonic ID]
BIANCA: Um, probably not that I can, like, think of right now.
AMY: That happened to me in the movie theater once.
BIANCA: Oh really!? You didn't see there was a person in the chair?
AMY: I was sitting in the chair, and I was a kid, and I was sitting next to my dad, and this lady sat on me.
BIANCA: She didn't see?
AMY: And then finally my dad had to be like, "Excuse me, you're sitting on my daughter.”
[Audio Flux sonic ID]
AMY INTRO:
Hello, I'm Amy Pearl, and whether you're sitting on me or I'm sitting on you, this is the Audio Flux Podcast, and we're back for season two.
But before we dive into the season, a brief refresher. Just what the flux is Audio Flux? Well, I'm glad you asked. Audio Flux is a home for short, innovative audio and bold storytelling.
Twice a year, we team up with creative partners, and together we design a theme and a set of prompts. Then we invite people to make a short audio piece inspired by those prompts. This season, we're listening to fluxworks from Circuit 02, which had the theme Listening With.
We'll also talk to the producers who made them. Why Listening With? We learned about this audio perspective from the sound artist Annea Lockwood. In Sam Green's film 32 Sounds, Annea talks about listening with the world rather than listening to the world. And that felt like a perfect Audio Flux theme.
So keep your ears open for Listening With as you listen with season two! Starting with a three-minute story ('cause all fluxworks are three minutes) from documentary filmmaker and audio producer Bianca Giaever
BIANCA: I'm Bianca Giaever and my Flux work is called “Breath.” And it's about my relationship with my boyfriend when we moved to a small house in Vermont, and it was our first time living together, and there's all those growing pains of living with your partner for the first time, where you're realizing what it's actually like to be around them 24/7.
That was magnified by the fact that we were in a pretty remote area, spending all day with each other working remotely, and so I was noticing everything about him. And he's a loud person, he's a loud talker, he's a loud walker, he's a loud chewer.
AMY: Oh my God, loud walker! God!
BIANCA: He wears through his shoes in, like, six months. It's crazy. See... 'Cause of the way he stomps. But he's also a loud breather, and so for this piece, I was like, "Okay, the only thing I can think about right now are his noises," and so I decided to go with one of them, and that was his breathing, 'cause I felt like that was the one that was the most ridiculous that, I didn't even know that could happen until we moved in together.
AMY: Also probably one of the few things you can't tell him to stop doing.
BIANCA: Exactly.
Bianca’s Fluxwork
Narration: It was honestly because of the sirens, but at the age of 33, with a boyfriend by my side, I finally left New York. For Vermont. [whispering] Where it sounds like this: [Vermont silence]. Where in the silence of Vermont, to my surprise…
Boyfriend: Bianca’s in radio mode
Narration: A new sound emerged.
Bianca: What do you think this interview's about?
Boyfriend: Um, it's about my breathing.
Narration: The sound of my boyfriend's breathing.
Boyfriend: Yeah. It's about my breathing and the fact that it's annoying to you.
Bianca: Can we hear the sound of the breathing in question?
Boyfriend: Sure. [long breath in and long breath out]
Bianca: No, it doesn't go in through the nose like that.
Boyfriend: I think it does.
Bianca: You do a quick suck in and then you do this, like, anxious breath out. You're like [breath… breath and heartbeat continues]
Narration: I noticed it constantly. While watching Jeanne Dielman. Reading our books. Driving to Montreal. Putting on snow tires. Getting ready for bed.
Bianca: Something about the way you exhale when you're anxious, I can feel the anxiety in the exhale. It's almost like you push it out of you and into me.
Boyfriend: Part of the reason the breathing thing is tricky is because it takes place in a context of a number of behaviors of mine that you find annoying. My chewing is annoying. My alarm is annoying. I walk too loudly. Like, what's your ideal- Talk too loudly. Doing laundry at inopportune times.
Bianca: You make me sound like a terrible person.
What are the top three things I do that annoy you?
Boyfriend: I wish you took more proactive steps about your anxiety.
Bianca: Mm.
Boyfriend: You didn't like the critiques, Bianca?
Bianca: No, I, I heard them.
Waterfall of Bianca scenes:
Okay, I'm out here working on my dumb anxiety.
I'm cross-country skiing.
I'm cooking a healthy meal.
Okay, I'm doing one therapy session. [Bianca in therapy: Should people with anxiety not date other people with anxiety? Is that- ; Therapist: I don't think that's a rule.]
This is a little bit of mushrooms I got to microdose.
My new mental health technique is singing to hymns while driving. [radio: Love God each day. Love God each day.]
Narration: Six weeks later, I checked back in.
Bianca: Do you think my anxiety is cured?
Boyfriend: No, I don't. I mean, I don't know if anyone's anxiety is ever cured, but no, I don't think your anxiety is cured. Neither is mine.
Bianca: Okay. I'm an anxious failure. Say something nice.
Boyfriend: I like you.
End of Fluxwork
AMY: Yes! Oh my God, yes! I just feel like your fluxwork, it’s so jam-packed.
BIANCA: Yeah. There was a lot in there.
AMY: But it doesn't feel rushed or smushed or anything, right?
BIANCA: I'm my own worst critic, so I'm like, "I think it was a little rushed." It's trying to do a lot, but it's hard because you're trying to go somewhere in the two minutes, and I feel like we've gone somewhere.
AMY: It's three minutes, Bianca.
BIANCA: Oh three minutes.
AMY: That's why it felt rushed to you, because you thought it was two minutes.
BIANCA: Exactly.
AMY: one thing I found so interesting was when you're describing it like, oh, you know, there's something that's, like, super annoying about my boyfriend.
I'm living with them, and they're doing annoying stuff, and I'm just like, "Ugh, this person's gonna be so annoying. I hate this person." And you can't even imagine. You just can't imagine. And then they come on, and you're just like, "Oh my God, this guy is like, he's an innocent–
BIANCA: He’s not annoying at all.
AMY: He's truly innocent
BIANCA: Wait, she’s annoying.
AMY: I mean, I actually did not think that at all.
BIANCA: Yeah.
I think we both have anxiety is really the truth of the matter, and I think that makes the relationship kinda go in circles sometimes because you're like, "You should fix your anxiety. Your anxiety's making me more anxious." And it's easy to get caught in a vicious cycle when you have two anxious people together.
AMY: But Bianca, how were you able to say that stuff to him, which in what I heard as like a very loving, accepting way?
BIANCA: Oh, I appreciate that. It's 'cause we say way worse things to each other than that one
I've found that most people in my life have been really excited to be interviewed by me or to, like, participate in these personal projects. I think it's because there's like a space where you can go deeper and ask those types of questions that you don't feel comfortable asking in everyday conversation.
And I think it's helped, like, deepen my relationships.
AMY: Are you still with this person?
BIANCA: Yeah, we're still together.
AMY: And still breathing?
BIANCA: I'd say– so his breathing has gotten better. His chewing is definitely still tough for me. The stomping I'm– You know, I'm picking my battles. So I'm still battling the chewing for sure, and I've decided I have to learn to live with the breathing and the stomping.
AMY OUTRO:
Oh my God, he's stomping. He's breathing. Dude, pick one.
Bianca Giaever produced Breath for Audio Flux Circuit 02: Listening With. You can learn more about Bianca and Circuit 02 at audioflux.org/circuit02.
The Audio Flux Podcast is hosted by me, Amy Pearl, and produced by Lusen Mendel with support from Julie Shapiro and John Delore, and sound designed by Lucy Little.
Some of the music and sounds in this episode are by the inspiring Annea Lockwood. You’ll hear more of Annea’s work throughout this season.
One thing you should know about us is that we love to share Fluxworks in real life with real live audiences, and Circuit 02 debuted live and in person at the On Air Fest in Brooklyn, New York.
Circuit 02 was made possible thanks to Bumper, Sounds Profitable, and Sir Chris Bannon.
Season two is supported by Hindenburg, an audio editor designed by storytellers for storytellers like me, like you, like all of us. Listen to Bianca's fluxwork again at audioflux.org or listen to more stories from Circuit 02 or other circuits. You can also sign up for our newsletter and learn about how you can make a fluxwork of your own. That's audioflux.org.
AMY: Can you finish this sentence? Audio Flux is ____
BIANCA: Audio Flux is like a delicious bite of Nutella nugget in your mouth.
AMY: Oh my God
BIANCA: It’s like a yummy dessert you can listen to. Is that usable?
AMY UPDATE:
Yes, Bianca, it's usable. It's very usable because right now we're in the middle of Audio Flux Circuit 08: Confection, local stories with a hint of something sweet inside. This Fall, we're traveling the world sharing our finalists. Check out the episode notes to find out details about where we'll be, and come flux with us!
[Audio Flux sonic ID]
[Hub & Spoke Audio Collective sonic ID]
