Diane Ballon

Sound artist Dianne Ballon has been working in sound for over thirty-five years. She was awarded a Maine Artist Fellowship from the Maine Arts Commission. In lieu of returning to the Arctic where she has recorded sound, the award and the limitations from the pandemic gave her the opportunity to focus on her coastal sound series at home on the coast of Maine. Through the sound work she has recorded and mixed over the past fellowship year, Dianne will introduce listeners to the beauty and the richness of sound. She will share the stories behind the sounds, including the difficulties of field recording and the discovery of a “lost” sound.

Of her coastal sound series, she writes, “The series includes my “Boats Creaking at a Dock in Iceland”, recorded in a tiny harbor in the northwestern fjords of Iceland. Each harbor has its own distinct sound. Rocked by the motion of water, the pull of the tide, and a variable touch of wind, the boats create a mesmerizing series of sounds. The sounds are introspective: both sharp and smooth, quiet and busy, rhythmic yet random and, achingly beautiful.”

To experience the high fidelity of sound that will be presented, headphones or good quality speakers are highly recommended.

Dianne Ballon is a sound artist. Her sound works have aired on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered”. She was awarded a Maine Artist Fellowship from the Maine Arts Commission. During her Artist-in-Residency at Shenandoah National Park, she created a sound portrait for the park. At the Goethe Institute, she presented her sound installation Musical Instrument Dreams. At the Newseum, she produced audio for the national exhibition “The Marines and Tet: The Battle That Changed the Vietnam War”. For an international radio art competition, she was awarded for her field recording of boats creaking at a dock in Iceland. She produces audio for Tactile Images, a company that creates fine art for museums that is accessible to the blind through touch and sound. For over ten years, she was a member of the teaching and production staff at the National Audio Theatre Festivals. At the University of Maine at Augusta, she taught audio production and radio theatre. Currently, she teaches audio to podcasters and producers through the Podcast Garage in Boston and the SALT Institute for Documentary Studies at Maine College of Art and Design.

This program will take place via Zoom; there will also be seating available in the Community Room to watch the Zoom call onscreen with high quality speakers. Please email elewis@rocklandmaine.gov for more info and for Zoom links.