Rer Megacorp [2CD + book], ISBN: 9780956018410, 80 pages, 2012, English
Peter Cusack has traveled to what he defines as "dangerous places", including sites that have suffered environmental devastation (think Chernobyl) and locations at the edges of military zones. In many such places it is the local population who suffer the most. The author engaged in field recording activities in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, the Caspian Oil Fields in Azerbaijan, the Munzur River valley in Kurdish Turkey and in Thetford Forest beside USAF air bases in the UK. The recordings are included in two CDs attached to a hardcover book with an introductory text and explanations about each track - what was recorded and how - and a rich collection of related photographs. How the author defines danger is the starting point and how those dangers are translated is its realization. The work is an impressive combination of sound – including some conceptually simple pieces like "Cuckoo and Radiometer"- and a visual imaginary that is created through the picture selection (also offered in pdf album form on the CDs.) Together they create what the Cusack defines on the project website as "sonic journalism", exquisitely and coherently embodying editing responsibilities and the ability to construct the narrative of reality.