Ptarmigan operated in Tallinn from 2011-2014. We no longer maintain any presence in Tallinn, but this website will continue to serve as an archive of the activities produced at Ptarmigan during these years.
Svamp is a regular workshop for sound and music improvisation. It does not involve money, careers or obligations -- only interpersonal and sound relationships. Svamp sessions may range from collective improvisation to directed exercises or game-playing. You do NOT have to be a professional or trained musician -- just someone with an interest in sound, an open mind, and the ability to listen.
After a summer recess in July, we'll be getting started again with an August meeting, again falling on the last Sunday of the month at 16:00. This will be the third meeting in Tallinn, and again, we encourage anyone with an interest in group interaction to attend! Please bring something to make sound with - an instrument or other object. Amplification will be quite limited so please prepare accordingly (ie: don't bring a laptop). We will explore collective improvisation, possibly breaking into smaller groups depending on attendance, and look at some simple organising structures and methods.
We are very keen for Svamp to be a synthesis of musicians AND non-musicians. Please don't be timid if you don't consider yourself to be a "musician" - the sessions are friendly, open, and most enjoyable when a more diverse group attends.
Svamp was originally started in Helsinki and has been meeting sporadically for several years. The project is intended to be a place for people to develop their improvisation abilities, experiment with different ideas, and feel no pressure to perform publicly or release recordings. Svamp in Helsinki is now curated by Äänen Lumo and Ptarmigan, and we hope to build a community in Tallinn and eventually bring the two groups together.