When playing with contact microphones, really small objects can be a challenge, as you need to generate a certain degree of vibration in the things you'd like to listen closer to. And smaller things can be really shy, soundwise. So I wanted to see if I could do something about it. The Klangstasjon extracts sounds hidden in small metal objects. A magnet and a contact microphone is hidden underneath the brass plate. Hitting the plate, the object attached to it will affect the resonance, and create a sound unique for this very object. Underneath the concrete base itself, the tension of the string can be altered by adjusting a bolt. The 9V battery for the amplifier unit is secured in place with a magnet.

I always got fascinated by listening to the casual conversations between people in public, so I went collecting them with my sound recorder. After hiding the recorder in the men's shower of a public bath, one of the conversations especially tickled my interest. It's a perfectly unremarkable chat– just the kind you'll hear in the background everywhere in public, yet by being put into a completely different setting, the role of the two persons' casual conversation is turned completely around. I wanted to see if it was possible to look at the lives of the people around us in public in a different way by changing how we're experiencing them.

Siste Sukk tapes & records is a small oslo-based independent label focusing on emo and hardcore, releasing most of their music on tape. When we made the cassette-cover for Wits End's latest release, we wanted to let an unconventional use of material play a major role in the design. Basing the cover on a piece of folded newsprint and a small plastic bag, it pays respect to old school zine-culture while still keeping a sense of contemporariness and distinction in a scene heavily influenced by D.I.Y solutions. Memento mori!

In collaboration with Martin Asbjørnsen

InMono is a small sound-amplifier generating soundwaves from vibrations naturally occuring in public objects. The project aims to let people tune into their surroundings in a new way. I built five InMonos which I attached to especially nice-sounding spots around Oslo. The sounds vary between the different locations, but it's basically a deep and dry sound. Design-wise, I wanted it as simple as possible, while also dealing with a rather strict budget. I omitted using a conventional enclosing, and went for a standard zip lock-bag, which gives the electronics more than proper protection from the weather, which was my only issue of that kind (I assumed the InMonos would be stolen or destroyed within a week or so regardless of its enclosing). This also gives the user a familiar and easy way of reaching the headphone-plug, while the visible electronics inside also helps explaining the concept. Even the wire from the microphone is used as a part of the design— one can almost follow the sound from the microphone to your ears. Changing the battery is just a matter of opening the bag.

Growing tired of his dayjob as an incredibly talented illustrator, Marvin Halleraker decided to give his music a shot and released his first album There's Another Green instead. The visuals is based on the contrast between Marvin's earnest lyrics opposed to his rather unworried tunes. Along with the CD and LP, I also designed a website promoting the release.

Design & art direction: Jonas Ersland
Illustration (and music): Marvin Halleraker

Minimalistic music is an incredibly diverse genre, with great variation in musical style and philosophy. Still, all the directions share a certain devotion to constraints and limitations, which is what makes it so fascinating. Hyperfokus is the only festival in Norway focusing on minimalistic music. The visual profile is based on the possibilities and musical plethora that exists within restrictions and limitations, and also how the negative space in music may be just as important as the positive ones.

Rullebrettfabrikken (The Skateboard-Factory) is an ongoing collaboration with Martin Asbjørnsen. Founded on the very idea of the skateboard's authenticity, our boards celebrates the drive and joy of skating through the medium of D.I.Y.