Individual residencies / Olot
LAURENCE ESTANOVE
From Friday, 17 May 2019 to Friday, 24 May 2019
Bio
Holding a PhD in English poetry from the University of Toulouse, Laurence Estanove currently teaches English in the Department of Social Sciences at Paris Descartes University. As a scholar, she has co-edited two books on English literature and published several articles in academic journals. In parallel, she has been conducting personal research on popular music since 2012, with a particular soft spot for Glasgow where she first came in the early 2000s driven by a passion for the local music scene. In January 2017, her essay “Some Thought’s on Glasgow’s Geomusicality” appeared in issue 57 of Glasgow periodical The Drouth (“Resonance”, guest ed. Elodie Roy & Stewart Smith), while another is featured in a collection of essays with a French publisher (Disorder: pour une histoire sociale des mouvements punk / post punk, Mélanie Seteun, 2019).
Project
My current research looks at the influence that popular music can have on people’s attachment to a place, with particular focus on the case of Glasgow. At Faber I will be pursuing the writing of a book that explores the attractiveness of the Scottish city’s independent music scene since the early 1980s in the words of musicians, fans, journalists – all involved in their own way in making the musical identity of the city and its international reputation. In the form of oral history, my book will draw from original interviews with Glaswegian music-makers and from testimonies of listeners worldwide.
New exciting perspectives
Staying at Faber was such an amazing opportunity for me. It was my first residence and the conditions were just ideal: everything is made so that you can fully focus on your work. The Faber team are amazing people who made me feel at home from the minute I arrived, the hotel staff was very friendly and helpful, and the surroundings are peaceful and perfect for some energizing walks. Walking to the top of volcanoes was perfect for when I was facing some difficulties in my writing. I was able to make significant progress on my current project not only because I had time to devote to it without having to think of anything else, but also thanks to the exchanges with the other residents. Although not in the same field, we were able to share our work with each other and to me that was an incredibly inspiring experience. It gave me confidence in what I was doing and triggered new exciting perspectives of writing which I wasn’t anticipating.