tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29292240573664287602024-03-14T00:30:15.728-07:00Simon Jones | Multi-sensory artistLiverpool-based multi-sensory artist and musician, Simon Jones.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-40151079409307918442014-03-24T10:21:00.001-07:002014-03-24T10:21:25.512-07:00Georges Méliès: A Trip to the MoonIn January, Aardvark were invited to play at a new silent movie soundtrack night at Mello Mello in Liverpool.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xo67ffYFr3w/UzBV1jUXePI/AAAAAAAAAbM/xI9weolO3kg/s1600/ENT_DistrifyPiece_0220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xo67ffYFr3w/UzBV1jUXePI/AAAAAAAAAbM/xI9weolO3kg/s1600/ENT_DistrifyPiece_0220.jpg" height="243" width="320" /></a></div>
We were given the quite incredible choice of Georges Méliès' 1902 sci-fi film, <i>A Trip to the Moon</i>. Even more amazingly, we discovered there is an original colourisation of the film. The colour is totally surreal. It was carried out at Elisabeth Thuillier's lab in Paris by a team working on one colour each in a kind of assembly line. The resulting effect is half-way between film and animation, with colours flaring up and changing shades between frames.<br />
<br />
We tried to capture something of the anarchic and otherworldly feeling to the film during our performance, holding several rehearsals to try and strike the balance between setting the mood for various scenes and following the action on-screen. The result maintains the "classic" Aardvark sound, while delivering an apt, if slightly tongue-in-cheek, accompaniment to Méliès' masterpiece. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/euX5MrfOdeg" width="420"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-16353977543647136392014-02-02T05:19:00.001-08:002014-02-02T05:19:44.938-08:00a.P.A.t.T. 2014<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_DfJDneO8AA" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Here's me staring with some people.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-32947710286746859112013-12-01T03:58:00.000-08:002013-12-01T04:13:37.862-08:00Amphibolous - Rubber Sole EPLast year, Roger Hill challenged Amphibolous to come up with a track that responded to the legacy of the Beatles for his radio show, <a href="http://pmsradio.co.uk/" target="_blank">PMS</a>. So we got together for a session and recorded a number of short, radio-friendly length tracks, inspired by our task at hand.<br />
<br />
We'd got used to playing longer 20 - 30 minute pieces, that take you to different places along the way, so doing a short sharp 3 - 7 minutes was challenging, but fun. We were quite surprised what you can actually fit into that shorter timespan.<br />
<br />
We picked one track to send to Roger - <i><a href="http://simonjonescrossdisciplinaryartist.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/new-amphibolous-releases.html" target="_blank">i'm looking through you too</a></i> - but the others turned out too good to leave on the cutting room floor. And so was born the Beetles EP, <i>rubber sole</i>. We picked out the five best tracks, one for each of the four Beatles, plus a billy bonus for Stuart Sutcliffe, the fifth Beatle (or at least one of them).<br />
<br />
<iframe seamless="" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1114169885/size=medium/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=333333/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 120px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://amphibolous.bandcamp.com/album/rubber-sole-2">rubber sole by amphibolous</a></iframe>
<br />
1. i saw paul mccartney with my girlfriend<br />
2. stuart sutcliffe left the beatles to paint<br />
3. john lennon and i were throwing balls in the cold when i caught one<br />
4. big in fashion george harrison<br />
5. ringo starr was cleaning his dog with a brush when it turned black and vanished<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-80a7Oz911IE/UpkedSwp6fI/AAAAAAAAAZg/IyPFS1Xw_TI/s1600/Rubber+Sole+cover+square.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-80a7Oz911IE/UpkedSwp6fI/AAAAAAAAAZg/IyPFS1Xw_TI/s320/Rubber+Sole+cover+square.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
With the EP mixed and mastered, it was time to get the artwork together. We searched the internet for beetles - an interesting activity, if you've ever got an hour or two going spare - and found André Bemand, who keeps, and runs a <a href="http://petbeetles.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">blog about</a>, giant beetles.<br />
<br />
So we got in touch with André to see if he would take a picture of some of his beetles on a boot (with a <i>rubber sole</i>). To our delight, not only was he up for it, he really went to town on it. In a stroke of genius, he created a little zebra crossing for the beetles to cross. And voilà!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.99652862548828px;">Amphibolous are: </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.99652862548828px;">Adam Webster, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.99652862548828px;">Ash Steel, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.99652862548828px;">Simon Jones.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-74089188597004247302013-10-21T05:08:00.001-07:002013-11-29T17:01:48.838-08:00Amphibolous - Occupying the Mainstream<a href="http://amphibolous.bandcamp.com/" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.99652862548828px;" target="_blank">Amphibolous</a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.99652862548828px;">' </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.99652862548828px;">occupying the mainstream</i> was a commission for If Only's two-week 'occupation' of Gallery 2 at the Bluecoat in Liverpool.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MUMIQfWf0g8/UmUYwxDvV4I/AAAAAAAAAZA/4GJWt2EWCvY/s1600/IMAG0860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MUMIQfWf0g8/UmUYwxDvV4I/AAAAAAAAAZA/4GJWt2EWCvY/s320/IMAG0860.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Adam Webster taking a spin on the turntables in Gallery 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The piece consisted of an a cappella vocal performance by the trio that used streaming technology to create a unique audience perspective, seen from the individual points of view of the performers. To do this we taped mobile phones to our heads, sending the three video streams to a TV in the gallery and the audio to the sound system. The ultimate lo-fi hi-tech action.<br />
<br />
The idea was to start as normal: a performance in a gallery. However, the stream allowed us to go exploring - through the rest of the Bluecoat, and out into the streets of Liverpool - while the audience inside the gallery could still watch the performance from the comfort of their seats. This also created a second audience, the people of Liverpool, who caught a primetime showing of a unique happening. Finally, after our adventures around town, we headed back to the Bluecoat for the grand finale.<br />
<br />
The project offered a number of ideas to play with. Firstly, because the audience could see from each of our perspectives, we didn't have to always be together. We could split up, combine in different configurations, and come back together, creating a range of dynamics to be explored.<br />
<br />
The piece was part improvisation, part composition. In order to exploit the different combinations, 'textures' and dynamics of the journey, we decided not to plan an exact route, but rather set meeting points along the way. We also came up with a number of strategies to create larger scale forms in the piece: when it would be more appropriate to start splitting up; when we should come together; points where we should run to increase the pace of the action.
<br />
<br />
The resulting piece was a lot of fun. It is always fascinating to see the response to public interventions like this. Well, you can see for yourself. Here's the video...
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/V6XRxv06SuA" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
Amphibolous are: Adam Webster, Ash Steel, Simon Jones.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-10507636906649953342013-10-14T05:54:00.001-07:002013-10-14T05:54:06.976-07:00F.A.C.E. - Facial recognitionIn August, I was invited to create an installation for <a href="http://tiltdance.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">TiLT Dance</a>'s Manifold event at the Kazimier in Liverpool.<br />
<br />
Recently I have been working on some projection mapping techniques with General Midi of a.P.A.t.T., so this seemed like the ideal opportunity to test out some of the techniques we'd developed. The result was F.A.C.E. (the Facial Apprehension Control Experiment), an interactive installation that used facial recognition software to replace and swap people's faces.<br />
<br />
The night was an incredible fusion of performance and installation art. A couple of particular highlights include the piece which used a live bio-sensor to control a 'light-suit' worn by a trapeze artist, and an installation by Null Pointer where paint was sprayed down a tube onto a record player as it played a record.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/uWzaSbLjiSk" width="459"></iframe><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-70781486470821773732013-10-09T06:27:00.000-07:002013-10-09T06:27:12.280-07:00Candy CigarettesLast year I teamed up with experimental theatre group, <a href="http://cargocollective.com/THERATPIT" target="_blank">the Rat Pit</a>, to create a new multi-sensory theatre piece for the If Only festival that I was part of the curating team for at the Bluecoat in Liverpool. The end result was a new 15-minute work, <i>Candy Cigarettes</i>.<br />
<br />
Working together through a series of jams, exercises and improvisations, the Rat Pit (Carly Lindon-Forrester and Georgia Tillery) created an intense non-linear drama that explored adulthood through the prism of children's play, while I devised sonic and olfactory content to accompany and enhance the drama.<br />
<br />
Designing smells to fit the piece was a particularly fascinating process. I wanted to keep most of the smells quite abstract, in the same way that the accompanying music was abstract, without an overly literal and simplistic interpretation of the unfolding drama. Instead, I wanted something that could bring a new emotional light to the action going on onstage.<br />
<br />
Because we had to create a very concise piece to fit in with the nature of the night, a lot of the original material developed had to be cut... somewhat of a double-edged sword. The work became tighter and more focused, but some of the scenes didn't quite have the time to breathe they really needed. We got great feedback from the performance, and decided to create a full-length version with a view to touring it.<br />
<br />
Georgia had started working at Creed Street Arts Centre in Milton Keynes, and they were very keen on the idea. So we all trekked down south for a week of rehearsals, development and, finally, two shows that expanded the work to a full hour. Reviews were great, and we are now planning to take the show to the Edinburgh Festival next year. There is a video of the full-length performance, but, while it's in the editing suite, here's the original from the If Only festival. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ODKFc4BjBzg" width="459"></iframe><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-50334294749706583022013-07-05T10:09:00.004-07:002013-07-05T10:27:09.860-07:00New Amphibolous ReleasesLast month saw two new Amphibolous releases, in fact within a couple of days of each other.<br />
<br />
The first was a release on the <a href="http://www.classwarkaraoke.com/" target="_blank">Classwar Karaoke</a> label, part of their 0022 survey. In the just over a month since the survey's release it's already been downloaded more than 27,000 times. You can listen to the rest of the release <a href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Classwar_Karaoke/Classwar_Karaoke_-_0022_Survey/" target="_blank">here</a>. Here's our track:<br />
<br />
<object height="50" width="300"><param name="movie" value="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/trackplayer.swf"/><param name="flashvars" value="track=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/track/85088.xml"/><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="sameDomain"/><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/trackplayer.swf" width="300" height="50" flashvars="track=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/track/85088.xml" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" /></object><br />
<br />
The second release was a track we created for Roger Hill's <a href="http://pmsradio.co.uk/" target="_blank">PMS</a> show on BBC Radio Merseyside. He asked us for a track reacting to the legacy of the Beatles. It was actually quite a challenge to create a radio-friendly length track. We had a session in the studio recording a number of short pieces. The single release is the one we sent to Roger, <i>I'm looking through you too</i>. But we have a new EP coming out shortly featuring a few of the tracks. Going with the Beatles theme, the new EP is called <i>Rubber Sole</i>. The EP is all mixed now, and we're just working on the artwork, so the release should be within the next month. In the meantime, you can enjoy the single, with an intro by Roger, and the music video that accompanies it. The video was made with footage of a giant beetle by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/kraftwerkmod" target="_blank">kraftwerkmod</a>.<br />
<br />
<iframe seamless="" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3035207136/size=medium/bgcol=333333/linkcol=ffffff/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 120px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://amphibolous.bandcamp.com/album/im-looking-through-you-too-single">i'm looking through you too (single) by amphibolous</a></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/l1S_zIkH6uU" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Unfortunately, Adam Webster has now moved to Poland, so Amphibolous is on hiatus at the moment, but we're planning a tour of Germany and Poland later this year, so stay tuned for more details.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-44580444755779590462013-04-18T16:48:00.000-07:002013-04-18T16:48:39.678-07:00South-east Asia TourIn February I went on a short tour of South-east Asia, performing in Singapore and Malaysia. It was a fantastic tour, and I was very impressed by the standard, creativity and supportiveness of the local musicians.<br />
<br />
The first stop in the tour was Singapore, a melting-pot of cultures and ideas. I played at the <a href="http://www.independentarchive.sg/" target="_blank">Independent Archive & Resource Center</a>, an artist-led project that aims to be an archive of, and resource centre for, art theory and practices in Singapore. There was a very friendly atmosphere there, as different people dropped in throughout the day to read a book, make musical instruments, eat chicken rice, or just have a chat.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, my performance took place at the same time as one of the largest protests in Singapore history, a country where protest is largely restricted. Even so, it was a packed-out audience at the IARC as I took to the stage. The evening consisted of a solo set, followed by a question and answer session, where the audience quizzed me about my work and ideas, then, finally, a group session with some local musicians.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eEf-A_autDg" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
A couple of days before the event, I went along to be interviewed by Jordan Johari Rais, who organised the gig.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tQ_sEPwsgBs" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Kuala Lumpur was the exact opposite of Singapore. Where Singapore is squeaky clean, and you can even go to prison for chewing gum, Kuala Lumpur is more how you might imagine a large urban centre in Asia, somewhat chaotic and brimming with activity.<br />
<br />
In Kuala Lumpur I performed at FINDARS. Whereas the IARC had a very homely feel, with assorted random objects strewn about the place in a slightly bric-a-brac aesthetic, FINDARS was very obviously set up as a venue for performance. The graffiti up the stairs leading to the performance space set the mood, and the black walls inside created an amazing atmosphere to perform in.<br />
<br />
The darkness inside the venue gave the ideal opportunity to work with some visuals I had been working on during the trip. The visuals were written in Java using a kind of stochastic fractal process. The other acts were all of a very high standard, and ranged from free jazz, to drone noise, to postmodern genre-defying cauldrons of goodness.<br />
<br />
Here are some highlights from my performance:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hu-zE-nUuho" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
To finish with, here's the collaborative set from my gig in Singapore. This is one of the best bits about playing in new places, getting to meet and play with different artists, exploring ideas, developing what we do.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VV-A16qSqhA" width="560"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com2Liverpool, Merseyside, UK53.4083714 -2.991572600000040453.2569689 -3.3142961000000404 53.5597739 -2.6688491000000405tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-12427061022938712332012-09-25T17:31:00.000-07:002013-01-23T15:38:11.021-08:00AudioChem: The Sound of Chemistry<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>AudioChem </i>is a software instrument that lets you play the sound of the different chemical elements.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I wrote the software back in 2008 as part of my undergraduation dissertation. It takes the emission spectrum (see below) of each element and turns it into a harmony, creating a unique sound. The software was written for Apple Mac and runs on OS X, up to OS 10.6. The download link is below. I'd really appreciate any feedback on the software, as it's still really in beta.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/8024958390/" title="Calcium by Hot Hail, on Flickr"><img alt="Calcium" height="79" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8181/8024958390_ab57d9a731.jpg" width="476" /></a>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="200" src="https://www.box.com/embed/wjrw5rf286cedau.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" wmode="opaque"></embed>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://www.box.com/s/a9xzs69ebgo8t9g07ke8" target="_blank">DOWNLOAD THE SOFTWARE</a><br />
<br />
<i>AudioChem </i>is a software composition. I call it a composition since it did not assemble itself: it required construction on the basis of aesthetic principles. It is an example of data sonification, taking information about the elements of the Periodic Table as its starting point. In this respect, it is a totally systematic work, and yet both aesthetic choice and aleatory form are intrinsic elements of its construction and final form. It is an example of a Gesamtkunstwerk: <span style="font-family: inherit;">a synthesis of different artforms that links general and specific, aesthetic and intellectual, forms of expression to create ‘super-complete thoughts’, denoting actions, things and qualities all at once. It also uses continuous change within the form-rhythm-pitch spectrum, while separating itself into discrete, perceivable objects. In this way, it brought tog</span>ether many of the different areas of thought that preoccupied me at the time.<br />
<br />
At the time I wrote <i>AudioChem</i>, I was searching for ways to organise microtonal harmony into cohesive 'tonalities'. There seemed four main approaches possible:<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">The first approach is to use some sort of system, a set of formulae or algorithms. This was the approach used by the Serialists, for example, when tackling the issue of how to create cohesive 12-tone tonalities;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">The second is more akin to <i>musique concrète</i>. If we view the world as the result of a set of processes or algorithms, the end product will have a certain kind of unity that we then simply record in the field and play back at home;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">The third could be viewed as either an abstraction from, or an extension of, the second, collecting data from the real world to then turn into audible sound. This data sonification approach is the one I took here;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">The final one is to use the creative imagination to provide a cohesive unity, for example in improvised performance.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I later somewhat rejected data sonification as a really fruitful avenue of aesthetic investigation, for reasons it would take too long to go into here. However, the results in this piece were intriguing and certainly worthy of note.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
In terms of the sound, the data displayed is the emission spectra of the elements: the wavelengths of light emitted by the electrons of each element as they drop to a lower orbit round the nucleus of the atom; these wavelengths are then transposed into audible wavelengths of sound.<br />
<br />
Here is an example of the kinds of sounds the programme generates:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=1484614484/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=bb4842/transparent=true/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://hothail.bandcamp.com/track/audiochem-example">AudioChem example by Hot Hail</a></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-3642919595283025862012-09-23T02:28:00.001-07:002012-09-23T02:29:33.298-07:00Amphibolous release on EM RecordsThe latest <a href="http://amphibolous.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Amphibolous</a> track is out now on <a href="http://electronicmusik.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">EM Records'</a> <i>OuTpUt SeVeN</i> compilation. <i>Helping Blind People</i> is the culmination of several recordings we made at a garage in Everton. It's a prelude to where our music is moving, and we're planning on working on a new album soon, as well as a track for the BBC, so plenty in store for all you avid listeners.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, here is the release:<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://archive.org/embed/OutputSevenem184&playlist=1" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-82230764784103689562012-09-12T07:52:00.000-07:002012-09-12T07:52:16.340-07:00Uaxuctum | The Final ReckoningWell, my residency and installation in Second Life has come to an end. It was a fascinating experience, and I got a lot of good feedback. I'd like to thank the Linden Endowment for the Arts for the opportunity, and Jayjay Zifanwe for all his help during the residency.<br />
<br />
You can read my <a href="http://simonjonescrossdisciplinaryartist.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/uaxuctum-residency-exhibition.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> about the ideas behind the installation. There are also a few blogs that covered it. Here are the links:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://honourmcmillan.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/myth-to-music-to-art-uaxuctum-in-second-life/" target="_blank">Honour McMillan</a><br />
<a href="http://uwainsl.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/victoria-lenoirres-review-of-august-lea.html" target="_blank">Victoria Lenoirre</a><br />
<a href="http://apmel.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/uaxuctuma-visual-re-imagining.html" target="_blank">Apmel Goosson</a><br />
<a href="http://apmel.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/experimentell-musik-i-sl.html" target="_blank">Apmel - Amphibolous gig</a><br />
<a href="http://apmel.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/four-pieces-with-aom-and-cajska-carlsson.html" target="_blank">Apmel - AOM gig</a><br />
<a href="http://lindenarts.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/lea-full-sim-art-series-aug-cajska.html" target="_blank">LEA blog</a><br />
<a href="http://virtualoutworlding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/art-uaxuctum-by-cajska-carlsson-full.html" target="_blank">Virtual Outworlding</a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27951782@N05/7745225082/" target="_blank">Briarmelle Quintessa</a><br />
<a href="http://uwainsl.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/lea-full-sim-art-series-aug-cajska.html" target="_blank">University of Western Australia</a><br />
<br />
Here's a video of one of the pieces from the Avatar Orchestra Metaverse concert I put on during the residency:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/t2myMD72xCI" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
And here's a recording of the Amphibolous set I did there too:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=4163858315/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4bbb42/transparent=true/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://amphibolous.bandcamp.com/album/live-in-second-life">live in second life by amphibolous</a></iframe>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-63334678295090928982012-08-21T06:41:00.001-07:002012-08-21T06:41:33.190-07:00Hot Hail in IstanbulHere's a bit of a montage from my trip to Istanbul in May (yes, it's taken me a little while to post the video).<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UCirMZuSMlg" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
I played at Arka Oda, a venue on the Asian side of the city, in a gig put on by Batur Sonmez. It was a great night of musical collaborations. The event started out with a set by another Turkish musican, Korhan Erel, who played a fantastic set that was quite acousmatically oriented. Next I played a solo Hot Hail set. After that, we went into a collaborative set, starting off with a duo between Korhan and me, then evolving into a duo between me and Batur. Batur's music is more from a noise background, with continuous generation of sounds, so I acted as the bridge between the two styles. A fantastic collaboration, and a great night!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-75422299771964249322012-08-04T16:20:00.001-07:002012-08-04T16:43:45.696-07:00Uaxuctum | Residency & Exhibition<div style="font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/7713360102/" title="Uaxuctum web flyer"><img alt="Uaxuctum web flyer by Hot Hail" height="289" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7274/7713360102_36631973ea.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Monday sees the opening of my new exhibition, <i>Uaxuctum</i>. The project is part of a month-long residency in the virtual world of Second Life, running from 1st - 31st August. The residency is sponsored by the <a href="http://lindenarts.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Linden Endowment for the Arts</a>. The work was created under my Second Life name, Cajska Carlsson. To visit the exhibition, you will need a <a href="https://secondlife.com/" target="_blank">Second Life</a> account, which is free to set up.<br />
<br />
<b>Opening Event</b><br />
Monday 6th August | 3pm Second Life Time<br />
Tuesday 7th August | 12am British Summer Time<br />
<b>Venue link:</b> <a href="http://tinyurl.com/uaxuctum">http://tinyurl.com/uaxuctum</a><br />
<br />
<i>Uaxuctum</i> is a visual re-imagining of a piece by the 20th Century Italian composer, Giacinto Scelsi.<br />
<br />
Scelsi was a highly eccentric composer, living mostly in isolation, apart from an assistant who would write his music down. In 1966 he wrote <i>Uaxuctum</i>, a piece about "the legend of the Maya city, destroyed by themselves for religious reasons".<br />
<br />
The re-imagining is an exploration of structure and form, light and dark... a mythical structure that will be torn down to make way for something new. With the death of each civilisation, a new one is born. The world progresses through these revolutionary upheavals, but rarely does a society chose its own destruction. <i>Uaxuctum</i> is a moment of choice lost in time.<br />
<br />
As well as the opening of the exhibition, I'll be running some other events at the site during the residency. I'll post more details as they arrive.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-55712800747649110092012-06-15T04:57:00.000-07:002012-06-15T09:11:49.491-07:00Of Sound and SilenceLast week I organised a concert featuring John Cage's <i>4'33"</i> and Yves Klein's <i>Monotone-Silence Symphony</i>, as well as works by local composers, including myself. The concert was the fourth in Frakture's series of acoustic music nights, Acoute, and took place on 7th June 2012.<br />
<br />
In programming the event, I wanted to explore the relationship between Klein and Cage, between sound and silence. Both pieces were written within 3 years of each other. The composers were both interested in Zen Buddhism. Cage's piece was influenced by Rauschenberg's monochrome paintings and Yves Klein is most famous for his blue monochromes.<br />
<br />
Klein's original version of the piece had 20 minutes of one continuous sound, followed by 20 minutes of silence. On the night, we presented a 'medley': 4'33" of all one sound, followed by John Cage's silence (apart from a rogue note in the third movement ;) You can watch a video of the performance below.<br />
<br />
My piece, <i>Of Sound and Silence</i>, was written in response to Cage and Klein's. In it, I explored the idea of a single note containing tension, tension that is only released in an explosion of harmony. I also explore 'silence' as a means to create highly textural, or timbral, music. One of the goals I set myself in this piece was a continuation of much of my work for orchestral forces of recent years, the democratisation of musical performance. Using a text score with a conductor, I set out to create highly complex textures and forms that would be impossibly virtuosic for the vast majority of performers.<br />
<br />
A few years ago, I started using more aleatory techniques, alongside guided improvisation, in my pieces with this goal in mind. I wanted to create music with complex textures that could be played by musicians from a wide range of playing abilities. After discovering Stockhausen's text scores, I decided to try out the idea. Now musicians didn't even need to be able to read conventional notation, opening up performances to an even wider public.<br />
<br />
One of the strengths of aleatory form is also its weakness. It's very easy to create textures that expand, diffuse, grow more complex and polyphonic over time, however the reverse is much more difficult to achieve. One of my aims in <i>Of Sound and Silence</i> was to find mechanisms that could coalesce the music, bring it together in moments of unity. This is something I will explore further in my next piece.<br />
<br />
Here is a video of the performance:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WPJegP4kGSU" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
The night also featured works by local composers, Richard Harding, Lucia Dunbar, Alex Raimi-Scott. If you go to the Klein & Cage video below, their pieces are also part of the same playlist.<br />
<br />
Yves Klein - John Cage medley<br />
Performed by the Novo Ensemble<br />
Conducted by Simon Jones<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/86UhbGo8swI" width="420"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com01 Tithebarn St, Liverpool, Merseyside L2, UK53.4083714 -2.991572653.2569259 -3.3074296 53.5598169 -2.6757156tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-32417379178634057022012-06-14T11:19:00.000-07:002012-06-15T09:10:43.357-07:00The a.P.A.t.T. Orchestra | Musical Settings Part IIIEarlier this year I played in the a.P.A.t.T. Orchestra's Musical Setting's Part III in the Crypt of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Liverpool. The concert featured works by Howard Skempton, one of the founders of the Scratch Orchestra along with Cornelius Cardew, on which the a.P.A.t.T. Orchestra is based, including a newly commissioned piece written by him for the event.<br />
<br />
Here is Howard Skempton's new work, <i>Hope St Melodies</i>:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FpHbk2R-aNM" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Other pieces included <i>Air Melody</i>, based on techniques from mediaeval music:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ctFIGrphXvQ" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
And <i>Lament</i>. This was the one piece of Skempton's I really liked, having turned his back on the avant-garde after leaving the Scratch Orchestra. It was interesting, however, that Skemtpon did not conduct the most interesting version of the piece. During rehearsals, the orchestra's director, Jon Herring, had conducted, taking it much slower, with much less rigid timing between chord changes. This created a highly textural piece, where the chord progression became just part of the timbral evolution. Skempton's version, however, was rigid and compacted, not allowing the music to breath. Judge for yourself:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BdumGfOh1eg" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Jon Herring also had a piece of his own in the concert, which he had written specially. It was inspired by the spiral staircase in the Crypt, and features a section that uses the 'Shephard tone' aural illusion to create a sense of continuous downward motion.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RQecZmDo0Jg" width="560"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-1305449987377499892012-06-12T06:53:00.001-07:002012-06-12T08:27:46.083-07:00The Geometry of Flux | UWA Centenary<div style="margin: 0; overflow: hidden; padding: 0; width: 500px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/7365270812/in/set-72157630111518166/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="Flux_001"><img alt="Flux_001" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7102/7365270812_bc3403eae5_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/7180041555/in/set-72157630111518166/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="Flux_005"><img alt="Flux_005" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7213/7180041555_5dc5e34c21_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/7365272290/in/set-72157630111518166/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="Flux_004"><img alt="Flux_004" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5038/7365272290_f876492244_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/7180043277/in/set-72157630111518166/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="Flux_003"><img alt="Flux_003" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8157/7180043277_f97e9811eb_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/7180044187/in/set-72157630111518166/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="Flux_002"><img alt="Flux_002" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8023/7180044187_e2b1ee1b30_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><br />
<div style="float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px;">
</div>
<br clear="all" /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 0px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/sets/72157630111518166/">The Geometry of Flux | UWA Centenary</a></div>
<br />
Yesterday I entered the University of Western Australia's <a href="http://uwainsl.blogspot.com.au/p/uwa-centenary-3d-art-challenge.html" target="_blank">Centenary 3D Open Art Challenge</a>, a prize for 3D art created in the virtual world of Second Life. A few years ago I was one of the winners of the UWA's Imagine art prize under my previous Second Life name of Snubnose Genopeak. Since then, the UWA has worked tirelessly to promote the Arts in Second Life, and I was pleased to be able to support their centenary celebrations.<br />
<br />
For my entry, I wanted to celebrate not the UWA's past, but their future, and the work they have done to support cutting edge developments in art. My submission is a kinetic sculpture called <i>The Geometry of Flux</i>, and was entered under my Second Life name, Cajska Carlsson. It is an exploration of the future of form and content, a geometry that constantly evolves into ever new forms. The sound component of the installation similarly generates evolving forms in a continuous evolution. It was composed using only feedback, though this is disguised by the ethereal nature of the sound.<br />
<br />
The exhibition will be open throughout June and July 2012. <a href="http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/UWA/205/128/305" target="_blank">You can visit it by following this link</a>. You will need a Second Life account, which is free.<br />
<br />
Here is the description that accompanies the piece.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Form and content are linked together through a dialectical process in shining unity.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Constant evolution...</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">development...</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">a movement towards, but never reaching...</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">never repeating...</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Discard the old semiotic forms of meaning, that endlessly recycle the experience of the ages.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Create a new form of sensory-motor meaning.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Meaning through direct experience : of the senses : of movement : construct a new world.</span></blockquote>
</blockquote>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-61775696916308936542012-05-01T14:33:00.000-07:002012-05-01T20:06:00.269-07:00New Amphibolous releaseWe've just released the first Amphibolous single, <i>He Leans to the Left</i>. Well, I call it a single, but it's just over 20 minutes long, and with no B side, but then that's often the score with experimental music. It's available for free download, or you can by the mini-CD for £4.<br />
<br />
<iframe width="400" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=779178403/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=5a9220/transparent=true/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://amphibolous.bandcamp.com/album/he-leans-to-the-left-the-law-for-addition">he leans to the left (the law for addition) by amphibolous</a></iframe>
<br />
<br />
The single was recorded in the run up to a gig we played in Manchester last month. It's one continuous take with very minimal editing, so is quite reflective of our live sound. The theme for the track was a record that Ash found in a charity show, <i>The New Maths</i>. Fantastic! There's some really interesting manipulation of a sine wave record that Ash used as well. Enjoy!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-61878477614786660502012-04-18T10:45:00.001-07:002012-04-18T10:45:38.994-07:00The a.P.A.t.T. Orchestra: Gavin Bryars, The Sinking of the TitanicAt the weekend we had a very special a.P.A.t.T. Orchestra concert to mark the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. To mark the occasion we played Gavin Bryars' piece, <i>The Sinking of the Titanic</i> in the Maritime Museum in Liverpool, where there is an exhibition about the Titanic currently on display.<br />
<br />
Bryars' piece has at its core a string quartet, in which I performed. The quartet plays a very slowed down, and somewhat altered, version of the music purportedly played by the ship's orchestra as the ship went down. Around this core, fragments of that music are thrown between the rest of the ensemble, along with accompanying sound effects and noises, mimicking the effect of the music's submergence as the ship sinks.<br />
<br />
The performance went very well, and there were even tears in the eyes of some audience members. For my part, I find the piece somewhat one dimensional. However, it is an extremely moving and effective work, and seemed a fitting tribute to those who lost their lives in the disaster 100 years ago.<br />
<br />
You can listen to a recording of our performance <a href="http://hotelmaidssmileinunison.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/apatt-orchestra-gavin-bryarss-sinking.html" target="_blank">by following this link.</a><br />
<br />
You can also read a review of the show <a href="http://www.thedoublenegative.co.uk/2012/04/the-sinking-of-the-titanic/" target="_blank">in the Double Negative here.</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bMhoxQezaFE/T4781ha6iCI/AAAAAAAAAVY/G6UkvkYA6QU/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="600" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bMhoxQezaFE/T4781ha6iCI/AAAAAAAAAVY/G6UkvkYA6QU/s640/cover.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-18773184921530202842012-04-18T10:19:00.000-07:002012-04-18T10:23:59.029-07:00Amphibolous at the Noise UpstairsAmphibolous is a new group I formed last year with Ash Steel and Adam Webster. Last week we had our second live outing, at the Noise Upstairs in Manchester. It was a packed audience at the Manchester improv night, where part of the evening, people put their names in the hat to play in random groupings. Then it came to us.<br />
<br />
The instrumentation in the group is:<br />
<br />
Adam Webster: amplified cello<br />
Ash Steel: turntables<br />
Si Jones: objects and effects<br />
<br />
The great thing about the group for me is that it's been a while since I've been in a noise group that practises regularly, and it's really paid off in our live performances.<br />
<br />
You can listen to a recording of our set <a href="http://www.thenoiseupstairs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Apr12.zip">by following this link.</a> We also have an album to be released shortly, and a few more gigs lined up, so stay tuned for more developments...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-12561187492660727422012-02-23T17:18:00.001-08:002012-02-23T18:01:56.513-08:00If Only...! There and Back AgainLast month I organised <i>If Only...!</i> with Roger Hill. <i>If Only...!</i> is a night of varied performance run at the Bluecoat in Liverpool. Two of my projects were included in the night, both interactive installations in which the audience would become the performers.<br />
<br />
The first project was <i>Inari Dive</i>, a collaborative project with Japanese artist, Inari Nishiki, exploring the experience of diving. The project was Inari's brainchild. My part of the collaboration focused on the soundtrack. Participants would be blindfold and given wireless headphones, cutting off their senses from the outside world. They would then navigate through a labyrinth of ropes while the soundtrack played through their headphones. The track explores ideas of depth in different ways, and uses a new way of transforming sounds into each other I have been developing using Pure Data. Here is a link to the track:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=3086744051/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=a7202d/transparent=true/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400">&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://hothail.bandcamp.com/track/inari-dive"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Inari Dive by Hot Hail&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</iframe><br />
The second project was <i>The Sensorium of Sensational Scents</i>, an olfactory-visual installation that used a range of perfumes I made from a wide variety of unusual ingredients. While smelling the scents, the participants' reactions would be videoed and projected onto the wall of the room, turning the audience into performers. I'll be releasing my range of perfumes soon, and they'll be accompanied by a free download code for my album, <i><a href="http://hothail.bandcamp.com/album/oh-oca-o" target="_blank">Oh Oca O</a></i>. You can see some pictures from both installations below. The pictures are by Dan Williams.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0; overflow: hidden; padding: 0; width: 500px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/6778347428/in/set-72157629075583710/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="Inari Dive 2"><img alt="Inari Dive 2" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/6778347428_5f88bf1d86_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/6778347766/in/set-72157629075583710/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="Sensorium of Sensational Scents 4"><img alt="Sensorium of Sensational Scents 4" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/6778347766_3c2a29b92e_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/6778347728/in/set-72157629075583710/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="Sensorium of Sensational Scents 3"><img alt="Sensorium of Sensational Scents 3" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7191/6778347728_dd71f08972_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/6778347690/in/set-72157629075583710/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="Sensorium of Sensational Scents 2"><img alt="Sensorium of Sensational Scents 2" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7176/6778347690_951190224d_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/6924464487/in/set-72157629075583710/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="Sensorium of Sensational Scents 1"><img alt="Sensorium of Sensational Scents 1" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7059/6924464487_dfdd1a6f8e_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/6778347618/in/set-72157629075583710/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="Inari Dive 8"><img alt="Inari Dive 8" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/6778347618_45157923e4_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/6778347572/in/set-72157629075583710/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="Inari Dive 7"><img alt="Inari Dive 7" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6778347572_d8248d7edf_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/6778347538/in/set-72157629075583710/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="Inari Dive 6"><img alt="Inari Dive 6" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/6778347538_97a86990ba_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/6778347514/in/set-72157629075583710/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="Inari Dive 5"><img alt="Inari Dive 5" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7064/6778347514_f0b7642390_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/6924464333/in/set-72157629075583710/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="Inari Dive 4"><img alt="Inari Dive 4" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/6924464333_b8173cf1f6_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/6924464309/in/set-72157629075583710/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="Inari Dive 3"><img alt="Inari Dive 3" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6924464309_020113a688_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hothail/6924464275/in/set-72157629075583710/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="Inari Dive 1"><img alt="Inari Dive 1" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6924464275_8afe3c0292_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br />
In creating the night, Roger and myself wanted to explore the notion of performance. What is it? And who are the performers? We wanted pieces in which there would not just be audience members watching performers on a stage, we wanted to include work where the audience themselves would become performers, such as the blindfold participants of <i>Inari Dive</i>, navigating their way through the labyrinth. We also wanted to explore the idea of art as experience, so included projects that worked on a wide variety of senses. Sight, sound, touch, smell, equilibrium were all explored, and we finished the night with taste, as provided by <a href="http://www.squashnutrition.org/" target="_blank">Squash Nutrition</a>.
Here's a short video with highlights of the night's events:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ipWSWEBGqRE" width="420"></iframe></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-31615271159275372702012-01-16T17:33:00.000-08:002012-01-16T17:33:31.747-08:00Circuits Music Night<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3l85XQJWP4U/TxTOolhYEGI/AAAAAAAAAU4/1yKjNGAo7Ac/s1600/Hot+Hail+-+Circuits+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3l85XQJWP4U/TxTOolhYEGI/AAAAAAAAAU4/1yKjNGAo7Ac/s200/Hot+Hail+-+Circuits+2011.jpg" width="200" /></a>In October, I played at a new alternative music night at Mello Mello in Liverpool called <i>Circuits</i>. It was a really amazing mix of acts, covering a range from noise to electronica to hip hop. I'm looking forward to seeing more of these nights this year, but, in the meantime, there's a short YouTube clip from my set below.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jM5udvmpslo" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0Slater St, Liverpool, Merseyside L1, UK53.402438 -2.979638753.400071499999996 -2.9845742000000004 53.4048045 -2.9747032tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-40069468879742039712012-01-16T17:04:00.000-08:002012-01-16T17:04:27.696-08:00The a.P.A.t.T. Orchestra: Musical Settings Part IIWell, it's 2012, and what a busy time I've had since my last post. Things have happened too quickly to let you all know about them. But here I am, finally, with a bit of a catch up.<br />
<br />
First up is the second of the a.P.A.t.T. Orchestra's <i>Music Settings</i> series, entitled <i><a href="http://itsapatt.blogspot.com/2011/11/apatt-orchestra-presents-musical.html" target="_blank">Into the Deep</a></i>. The concert contained a number of premieres by local musicians, including Ex-Easter Island Head and Ben Fair, as well as a performance of Philip Glass' <i>Music in Similar Motion</i>, which we played in the Planetarium along to one of their shows. Now, as many of you will know, I detest the ground on which Philip Glass walks, however, the music is interesting to play. And I always say know your enemy!<br />
<br />
The rest of the music was much more interesting. Here is a YouTube video of Ex-Easter Island Head's piece, which was performed around an Easter Island head, just for good measure.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/I934FDH70s8" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
And here is Ben Fair's piece, which made use of a video score to allow complex polyrhythms to be conducted without the need for superhuman feats of coordination.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=271810912/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/transparent=true/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400">&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://apatt.bandcamp.com/track/the-a-p-a-t-t-orchestra-present-repetiton-and-change-in-aquarium"&amp;amp;gt;The a.P.A.t.T. Orchestra Present Repetiton and Change in Aquarium by a.P.A.t.T.&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0William Brown St, Liverpool, Merseyside L1, UK53.409717 -2.98181153.400252 -3.0015519999999998 53.419182 -2.96207tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-72338158162354639802011-08-29T04:07:00.000-07:002011-08-29T04:07:43.618-07:00Bradley Fold Allotments ProjectYesterday I went to Bradley Fold Allotments in Manchester as a visiting artist. The arts project is run by Elizabeth Wewiora, who invited a series of visiting artists to come and create work in reaction to the allotment environment. You can read more about the project <a href="http://environmental-hubs.blogspot.com/p/visiting-artists-at-bradley-fold.html">on her blog</a>.<br />
<br />
I spent the day taking a lot of recordings of a variety of sounds from around the allotments. There was really no shortage, and you could easily spend more than one day recording there, but all good things must come to an end. Possibly my favourite part of the day was donning a bee-keeper's outfit to go and take recordings from inside a bee hive.<br />
<br />
Now that all the recording is done, I'm working on a new piece using the sounds I've collected, which will be installed on the site for an open day showing work by the artists who have been to visit. The show is on Sunday 11th September 2011 and is open to the public during the day.<br />
<br />
Here are some photos from my visit there.<br />
<br />
<object height="300" width="400"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fhothail%2Fsets%2F72157627420254607%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fhothail%2Fsets%2F72157627420254607%2F&set_id=72157627420254607&jump_to="></param><param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=104087"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=104087" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fhothail%2Fsets%2F72157627420254607%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fhothail%2Fsets%2F72157627420254607%2F&set_id=72157627420254607&jump_to=" width="400" height="300"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-83963875052395351612011-08-29T03:42:00.000-07:002011-08-29T03:42:26.949-07:00Hot Hail on a Swan Pedalo at FONEarlier this month, I played a Hot Hail set at the FON Festival in Barrow. I played in a swan pedalo of all things in a lake in Barrow Park! The 'open source' swan pedalo is run by Re-Dock, a group based in Liverpool right across the hall from my studio at <a href="http://redwireredwire.com/page3.htm">Red Wire</a>. Over the two days of the festival, John O'Shea and Dave Lynch broadcast a live radio show to radios stationed around the park, and also streamed live on the internet. My turn came on the Saturday. The swan pedalo makes for some great source sounds, being made of hollow plastic, so I put a contact mic on the pedal mechanism and also got the sound of the water lapping up against the sides. Then I got out my collection of objects and effects and performed a live set, which is quite tricky trapped in a small seat on the water with a life jacket on! Here are some pictures by Re-Dock of the project.<br />
<br />
<object height="300" width="400"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fre-dock%2Fsets%2F72157627269402011%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fre-dock%2Fsets%2F72157627269402011%2F&set_id=72157627269402011&jump_to="></param><param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=104087"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=104087" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fre-dock%2Fsets%2F72157627269402011%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fre-dock%2Fsets%2F72157627269402011%2F&set_id=72157627269402011&jump_to=" width="400" height="300"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2929224057366428760.post-802219597724293652011-08-17T05:55:00.000-07:002011-08-17T05:55:43.541-07:00Black Forest Orchestra live at the Woodland Gathering FestivalHere's a recording of a set I played at the Woodland Gathering Festival in July with the Black Forest Orchestra. The group is made up of members from several other experimental music groups, Shaun Blezard from <a href="http://clutter.bandcamp.com/">Clutter</a>, Ian Simpson from <a href="http://electronicmusik.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/ian-simpson-noise-research-gigs-for-2011-so-far/">Noise Research</a>, and Glenn Boulter from <a href="http://focalgaol.bandcamp.com/">Focal Gaol</a>. The Woodland Gathering is a two-day festival run at Fellfoot Wood in the Lake District by Radio Black Forest. The recording was made and broadcast by <a href="http://www.mixcloud.com/phantomcircuit/phantom-circuit-80-17th-aug-2011/">Phantom Circuit</a>, a programme broadcasting "strange and wonderful sound waves". Go to about 6 minutes in for the Black Forest Orchestra set.<br />
<br />
<div><object height="500" width="500"><param name="movie" value="http://www.mixcloud.com/media/swf/player/mixcloudLoader.swf?feed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mixcloud.com%2Fphantomcircuit%2Fphantom-circuit-80-17th-aug-2011%2F&embed_uuid=871a6cf4-615b-4ab1-879a-ce9e8d477de6&embed_type=widget_standard"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.mixcloud.com/media/swf/player/mixcloudLoader.swf?feed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mixcloud.com%2Fphantomcircuit%2Fphantom-circuit-80-17th-aug-2011%2F&embed_uuid=871a6cf4-615b-4ab1-879a-ce9e8d477de6&embed_type=widget_standard" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="500"></object><br />
<div style="clear: both; height: 3px;"></div><div style="color: #999999; display: block; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0; padding: 3px 4px;"><a href="http://www.mixcloud.com/phantomcircuit/phantom-circuit-80-17th-aug-2011/#utm_source=widget&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=base_links&utm_term=resource_link" style="color: #02a0c7; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Phantom Circuit #80 (17th Aug 2011)</a> by <a href="http://www.mixcloud.com/phantomcircuit/#utm_source=widget&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=base_links&utm_term=profile_link" style="color: #02a0c7; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Phantom Circuit</a> on <a href="http://www.mixcloud.com/#utm_source=widget&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=base_links&utm_term=homepage_link" style="color: #02a0c7; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank"> Mixcloud</a></div><div style="clear: both; height: 3px;"></div></div><br />
I'll post some photos from the festival here soon, so watch this space...<br />
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01589347600658782234noreply@blogger.com0Staveley-in-Cartmel, Cumbria, UK54.273864138174254 -2.951106208053602154.188338138174252 -3.1172672080536019 54.359390138174255 -2.7849452080536024