This performance was the first thing I watched about dirty electronics and even though some of the sounds at times were quite abrasive I still found the experience enjoyable and more than anything thought provoking. The way it acted as a traditional orchestra but constructed in an unconditional way was really interesting, I also like the balance between the ‘composers’ movements and dictations coupled with the musicians improvisation and response. It felt like the work was a conversation between them which formed this collective and strange sonic environment.
This performance was the first thing I watched about dirty electronics and even though some of the sounds at times were quite abrasive, I still found the experience enjoyable and more than anything thought provoking. The way it acted as a traditional orchestra but constructed in an unconditional way was really interesting, I also like the balance between the composer’s’ movements and dictations coupled with the musicians response and improvisation. It felt like the work was a conversation between them which formed this collective and strange sonic environment.
John Richards is the person composing the collective and he also created the Mute Synth, which is a way of using the body to make sound. this concept is intriguing and I am exploring a similar thing but in a more physical and analogue way. The mute synth concept is something I want to explore further, especially since it reacts to such a wide range of inputs, whereas most instruments only respond to specified inputs.
One of the most helpful things I got from this research is that music/sound art can be very broad and encompassing, experimentation should be encouraged and so should play. This was very helpful as I know that sometimes I can get too focused on success that I forget my normally wider perspective, I put too much emphasis on an abstract ‘success’ instead of focusing on the practice. Instead of stressing out I should take action, go to the studio then make and experiment with objects and sounds, recording parts to capture process.
This piece was really interesting because at one point the collective start making sounds from each other, not from created objects or instruments directly, I am very interested in trying to explore this further after university. I feel adding electronic and synthesised elements is interesting however, it may confuse and conflict with the current themes I have around objects, familiarity, interaction and acoustic sound.
The end of this performance (24:40 onwards) was the most interesting to me because of the way the snyth transformed into a more musical tone but was still varied through oscillation and pitch etc. it also became much more visually atmospheric, in that to me there was much more visual stimulation from the later sounds. The earlier sounds felt very disconnected and spatial and abstract which was enjoyable also, however I think the incorporation of perhaps more musical structure and voices elevated the sound.
To me it turned abstract into ephermal, where the playful approach leads to flashes of harmony and discord alike. It was not overtly structured and attached to reality, but not so far removed that I felt I was in a vacuum or disconnectedstate of mind almost.
This was a fascinating topic to research and it reminded me of a digital Stomp almost, the two together have been prominent influencers on my collective and physical approach to creating sound as opposed to a technical approach.
I will look to explore this further with a performance in a collective event called Weird Garden, on the 26th of May in the Leicester Gallery, this is an opportunity in collaboration with Raisa Watkiss from the MA and various other artists from around the country.
I am looking to perform with at least one other person and work on communicating through sound using my everyday orchestra/instruments. This is far out of my comfort zone but I am excited to see the results, the worst thing is I fail in some aspect and I learn what not to do for next time.