June 2011
1 post
Every pirate wants to be an admiral
I loved this project. We had ups and downs but no middles: exactly how I like it.
The Fairfax brothers were fabulous collaborators and we shared something wonderful on our rollercoaster ride. The brothers became famous and hugely popular with the receptionists in the Future Inns Hotel where the WNO kindly put us up and it’s wonderful when a project is fun as well as challenging and...
May 2011
2 posts
thank you
That is a very good idea Michael to contribute some post performance thoughts on this blog. If these contributions have any value then it is wholly appropriate to contain some summary thoughts. Well done on that.
Time just flashes by. I am now eighty three. Ok, some thoughts on the process and sharing/performance.
It was a huge privilege to work with the WNO - David, Penny, technical team, the...
April 2011
8 posts
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Electroclassic on Radio 3's Music Matters
Composer Jess Curry and Sound Artist Michael Fairfax talk to Radio 3’s Music Matters about Project Electroclassic and it’s research into the complexity of Copyright law. The feature is followed by a debate about Intellectual Property and how it’s being tested by the ever changing digital landscape. The piece features Mishcon de Reya’s IP Barrister Simon Tracey who was...
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WatchMy apologies - I uploaded the same section - here is the new section.
You’ll be able to paste these together and make your own film!
I hope that you are enjoying them.
Jo
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WatchThe circular motion of the light marks on the white circle in the film should echo the circular movement of the particle dispenser rotating around Mikael in the performance.
jo
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WatchAnother section of the film. The beautifully clear soaring voice.
jo
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WatchA bit more. Basically this is how snails live sending postcards home saying ‘I’ve moved another inch dad’……
jo
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WatchI am really glad to hear that yesterdays session went so well.
Here is another clip. Up to 7mins and 23 secs.
jo
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You Shall Not Look Through My Eyes
Great session again yesterday. I have been listening to the piece with headphones on and the variety and subtlety of playing is extraordinary, particularly through the black hole section which is obviously dominated by the deep electronic catatonic noise but within that, is a wonder of variation and hearing this time Sam’s voice in there as well is terrific. I would really like to thank...
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Recording of Dust to Dust taken from our latest...
March 2011
21 posts
WatchAnother section from the film using last sessions sound track. I am trying to connect the original concept, the evolved concept, the spirit of the soundtrack and make the piece visually resonant as an animated painting. Having a lot of fun.
jo
WatchI am very sorry to have missed today’s session. I hope that it went really well. I felt that every hour is pretty crucial to work on the film at this stage. Here is a 14 second clip using the evocative soundtrack made in the previous session.
jo
After such a wonderful session yesterday, you can...
walt whitman
brilliant news
michael
Thank you Kenneth
The Walt Whitman archive are fast! Lovely Kenneth, the co-director says that:
“Whitman’s writings are out of copyright. So, yes, you can quote his words without seeking permission from anyone. Best wishes for the success of your work.”
A fine result.
Jessica
you shall listen to all sides
What a fantastic day yesterday was. We had a really robust, productive session with a feeling of mutual trust and engagement on all sides. I felt that musically we took huge leaps forward and we achieved a lot.
On a personal level, most people who know me know that I never (with no exceptions in 15 years) perform any of my compositions live, so playing the piano yesterday was a big step for me...
Dust to Dust
I am hoping that David will put the new recording on here. Yesterday we had a terrific session with the Principal Players, we started by listening to the last edited session (see 10th march posting). I had created the new graphic score which everyone understood better with the timelines inserted. We had decided that Stevie would conduct as Jess is now playing piano and I am playing throughout....
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Some Thoughts
I had the great privilege of being invited to sit in on some of the rehearsals for the Project Electroclassic through my postgraduate research, and the experience was one of profound pleasure and challenging dialogues. These dialogues operated at almost every layer of the project. The dialogue rooted to the heart of the research stemmed from the contentious issues over Intellectual Property...
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On tuesday Jess, Jo and I had the pleasure of...
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sound & vision
I’m really enjoying the way image and sound are being drawn together in this project. It throws up another set of questions too, namely how far the music and image in this piece are so interwoven, it becomes impossible to describe them as separate components with one creator credited for each of their inceptions. Jo’s beautiful sketches bring in another dimension - the transformation...
February 2011
33 posts
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images - ps
Just to add that these images are like a menu of ideas. The projection onto (or within) a sculptural hat idea for example is workable with any of the proposed thoughts. Also, the players presumably won’t be wearing their civi clothes for the performances but I currently don’t have alternative images of the players ready for performance (clothes-wise). These drawings are to give a focus...
Hi all - it’s great to hear the work in progress and start to get a feel for where you’re going! Loved the first sketch with the low rumble underneath. Very errie! The ownership debate is a huge one, especially when you are making a collective piece of work. I think it’s important that everyone involved has a right to own the work they make - some of the song cycles we have...
Great work Jess, this is pulling all the elements we have been talking about, and as you say, building something new from all those inspirations, not least of those the way the principal players have brought into and fed our ideas. I have been working on a graphic score to bring to our next session and possibly an extension of the sounds collected on our second session with the work we did last...
Anyone who knows me knows that I have rather an...
I think that is right. From a practitioners (or at least this one) point of view, over classifying a process can lead to a defined product. Within creative practice this doesn’t allow for the layers of experienced intuition to breathe. Experienced intuition can develop a feel for process and product. The American sculptor David Smith said that he ‘sculpted with his gut’. The creative process...
Jess and I have spent the last couple of days...