: Last two evenings of the Live Arts Incubator :
Saturday and Sunday night proved to be two unique experiences, both providing Jacques and myself with rewards stemming from the hours/days/weeks of work beforehand. Final performance consisted of four parts, each flowing seamlessly from one to the other so as not to break the listeners immersion into the sonic experience. Presented works included three solo and one collaborative piece.
My own solo work was created purely from the surround and stereo recordings that I had gathered from the Sacred Heart Cathedral throughout the first week of the residency. These sounds included a 5 bell peal, creaking pews, footsteps/voices and movement through the space, turning of pages, the playing of the organ and of a wood-carved recorder and voices chanting in prayer. My sounds were considerably naturalistic with selected segments being presented as true to reality as possible.
In contrast, Jacques Soddell used highly manipulated and processed sounds - some were recognizable and some were not. All were incredibly pleasing on the ear in their textures and frequencies.
Final setup included 10 speakers on two levels.
1st level was 6 x 300watt in circular formation 4.5m radius.
2nd level was 4 x (TBC) in diamond configuration, 1.5m above Level #1
All speakers were calibrated by true film standard of Pink noise @ -20db = 83 db SPL (reading taken from center of circle diameter.)
It was extremely satisfying to explore the experience of height. I have had the chance to do this once before, during the event, "Akousmatikoi" but it was not quite so controlled and as flexible as this set-up. Through the use of Audiomulch + midi control + sound system I was able to spatialise and perform live with stereo, mono and surround audio samples. Sounds were able to be triggered when and where I desired with ease. Panning selected sounds from left to right and/or top to bottom was effortless and I am looking forward to further developing my patch and my midi control.
One of the unexpected rewards of the first evening was a followup discussion and constructive criticism of the works by Punctum's artistic director, Jude Anderson and fellow board member, Stephen Henderson. As a sound artist it can be difficult to entice others to tackle the language of the medium and the guidance and reflections of Jude and Stephen were an unexpected luxury within the whole Live Arts Incubator experience. The support that Jacques and myself received in the form of equipment, studio space and technical expertise was matched by an emotional element. This element assisted in our confidence throughout the work process, encouraging us along the way and resulting in the completion of a live performance we hope to continue on with post Seedpod.
