Friday 20 March   | 10.00 - 12.00  | studio theatre

Studio Theatre is situated at the back of Central  St Martins

Noise level

Sound is such an important element in the moving image. I think it is almost true to say there was never a silent film era, from early on live music accompanied images. In advertising terms, sound is a powerful tool ….you can’t sell bacon without the sizzle. Artists have been fascinated either with sound or the absence of sound. This series of works explore just a few of the ways that sound and music are represented and are of course just a starter pack. But connection with performance, is an important connection. The music of John Cage is important here because although it may not be so evident in the work, Cage has probably influenced artists more than perhaps any other artist; Cage changed the way we listen.

Nigel Slight                       Anthem 2008 (3’30”) UK

Conor Kelly                       Sound and Music ( 5’ approx.)UK

Sean Dower                      Automaton 2006  (6”) UK

Richard Wilson                 Butterfly  (10’ approx.)UK 

Graham Fagen                  War c/w I murder Hate 2014 (7’32”)  UK

David Austen                    Man smoking 2009 (5’29” ) UK

David Bickerstaff              Xenon  2011 (23’)

and Mikhail Karikis

Paul Bush                        His Comedy   (8’)

Running time approx. 60 minutes

further reading  |  suggested links

Evelyn Glennie: How to truly listen

In this soaring demonstration, deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie illustrates how listening to music involves much more than simply letting sound waves hit your eardrums

SOUND AND MUSIC

DURATION 4'27"

Artists film shot and mixed by Conor Kelly

SHORT DESCRIPTION: Sound & Music is the name of the music shop IN Dalston East London which is the subject and title of this video work.  Using the musical instruments available in the shop and with the combined synch sound of traffic and Hackney city life a sort of mesmeric composition of these elements are presented where the shop front comes alive through its security lights in evening light.

ANTHEM

Performance Video by Nigel Slight

‘The Red Flag’ sung by Bronagh Gallagher and produced at New Air Studios, Kilburn London by John Reynolds.

Video produced by David Rogers for electricbackroom.org.uk

Copyright Nigel Slight

David Austen Filming in Rome 2009

Set up for Sean Dower’s Automaton 2006

AUTOMATON

HD video with sound 6 min. 2006

Automaton was filmed using a motion control rig. This machine is normally used for compositing and special effects in film and television and, though barely glimpsed in the final film, the machine assumes a performing role as it tracks around the chromed curves of a drum-kit, whilst improvising percussionist Steve Noble plays a mesmerising solo.

Partly inspired by Boccioni's 1913, Development of a Bottle in Space, Automaton was commissioned by Film and Video Umbrella and first exhibited at Tate Britain as part of ‘Single Shot’ in 2006. It has since been exhibited internationally.

BUTTERFLY

For Butterfly, Wilson bought a scrapped Cessna light aircraft, reassembled it, stripped its identifying paintwork from its aluminium body then crushed it into a rough ball. The inarticulate volume was then suspended from the ceiling of the Wapping Project space. Wilson and a team of helpers then worked for four weeks under the gaze of gallery visitors using only hand-operated tools, straps and the structure of the building to help them recover the crushed husk of the machine. Once the plane had been returned to as near to its original shape as the team could manage, the now recognisable plane was manhandled out of its central position in the gallery and crashed to the ground at the rear of the space. A large screen was then suspended from the ceiling almost concealing the plane in the now darkened gallery. The recovery process had been continuously documented by time-lapse photography and these were now edited together to produce a film documenting the unfurling of the plane in compressed time that was projected onto the screen.   Michelle D'Souza Fine Art

MAN SMOKING

A FEROCIOUS DOG LIVES IN ROME

By David Austen

I had spoken to a man who asked “did I know that Enzo Cucchi is allowed to smoke in any public bar he wishes to in Rome”, flouting the anti smoking laws now commonplace in Europe. I replied that I didn’t know this, thought it daft, certainly untrue and hoped, of course, that it was the opposite.

I began to think that it would be a lovely idea to film Enzo Cucchi smoking in a bar in Rome. It would be a continuation of themes I had explored in two previous moving image pieces I had made, Smoking Moon and Crackers.

I decided that it had to be in black and white, 16mm and shot with a wind-up Bolex camera. It would be called Man

Smoking.

War c/w I Murder Hate

Graham Fagen

8mins 07secs

courtesy of Graham Fagen and Matt’s Gallery

Cinematography: Holger Mohaupt

Produced & Mixed by Adrian Sherwood

Vocals: Ghetto Priest

Drums: Lincoln ‘Style’ Scott

Bass & Piano: Hughie Izaachar aka ‘Blood’

Guitar: ‘Renee’ Rainford Bailey

Horns: Dave Fullwood & the Ital Horns

Engineer: Brendan Harding & Dave McEwan

Drawings by Lee Scratch Perry

Originally commissioned by 14-18NOW

He was selected for solo presentation for Scotland + Venice (2015), curated by Hospitalfield Arts.

ARTIST’S DILEMMA

Type / Single channel

Genre / Art on art, Experimental  Country / Finland

Picture ratio / 4:3

Duration / 00:04:00

Sound format / Stereo

Year / 1997

Credits / Roi Vaara (Author), Pettufilmi OY / - (Producer)

XENON

By David Bickerstaff + Mikhail Karikis

HD | 16:9 | 22 minutes | 2011

The film XENON is a political allegory based on an original performance opera by the artist Mikhail Karikis. Using the original score and performers, Karikis and the artist/filmmaker David Bickerstaff, come together in a collaboration to produce a cinematic interpretation of the opera. Seven characters working in an austere office yearn to overcome their oppressive routine. Oscillating between inarticulate utterances and foot stomping, they battle with frustration, self-censorship, high aspiration and failure. The banality of the office is contrasted with sequences of reverie in which each character searches for their voice within the construct of their human rights. XENON brings together experimental film, performance art and opera and features performances by dancer/choreographer Maurice Causey, vocalists Amy Cunningham and E.laine, viola player Conall Gleeson, juice ensemble, Jade Pybus, artists Monica Ross and Mikhail Karikis.

Designed, written and composed by Mikhail Karikis

Filmed, directed and edited by David Bickerstaff

Funded by Arts Council England

Supported in kind by University of Brighton 

HIS COMEDY

Paul Bush                         (8’)

produced, written and directed by Paul Bush

Sound by Andy cowton

Animated by Paul Bush and Crimp Beringer

A journey into the centre of Hell; Dante's The Divine Comedy, illustrated by Gustav Dore's wood engravings and animated by scratching directly into the surface of the film.

ON MONITORS