notesdontmatter

Forum – Wk 6 – “Collaborations Pt 3”

Luke Harrold and Matthew Phipps: “The 9:13”

I guess the title should read collaborators on collaboration. Today’s forum started out a promising affair, with Luke Harrold’s algorithmic accompaniment to the short film ‘The 9:13’ displaying his talent for original electronic music composition – something he seems to have been a little coy about in our recent perspectives lectures. A piece (or pieces) driven much more by the texture of various sonic timbres and haunting harmonisation than by any tangible pitch or steady rhythm, it sat very well with the disturbing underlying theme of the film. Did anyone see that episode of Six Feet Under where David Fisher picks up a hitchhiker who then proceeds to torture him physically and emotionally for several hours? It reminded me of that, provoking the same feeling of empathetic helplessness for the victim in question.

The only drawback was that I was too familiar with Adelaide Railway Station and the trains where it was filmed. I found it hard to loose myself in its performance, as I kept noticing variants in the background noise and scenery that rang false to my own extensive experience with them. Such is the adverse consequence of local knowledge I guess..


David Harris and Pamela Rataj: “Compossible IV for twelve musicians”

Now this was a far superior outcome than our recent group effort to perform this same piece. Why you ask? Was it the professional musicians? Was it the awareness of each artist regarding what was required of them? (They clearly didn’t have the idea presented to them five minutes before being asked to perform the piece, as we did) Was it collaborating with the visual artist Pamela Rataj that tipped the balance in favour of a rich and rewarding sonic outcome?

I think possibly all of the above are correct to an extent, but I believe the simplest and most influential factor was that he recruited instrumentalists that play instruments capable of producing endless real sustain of pitches – something that none of us could do given what we had to work with a few weeks ago. And not only that, he had a tangible motivation behind his choice of notes and duration, that being the pursuit of random pitches and harmonisation of the microtones between our traditional chromatics. My faith in the results of experimental music is somewhat restored – nice work Dave.


Poppi Doser and Betty Qian: “Behind the Door”

This work highlighted an interesting angle for consideration: the issue of a language barrier when collaborating with a person of non-English speaking background. Despite the challenges presented by this situation, electro acoustic musician and composer Poppi Doser, and visual animation specialist Betty Qian have created an intimate and beautifully delicate piece of work, utilising elements of fantasy, dream state, and I suspect some subtle political and social observation. Obviously the collaborative relationship is satisfactory to both involved as they are currently working on a new project, which I look forward to seeing..


Stephen Whittington: “Collaboration with the Dead”

Stephen’s insights into collaboration with deceased composers by current musicians felt like a many-tiered highbrow argument waiting to happen. After all, despite the will to honour the original composers vision that may be expressed by various performers, they can never actually communicate with the person themselves, so does this situation really comprise a collaboration as such? I plan on arranging a Thrash Metal version of the very Sonata # 8 that Stephen teased us with at the beginning of his talk. Would I not be collaborating with Beethoven because I am using his music outside of its originally intended context? Should black technically be referred to as dark grey, or is there really a point of colour saturation that can be scientifically proven and defined to be black?


Until next time…


Reference:

Luke Harrold. “Collaboration with Computers”. Presentation and discussion held at EMU, Level 5, Schultz Building, University of Adelaide. 5th April 2007.

David Harris. “Collaboration for Compossible”. Presentation and discussion held at EMU, Level 5, Schultz Building, University of Adelaide. 5th April 2007.

Poppi Doser and Betty Qian. “Behind the Door”. Presentation and discussion held at EMU, Level 5, Schultz Building, University of Adelaide. 5th April 2007.

Stephen Whittington. “Collaboration with the Dead”. Presentation and discussion held at EMU, Level 5, Schultz Building, University of Adelaide. 5th April 2007.

posted by David J Dowling @ 2:41 PM