A work in which performative bodies become revealed as living sculptures in the fantasy world of performance!A new and very exciting project. Imogene Newland (pianist) and myself (saxes) are doing a 'physical' version of Karlheinz Stockhausen's piece "Tierkreis"(1974–75).
Our work explores the physical and the sonic relationship between our instruments and our performative bodies. In this work we appropriate each other’s instruments, their intrinsic sonic qualities as well as the performative space of the other player by alternating our positions to each other and to our instruments. The idea is to extend and constrain each others’ gestural movements, thus questioning traditional performance identities and performative gestures and the ways in which particular gestures have become established and expected as part of our Western Classical music traditions.
"Tierkreis" is heavily and heavenly inspired by the universe's star signs and each star sign's alignment with its respective element. We use the visuals supplied in the score as the basis for our choreographic decisions, including stage layout, our relationships to each other, as well as the constraints which each of us may impose onto the other performative body.
Forthcoming Performances:
Bodies/Music conference, Cork 20 March 2009 (this concert has been postponed)
Musical Bodies Conference, London, 23 April 2009
