Output details

After Kaprow- Silent Room/Book of Journeys. Composition for Film and Choreography. Commission for Rosemary Butcher Dance Company. Premiered as a double bill at the Place Theatre, London, 15th-17th November 2012. DVD contains two HD films with compositions embedded as soundtracks. Programme notes, in hard copy, evidence dates of dissemination.

The research process for the After Kaprow project took some two years to complete, and was based around successfully locating a soundworld that would complement the choreography and film of the two sub-projects, Book of Journeys, and The Silent Room. The former was shot and composed entirely on location during a residency at Centro per la Scena Contemporanea (CSC), Bassano al Grappa, Italy during May 2013 and is located squarely in the new genre of 'dance for film'. The second piece is intended to be both an installation environment, first shown at Bloomberg SPACE, London in 2011, and a backdrop for a live performance (the premiere of the latter at the Place Theatre is submitted). Both compositions, which contain common material, interlace elements of found sound from the residencies, electroacoustic music (mostly derived from a specially written MaxMSP granular synthesis engine), and fragments of recorded live material from a string quartet. The research process centred around working with the choreographer and film-maker to try and match the sound element to the aesthetic of the project, which features still, minimal movement from a particular performer (Ana Mira) which sustained a particular kinesthetic quality across both projects. Research was also undergone into existing historical collaborations in the 'dance for film' genre, such as those by William Forsythe. Much of the process entailed working with progressively layered sound edits that were auditioned for their suitability as regards what might be called the 'affective countour' of the film-music-movement, seen as an entirety. This was a long process whereby a match between sound, image and kinesthetic quality was achieved. Equally important was matching moments of large sound density to particular frame times, and where there were intentional builds and fades in the film and movement regrading its perceived intensity and emotional signification. Collaborators: Rosemary Butcher (choreography); Sam Williams (film); Anna Mira (performer).