sound and theatre

i’m working at tarragon theatre these days, sound designing a double bill of amazing plays by hanna mocovitch with john gzowski.  as always in the theatre, i am struck by how the interplay of text and sound can go so right, and also so wrong.

we had a lot of ideas ready to go when we started, and then of course discarded most of them.  this is a good sign — it makes me think we are doing something right, supporting the words instead of restricting them.  the text of these plays is so natural, so perfect.  every “uh” and pause, every change of thought is scripted (and the actors are doing a terrific job of executing them, by the way).  there isn’t one superfluous utterance – every ellipsis in the script has a purpose.  it is quite sublime.

apparently this post has wandered away from sound.  but i betcha i’m going to think about this the next time i make an audio piece.

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tell your story.

that went well.

i’ve had occasion to think about social media and the tools it offers us, going to a talk hosted by bARTer ( http://ow.ly/gTJba ) with marketing types sue edworthy and ricardo mcrae (http://sueedworthy.ca/ and http://wedge15.com ).

what struck me most about the evening is that, for whatever way you want to talk about it, what connects us to each other online is not “branding” or “targeted market” or any of the other terms we might use: it is the fact that we share stories about each other. that each link and word we post is actually about ourselves. and if we keep that in mind then of course we are going to connect, to grow, and to build on what we have, and be greater/better/deeper that what we could be alone.

busy in the studio, sound design for the tarragon theatre (with john gzowski) on 2 beautifully written, chilling plays by hannah moscovitch. working on a remount of when the gods came down to earth, a video installation directed by srinivas krishna. more composition and planning for a new series of audio works.

see you soon. here or everywhere.

new year

I suppose that basically every blog on the Internet is going to be doing a post such as this, but anyway: happy new year, and I hope to post more regularly.

futility and new possibilities

i’ve always been of the opinion that to know something, you really need direct experience. not a controversial statement, i admit, but one i seem to invoke nearly daily in this age of ready information. so when i decided i needed to document some of my performance projects i was wary — what does that mean then, to document? how does it work? how can documentation become a part of the creative foundation of the project?

i’ll give it a shot:

http://vimeo.com/49171815

sound and performance

there is a lot about digital sound, a particular kind of sound world that holds much fascination for me. in many ways the fascination is expressed in the act or process of making the sound around us audible, the exposure of the mystery that is in our atmosphere all around us, every day.

but being a musician, and maybe more so a percussionist, also demands a kind of engagement when i make and construct this sound into a work. and in the end, the process is fulfilling but not visceral—an important part of my connection to creating sound is lost through the keyboard, the midi controller, the mouse.

which is why i am so happy to have built tetsuo kogawa‘s radio transmitters, thanks to the help of naisa and hector centeno. for the first time in many years i have direct access to working with this world, a way to engage my whole being in the exploration of this mysterious realm.

enjoy.

http://soundcloud.com/debsinha/radiotransmitterimprov1

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music and sound

it’s bananas, but i wished for it.  here is what i’m up to: http://debsinha.com/

everything from cajon to sound installations.  being so swamped brings to the fore so many issues—time management, attention, mindfulness, focus, anxiety.  but then again each item crossed off the list brings a brief respite from all that.  i seem to be coasting in one now.  hope it lasts!

see you on the other side, and maybe in the middle of it at something.

time

i’m on the road just now with minor empire, touring folk festivals and other venues in western canada.  and during this tour i am spending a lot of time not playing music (which is mostly what touring is sometimes, for those of you that don’t know).

i struggle with this—touring in general, and particularly when there are too many days off, is very taxing in many ways.  there is the going from 0 (waiting around all day) to 100 (being onstage in front of an audience), there is the not so nice hotel room, there is the having to spend energy meeting people, etc.

i am reminded of something that i was told while on a 10 day silent meditation retreat in bodhgaya. there was no hot water available to us during the retreat, and taking a shower was a major mental event because of this.  and the teacher offered us an insight  that a previous retreat attendee shared with him: “if i resist”, he said, “i suffer.  but if i accept, all that i am doing is taking a cold shower.”

i’m trying to take a cold shower.  but i miss my girls.

7000 Oaks

the 7000 oaks project (knuckleduster version) is underway.  a re-mount/-imagining/-mix of the original joseph beuys installation in kassel, we decided to make it a part of the knuckleduster haus der kulturen der welt concert commission we recently did. the concert series was part of the programming HKW was doing around sustainability, and the 7000 project was meant to be part of our concept/contribution to the program, along with our concert and video.

a nice idea—interesting concept, long term life, etc., etc. fine.  a minor part of our life as a band, something to keep track of and occasionally do.  one of the many small things that we as artists take on in our practice—a responsibility, but not a pressing one.  occasionally irritating, often neglected.  not one that makes a huge difference but worth keeping alive.

until we planted the first tree.

going out into the urban wilderness, dragging our seedlings, a small shovel.  some water.  moving through the weeds and broken bottles, my daughter in tow.  finding a place, somewhat sheltered for the little plants, but with enough room for them to grow.  digging in the dirt, soil under our fingernails.  the rich black colour of the earth, the smell of it.  and then the trees, nestled under the bushes, drinking in the water and sun and air and our hopes that they grow and shade many small children.  the trees carriers of our future hopes.

this could be one of the most important things i ever do.

knuckleduster in Berlin at haus der kulturen der welt

knuckleduster will perform at berlin’s haus der kulturen der welt this june as part of their program of lectures, art and music uberlebenskunst.  more info here: http://bit.ly/Iqsmvz

robert and i are looking forward to our show — we have some sumptuous surprises in store.  do join us.