2016

ABOUT

There are moments in life that inspire action; sometimes action is needed to hurl oneself out of complacency, and at other times the world is hurling action at you. Restless Times reflects both of these things. After 3 years of making amazing collaborative works with musicians from across the globe – Nicole Lizee, Anthony Pateras, Mark Applebaum, Lisa Moore, Terry Longshore – it seemed like time to go back to the central laboratory of Clocked Out, the Duo for prepared piano and percussion. This is Clocked Out pared back to the essential elements, developing new tuning systems for the extended instrument of found objects, drums and prepared piano.

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At the time we started developing this work in early 2017, we have all been adjusting to radical change in the world – a new addiction to news to find out the latest Trumpish stumble, and the massive ramifications of these steps on friends, strangers, and our way of understanding the world. As always, it is art that helps create ways of understanding.

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Clocked Out Duo compose collaboratively, nutting out small cells and then working them into a larger structural framework. Some of the music is precise in one element but open in others – playing an incorrect instrument or pitch would in fact be a mistake. But other parts of the piece are completely free, building on 20 years of improvising together, developing a language that can be built in realtime. This work is in 7 main parts and is around 50 minutes long. This is fast-paced improvisation for restless times.

PERFORMANCE HISTORY

2018 - Melbourne Arts Centre

2017 - Tyalgum Festival

           Queensland Conservatorium