01/09/2013
Tilly and I have been taking part in a fascinating afternoon of Disability Awareness Training at SENSE HQ.
One of the exercises involves us putting on ear protectors and blindfolds, we are then given a sealed padded
envelope with bits in. I open my envelope and tip what feel like different sized bits of plastic onto the
table. I become totally absorbed in playing with these pieces, creating mental and acoustic images of what
they are, enjoying the variety of smooth and sharp textures. My sense of time seems to change as I forget
about the room around me. When we take our blindfolds off I look at all the plastic pieces scattered across
the table in front of me. To my right Tilly is staring at her perfectly formed toy plastic snake.
I've been thinking a lot about the concept of presence, the idea of experiencing a mediated
environment as though it were unmediated. There seems to be a great paradox; the more we increase presence
through the taking away of particular perceptual stimuli, the more we reach out in compensation.
Also in mind are the comments of artist Aaron McPeake that "if you're blind you don't develop superhuman
hearing, or any other perceptual facility, you learn to use what you've got."
11/10/2013
One of the most poignant and moving moments that I've experienced in a long time occurred during a vocal
solo when one of the SENSE support workers pointed out that it was probably the first time the participant
had heard her own voice. Through digital transformation and with the participant leaning over and touching
the audio monitor she was able to feel every murmur. As Stephen Connor suggests, it's through our vocal
sounds that we not only give our voice to the world but give the world its voice
18/10/2013
The first sessions with the members of SENSE were as exciting as they were scary! It's been funny to observe
how some of the support workers often seem more challenged by the activities than many of the users. Our
'band' is going from strength to strength, with some great trios, duos and solos taking place as well as
full ensemble moments.
22/10/2013
I've been having some great conversations with some of the SENSE staff, one of these found us enthusing over
how working with groups such as this one can really impact on creative, technological developments in an
artists field of work. In researching new creative tools for our group I'm constantly reminded of parallels
in current creative research between the fields of disability and the creative arts. Tools being developed
for those with disabilities of exciting opportunities for artists.
06/11/2013
I've spent some of the last week rethinking ways of using more traditional instruments such as drums by
combining them with live-electronics. I originally introduced drums and other percussion into the ensemble
as a means of working with rhythm and tempo. However drums in particular have been really popular, often
more so than the different midi-controllers we've also been using. It's obvious that generally traditional
percussion still provides a much more meaningful physical interface than trendy midi controllers. Tomorrow
we'll be contact miking the drums and processing the results.
08/11/2013
We've started spending some time outside of Park Theatre, recording the local environment. I'm generally
used to going field-recording on my own but the experiences of some of the group have reminded me what a
collaborative act it can be!
14/11/2013
We've been conducting today, trying ways of communicating normally visual instructions in different ways.
I've realised that sight isn't a pre-requisite for a successful conductor.
25/11/2013
The ensemble pieces are really starting to come together and it's great to see personal instrumental
techniques, with some really virtuosic moments occurring. It's that time of the project where there seem so
many possibilities. This week I'll be recording with and through hearing aids that I've bought.
02/12/2013
Spent day in studio mixing some of our recordings and attaching surface transducers to the table. The group
have generated so much material and I'm finding it hard to let the sounds "speak for themselves" and not
impose too much personal taste!
08/12/2013
Working with the group, both Sense users and carers, over the last couple of months has led me to think that
the affordance of possibilities offered by any musical environment is as wide and varied for those with
disabilities than those without. To therefore talk in terms ability in relation to music seems ludicrous.
09/12/2013
Steve Goodman in his book Sonic Warfare talks about a 'politics of frequency', were music and sounds outside
of those normalised by mainstream society are signifiers of the predicament and experience of marginalised
social groups.
These use of these frequencies holds radical potential for marginalised groups and can lead not only to an
understanding of their situation but of our sonic environment in general.
10/12/2013
"Space is not only high, it's low. It's a bottomless pit."
-Sun Ra
04/01/2013
I've spent some of the last couple of weeks since the performances at Park Theatre editing the recordings of
the three ensemble improvisations.
What impresses me in particular is the consistency of each improvisation, especially in terms of individual
reactions to the material produced by others and the tightness of the ensemble.
It's probably part of the creative condition that leaves you highly critical of outcomes, saying this
foremost in my mind was to help produce an uncompromising piece of music terms of expectations and the type
of material produced and I think we managed this. Above all, I wanted to reaffirm and demonstrate the power
of collective musical experience.
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