liquid architecture (updated)
Chris Watson recording an orca in the Ross Sea
photo courtesy Chris Watson
Chris Watson recording an orca in the Ross Sea
“In 1999 a group of RMIT students presented a collection of experimental sound and music events. Ten years on Liquid Architecture, has grown into one of Australia’s most significant festivals with a national touring program of concerts, installations and forums.” (Gail Priest, RT91)
In 2009 to celebrate the 10th edition of Liquid Architecture we published a brief archive highlight. To co-incide with LA’s 13th year, the archive has been updated to include all reviews of the festival since 2002, a comprehensive record of this leading music event.
Nat Bates, Liquid Architecture 9 Sydney
photo Alison Richardson
Nat Bates, Liquid Architecture 9 Sydney
The longevity of Liquid Architecture is testament to Artistic Director Nat Bates’ ability to adapt the festival to ever-changing circumstances. In an interview in 2009 he said collaboration was the secret to success: “One of the key things for me is the team of curators. When we were a Melbourne-only event there were a number of people I worked with [Bruce Mowson was co-director 2001-4, Camilla Hannan 2001-2] and now that it’s a national event I rely heavily upon the people in the other cities for input” (RT91). The 2012 festival has taken this collaboration to the next level as Bates takes a back seat while Philip Samartzis and Lawrence English curate the entire festival around the idea of an “Antarctic Convergence” (see preview in RT109).
Dave Brown and Lukas Simonis, Liquid Architecture
photo Sebastian Avila
Dave Brown and Lukas Simonis, Liquid Architecture
Most years RT has offered multiple reviews in order to cover the festival in its several locales and offer different perspectives on the artists and their performances over the touring schedule. To celebrate the 10th festival individual city-based reviews were augmented with an overview by Jared Davis who travelled with the crew, and in a pull-no-punches article asked difficult questions about the role of the festival a decade after its inception (see RT93 “listening for change”).
If the density of coverage is overwhelming here are a few suggestions.
Read about Bernard Parmegiani playing in Melbourne during LA4 in “liquid architecture: the parmegiani experience“, an event which Nat Bates remembers as his “number one highlight.” A duet by Clayton Thomas and Jim Denley, “sound bodies“, stands out as writer Tony Osborne’s “highlight of the week” when he sampled Sydney’s LA7. Recalling LA9, “sounds solid, sounds fluid“, Gail Priest nominates not one but “two outstanding performances”, those of festival director Nat Bates and Marcus Schmickler; the latter’s creation “powerful, verging on spiritual, with no drugs required.” And covering LA12 in Melbourne Matthew Lorenzon probes the role of performativity in his review, “reciprocity between sounds.”
RT
liquid architecture 13
antarctic reveries
greg hooper: liquid architecture 13, brisbane
RealTime issue #110 Aug-Sept 2012 pg18
sonic antarctic
liquid architecture 13: antarctic convergence
RealTime issue #109 June-July 2012 p34
liquid architecture 12
reciprocity between sounds
matthew lorenzon: liquid architecture 12, melbourne
RealTime issue #104 Aug-Sept 2011 p44
listening up
gail priest: liquid architecture 12, sydney
RealTime issue #104 Aug-Sept 2011 p45
liquid architecture 11
the accidental audist
greg hooper: liquid architecture 11; urban jungle, brisbane
RealTime issue #98 Aug-Sept 2010 p46
sound art+/-performance
simon charles: liquid architecture 11, melbourne
RealTime issue #98 Aug-Sept 2010 p47
liquid architecture 10
listening for change
jared davis: reflections on liquid architecture 10
RealTime issue #93 Oct-Nov 2009 p52
architectural meltdown
tony osborne: liquid architecture 10, sydney
RealTime issue #92 Aug-Sept 2009 p48
sound, image & their ghosts
greg hoooper: liquid architecture 10, brisbane
RealTime issue #92 Aug-Sept 2009 p48
the art of sonic curation
chris reid: liquid architecture 10, melbourne
RealTime issue #92 Aug-Sept 2009 p49
sounds continuous
gail priest: interview with nat bates, liquid architecture 10
RealTime issue #91 June-July 2009 p46
liquid architecture 9
depends on where you sit
chris reid: liquid architecture 9, melbourne
RealTime issue #87 Oct-Nov 2008 p46
sounds solid, sounds fluid
gail priest: liquid architecture 9, Sydney
RealTime issue #87 Oct-Nov 2008 p48
laidback listening to sounds concrete & chaotic
joel stern, liquid architecture 9, brisbane
RealTime issue #86 Aug-Sept 2008 p43
sonic interiors
simon charles: liquid architecture 9, melbourne
RealTime issue #87 Oct-Nov 2008 p47
liquid architecture 8
sound in mind and body
chris reid happily imbibes liquid architecture 8, melbourne
RealTime issue #81 Oct-Nov 2007 p45
sounds seen & worded
greg hooper at liquid architecture 8, brisbane
RealTime issue #80 Aug-Sept 2007 p51
sonic extremeties
gail priest embraces liquid architecture 8, sydney
RealTime issue #81 Oct-Nov 2007 p46
liquid architecture 7
sound bodies
tony osborne: liquid architecture 7, Sydney
RealTime issue #75 Oct-Nov 2006 p53
sounds improbable, sounds remarkable
joel stern and danni zuvela at brisbane’s liquid architecture 7
RealTime issue #75 Oct-Nov 2006 p54
confined and released
chris reid: liquid architecture 7
RealTime issue #75 Oct-Nov 2006 p54
liquid architecture 6
celebrating sound
gail priest: liquid architecture 6
RealTime issue #68 Aug-Sept 2005 p49
tropical liquid architecture
jennifer teo: liquid architecture 6, cairns
RealTime issue #69 Oct-Nov 2005 web
liquid architecture 5
instrumental explorations
danni zuvela: liquid architecture 5, brisbane
RealTime issue #63 Oct-Nov 2004 p48
drum mutations
greg hooper: liquid architecture 5, brisbane
RealTime issue #63 Oct-Nov 2004 p50
liquid architecture 4
qbfm:liquid architecture
greg hooper: liquid architecture 4, brisbane
RealTime issue #58 Dec-Jan 2003 p43
liquid architecture: the parmegiani experience
simon sellars: liquid architecture 4, melbourne
RealTime issue #56 Aug-Sept 2003 p46
liquid architecture 3
substantial echoes
jonathan marshall: liquid architecture 3
RealTime issue #50 Aug-Sept 2002 p7
