in the loop – may 24
realtime news and advance word
Heavy Metal Work Orchestra
heavy metal work orchestra
The DeMiXerphone, a new instrument created by Frederick Rodrigues, amazingly allows composers and musicians “to have precise control over the pitch, timbre and rhythmic potential of almost any electrical appliance.” You can see it in action as Rodrigues, Abel Cross, trumpeter Scott Tinkler and pianist Adrian Klumpes perform a work for “a 12-piece computer controlled ensemble of power tools and appliances.” Heavy Metal Work Orchestra, The Red Rattler Theatre, 6 Faversham St, Marrickville, Sydney May 28, 7:30pm; May 29, 7:30pm; May 30, 3pm, www.heavymetalworkorchestra.com
adelaide film festival submissions call
The 2011 BigPond Adelaide Film Festival (BAFF) is calling for submissions for its 2011 program in the categories of feature film, documentary, animation, short film, experimental and new media work. You can download a form, submit online through the BAFF website or visit Withoutabox (www.withoutabox.com), an online film festival submission service. For submission deadlines and guidelines visit the BAFF website at www.adelaidefilmfestival.org. BigPond Adelaide Film Festival, Feb 24-March 6, 2011
Luke Hanna, The Cry, Dance North
photo Ferry Photography
Luke Hanna, The Cry, Dance North
dancenorth, the cry
Dancenorth’s eagerly awaited first full-length work from new artistic director Raewyn Hill is The Cry, exploring “the momentum created by a life of [drug] dependency that sweeps others up in their path. Ultimately, we wish to portray the relentless nature of pursuing recovery and the strength needed to build a life in recovery.” The Cry opened in Cairns, May 21-22, has its hometown premiere in Townsville, June 2-6. and tours to Proserpine, August 13-14. Dancenorth, The Cry, www.dancenorth.com.au
Nic Dorward, YOUTHvsPHYSICS 2009
photo Amelia Dowd
Nic Dorward, YOUTHvsPHYSICS 2009
restaged histories project, youth vs physics
After its Next Wave premiere of YOUTHvsPHYSICS, the Restaged Histories project flies to hometown Brisbane to examine “thwarted attempts to fly” as exemplified by Icarus, Superman and a fictional Soviet cosmonaut named Omon Ra. The company describe the work as “part science experiment and part rock concert” with “two performers, risking life and limb in the name of heroism and entertainment and taking a smart and irreverent look at boyhood and imagination in an attempt to disprove heroism.” Restaged Histories are Artists-in-Residence at Brisbane Powerhouse and YOUTHvsPHYSICS was commissioned and developed by Next Wave through kickstart 2009. The Restaged Histories project, YOUTHvsPHYSICS, Brisbane Powerhouse, June 2-5; brisbanepowerhouse.org
the light in winter, melbourne
The European tradition of light festivals in mid-winter has taken hold in Australia, first with The Light in Winter in Melbourne (see RT84) with a focus on community installations, and then in Sydney with VIVID and the Smart Light Festival in 2009 with an emphasis on innovation (see RT90). The music-oriented VIVID is on again this year (more below) and will be joined again by Smart Light in 2011. Robyn Archer’s 2010 The Light in Winter program involves, community events, forums and leading illumination and digital artists, with a commissioned work from Mexican electronic artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer to be launched on June 4. Read Scott McQuire’s introduction to this artist’s work (see RT89) and you’ll see that the commission is a considerable coup for Melbourne. There’ll be a new interview with Lozano-Hemmer in RealTime 97 -June 11]. For more information about The Light in Winter and the work of Rafael Lozano-Hemmer visit: www.fedsquare.com/thelightinwinter and www.lozano-hemmer.com. The Light in Winter, Federation Square, Melbourne, June 4-July 4
vivid sydney
Last year’s inaugural Vivid festival seemed to appear out of nowhere, but offered some large scale spectacle and intense musical experiences that Sydney’s audiences embraced. This year, the guest curators of the performance program, Vivid Live based at the Sydney Opera House, are the power ‘odd couple’ Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed. They are billed as “bringing Manhattan to Sydney” with a very impressive range of concerts by both established and rising stars such as Rickie Lee Jones, Marc Ribot, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Bardo Pond, My Brightest Diamond and Holly Miranda. There are also artist from further afield such as Melt Banana and Boris from Japan and the Tuvan throatsinging champions Chirgilchin.
Along with individual concerts many of the artists have been programmed together into themed nights such as the Slow Music Night (June 4), and Noise Night (including Australians Oren Ambarchi and Lucas Abela’s Rice屎Corpse, May 31). There is even a daytime concert for dogs in the Opera House Forecourt (June 5). And of course there are numerous appearances by Anderson and Reed including a Transitory Life, a solo retrospective performance by Laurie Anderson; Songs from Delusion with Anderson joined by Eyvind Kang, Colin Stetson and Doug Wieselman; Reed’s Metal Machine Music; New York Genius, photos curated by Reed from the Magnum Photographic Archive; and a range of talks with the curators. There’s also a theatrical offering with The Shipment by Young Jean Lee’s Theatre Company lauded as some of the best and boldest experimental playwriting in America.
Apart from the Vivid Live program, a range of other activities are also gathered under the Vivid umbrella such as the lighting of the Opera House Sails with images from Laurie Anderson, and Macquarie Visions, which will illuminate the historic buildings of Macquarie street with projections. The harbour spectacular Fire Water returns to the Rocks, this time with a Bollywood flavour exploring the story of ship that sailed to Sydney from Calcutta in 1797. Creative Sydney also returns with talks and forums focusing on the local scene (its artists again almost totally absent from the Vivid Live program), which along with X | Media | Lab and the Song Summit offer opportunities to discuss the creative health of Sydney and NSW. Vivid, various venues, May 27-June 21; Vivid Live, Sydney Opera House May 28- June 11; http://vividsydney.com/; http://vividlive.sydneyoperahouse.com
RealTime issue #96 April-May 2010 pg. web
