Dr Brigid Burke, Independent Artist
Chamber Music/instrument building/audio/visual performance is becoming a new field of creative practice and performance. It’s fuelled by the imagery of three dimensional art spaces in contemporary performance culture and is increasingly acceptable and engaging with old art forms and new technologies combined with live digital audio and imagery projection.
In this analysis, I will examine detailed aspects of specific audio/visual/instrument building in live performances. The Glass String formerly The Angst of the String for Chamber strings, String Percussion instruments, live electronics/pre-recorded and video depicts different performance outcomes from the same instruments, score, and intention, from the original onset of the idea. I will focus on the performance spaces and audio-visual delivery across a range spaces and performers including separate audio and visual outcomes.
The Glass String (formally The Angst of the String) in the long term will be the creation of an ensemble work for chamber string ensemble – 8 violinists, 4 cellos, 4 String Percussion instruments, live electronics/pre-recorded and video. The percussion and string instruments are made from glass, paper, gold leaf, lights, discarded violins, violas and cellos, live and pre-recorded electronics and video. It is a notated, audio-visual composition for Chamber Ensemble. The artistic rationale is based on 24 deconstructed pieces of violins, violas and cellos. The Glass String explores different audio out comes using surfaces of vibration, overtone, intonation and attack on the string from both the traditional and percussion string instruments exploring old traditional technologies and new phenomenon. Each string instrument has been transformed into a string/percussion instrument that has attached microphones, effects units that are controlled by switch pedals and sensors by the performers and electronic artist that controls the live visuals. The instruments have also attached lights and cameras that are projected live with pre-recorded visual footage and live cameras. The Chamber ensemble plays the transformed string instruments and their conventional string instruments. The score explores extended techniques, percussive sounds, graphic /traditional notations and microtonality, whisper sounds and glissandi.
This creation will investigate sound worlds from each of the Chamber instrumentalists from a mechanical investigation with a wash of constant rhythmic patterns repeated that gradually become disjointed and fragmented as the effects are changed throughout the composition. The Glass String combines thick textures and extremities in all the instrumentation both audibly and visually.
Biography
Brigid Burke is an Australian composer, performance artist, clarinet soloist, visual artist, video artist and educator whose creative practice explores the use of acoustic sound and technology to enable media performances and installations that are rich in aural and visual nuances. Her work is widely presented in concerts, festivals, and radio broadcasts throughout Australia, Asia, Brazil, Europe and the USA. Brigid’s main focus is integrating musical ideas with a combination of different media. Each component of media is a tool in the exploration of her artistic process: sound (acoustic, laptop, clarinets and electronics), composition, improvisation, installation, collaboration (with dancers, acoustic performers and other new media performers), print making, pen and ink drawings, painting and animation (digital).
Her involvement New Music has led her to integrate sound, visuals, video mixing and theatre in her performances of her own work and in collaboration with other composers/performers. Other ensembles Brigid performs with are: Tri Duo with Grania Burke, Nunique Quartet, Pausa with Adrian Sherriff, Collage and BHZ with Mark Zanter and Steve Hall based in the USA and Duo with David McNicol piano. Currently she curates with Mark Pedersen SEENSOUND a monthly Visual Music series at the LOOP Bar Melbourne – seensound.com Recently she has been a recipient of an Australia Council Project Music Fellowship & new work commissions ‘Burning Antrils’, ‘Coral Bells’ & “Instincts and Episodes’ also Artist in Resident at Marshall University USA with a Edwards Distinguished Professor Artist Residency, Indiana University USA in 2015 & 2017 also ADM NTU Singapore. Also most recently she has presented her works on the Big screen at Federation Square Melbourne, Tilde Festival, ABC Classic FM. and International Media Festival at the Trafacka Arena in Prague, ICMC International Computer Music Conference Perth Australia, Echofluxx 14-19 Festivals Prague, Generative Arts Festivals in Rome, Milan, Ravena & Florence Italy, Asian Music Festivals in Tokyo, The Melbourne International Arts Festival, Futura Music Festival Paris France, Mona Foma Festival Hobart, The International Clarinet Festivals in Japan and Canada also Seoul and Australian International Computer Music Festivals. She has a PhD in Composition from UTAS and a Master of Music in Composition from The University of Melbourne.