We attended a wonderful and lively party, to kick off the arts festival on the theme of memories, at St Pancras Hospital, London. It also was the occasion for the first public screening of River, from the new music/film Diversions, and the launch of the new book, in the countries of the mind.
I was invited by the artist Jill Rock, who, together with Peter Herbert and Elaine Harper-Gay from The Arts Project, had brought together for the festival an exhibition of varied, dynamic and colourful paintings and installations by eleven artists: Phil Baird, Lorraine Clarke, Melanie Ezra, Montse Gallego Reyes, Gloria Garcia, Jolanta Jagiello, Maria Lusitano, Elspeth Penfold, Joanne Roberts, Jill Rock, and Nicky Scott-Francis.
Claudette and I set up the equipment, which due to our inexperience, suddenly became temperamental. Fortunately, we were able to fix it, with some assistance. Our nerves had subsided by the time the audience filled the conference space. After the various introductions, I presented River.
I started with a randomised game that involved 12 short extracts from in the countries of the mind. These extracts were read by Phil Baird, Claudette Robertson, Maria Lusitano, Jill Rock and Nicky Scott-Francis, who were themselves randomly scattered in the audience. Originally I was going to toss a 12-sided dice, but I forgot where I’d put it (ironic, considering the theme of the festival: Memories: There’s Always Tomorrow).
Fortunately that morning (just in case of the unlikely event that I’d forget the dice) I had randomised the 12 extracts using weather data, so I used these numbers for the game instead. Astonishingly (and a genuine coincidence) the last extract turned out to be about River.
I explained that this music/film was inspired by the Thames.
In this music/film you don’t see the river all the time – but it isn’t forgotten, as it’s there throughout, in the music.
River is an audiovisual interweaving of memories, of finding wonder in the illusory everyday.
I was invited by the artist Jill Rock, who, together with Peter Herbert and Elaine Harper-Gay from The Arts Project, had brought together for the festival an exhibition of varied, dynamic and colourful paintings and installations by eleven artists: Phil Baird, Lorraine Clarke, Melanie Ezra, Montse Gallego Reyes, Gloria Garcia, Jolanta Jagiello, Maria Lusitano, Elspeth Penfold, Joanne Roberts, Jill Rock, and Nicky Scott-Francis.
Claudette and I set up the equipment, which due to our inexperience, suddenly became temperamental. Fortunately, we were able to fix it, with some assistance. Our nerves had subsided by the time the audience filled the conference space. After the various introductions, I presented River.
I started with a randomised game that involved 12 short extracts from in the countries of the mind. These extracts were read by Phil Baird, Claudette Robertson, Maria Lusitano, Jill Rock and Nicky Scott-Francis, who were themselves randomly scattered in the audience. Originally I was going to toss a 12-sided dice, but I forgot where I’d put it (ironic, considering the theme of the festival: Memories: There’s Always Tomorrow).
Fortunately that morning (just in case of the unlikely event that I’d forget the dice) I had randomised the 12 extracts using weather data, so I used these numbers for the game instead. Astonishingly (and a genuine coincidence) the last extract turned out to be about River.
I explained that this music/film was inspired by the Thames.
In this music/film you don’t see the river all the time – but it isn’t forgotten, as it’s there throughout, in the music.
River is an audiovisual interweaving of memories, of finding wonder in the illusory everyday.
