artist profiles
(in order of appearance)
Manon-Liu Winter, Amanda Stewart, Peter Farrar, Dale Gorfinkel, Robin Fox, Anthony Pateras, Martin Brandlmayr, Jaime Fennelly, Lawrence English, DJ Olive, Martin Ng, Sun of the Seventh Sister, Anthony Magen, Ben Byrne, Robin Hayward, Monika Brooks, Dave Brown aka Candlesnuffer, Quarantine, Gerard Crewdson, Rod Cooper, Kris Wanders, Rory Brown, Alex Masso, Cor Fuhler, Jim Denley, Clare Cooper, Clayton Thomas, Robbie Avenaim, Anthea Caddy, Pure Evil Trio, Jeff Henderson, Lloyd Honeybrook, Tony Buck, Thembi Soddell, Jon Rose’s Pursuit, Adrian Klumpes, Milica Stefanovic, Simon Barker, Dean Roberts, Hollis Taylor, Natasha Anderson, Louise Curham, Cass McGlynn, Simon Ferenci, Carolyn Conners, the Splinter Orcherstra, Paul Taylor, Brendan Walls, Daniel Whiting, Abel Cross, Ian Petersie, Mathew Ottignon, Shannon O’Neil, Michael Sheridan, Chris Abrahams, Karen Booth, Mike Majkowski, Werner Dafeldecker, Adam Sussmann, Matt Earle, Ryko, Bonnie Hart, Nylstoch, Abject Leader (Sally Golding & Joel Stern), Peter Blamey, John Blades, Embers, Adam Simmons, Sean Baxter, Autistic Daughters, Hammeriver, Scott Horscroft, Richie B, Cicada, Adam Costenoble, Daniel Green, Cameron Foster, Toby Burville, Anastasia Freeman, Turunn Higgins, Ivar Lehatsu, Ivan Lisyak, Stephen Fox, Will Noble, Alex White, Fortran, Sarah Last, Peter Newman
Manon-Liu Winter (Vienna), piano, electronics and clavichord
A soloist and chamber musician, specializing both in music of the classical and modern periods and being in contact with composers such as Luca Lombardi, Christian Ofenbauer, Mayako Kubo and John Cage. Recitals in France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Spain and throughout Austria. Collaborations with members of the Vienna Philharmonics, Haydn Sinfonietta, Jeunesse Orchestra, Vienna Chamber Orchestra.
Professor for piano performance, piano pedagogy, specialist class “Improvisation & New Developments in Contemporary Music” at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna
Amanda Stewart (Sydney), voice
Since the late 1970’s Amanda Stewart has created a variety of poetic texts, performances, radio, film and multi-media works in Australia, Japan, the US and Europe. From 1983 - 1993 she was a radio producer at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and in 1990 co-wrote and directed the award winning film Eclipse of the Man-Made Sun.
Recently, Amanda has been exploring disjunctions between oral, graphic and electronic forms of inscription in her poetry and vocal works. In 2000 she was commissioned to produce two new pieces for the Bayerische Rundfunk which she performed in Munich in April 2001 and in solo concerts in France and Belgium.
Peter Farrar (Sydney), saxophone
Peter is a young musician from Sydney who performs on saxophone. He is currently exploring the many possibilities of sound production on the instrument, and the logics these possibilities may create between each other. Regarding improvisation Peter is greatly influenced by much jazz, and the music that is practiced here in Sydney.
Dale Gorfinkel (Sydney), vibes, inventions
Dale Gorfinkel is a revolutionary instrumentalist working with adapted vibraphone and hand built instruments. A long time member of The Splinter Orchestra, Dale is a key force in Sydney as an improviser, organiser and inspiration to those he works with. “file under: I didn’t used to like the vibraphone.”
Robin Fox (Melbourne), Max MSP
You know my steez.
Anthony Pateras (Melbourne), prepared piano & electronics
Anthony Pateras is a composer/performer active within pre-meditated and intuitive creative contexts. His work is focused on expanding the organizational possibilities of sound through an exploratory approach to timbre, form and instrumental performance, drawing from a broad range of acoustic and electronic sonic materials.
Live, he appears regularly throughout Europe and Australasia on prepared piano in the Pateras/Baxter/Brown trio, on voice & electronics with Robin Fox, prepared piano solo or as a conductor of his own notated works. Additionally, he is founding member of the electro-acoustic sextet Twitch. He has recorded albums for Editions Mego, Tzadik, Synaesthesia and Quecksbiler, and has irregular collaborations with musicians he loves. The Los Angeles Times recently called him a geek.
Martin Brandlmayr (Vienna), percussion
Bands and projects: Radian, Trapist, Kapital band, Autistic daughters, Polwechsel
Percussionist, improviser. Collaborations with Siegrun Appelt, Burkhard Beins, Tony Buck, John Butcher, Peter Brandlmayr, Nicholas Bussmann, Werner Dafeldecker, Dieb 13, Axel Dörner, Christian Fennesz, Franz Hautzinger, Gina Hell, Florian Kmet, Christof Kurzmann, Klaus Lang,Toshimaru Nakamura, Andrea Neumann, Pure, Rashim, Sachiko M, Stefan Schneider, Martin Siewert, Burkhard Stangl, John Tilbury, Void, Joe Williamson, Otomo Yoshihide.
Jaime Fennelly (Brooklyn) harmonium & electronics
Jaime Fennelly sustains a practice of ungodly performative rituals through the perverse use of electronics and organ-drone machines. Hailing from Brooklyn, New York and currently residing in Sydney, he is a founding member of the iconoclastic trio Peeesseye, Phantom Limb & Bison, Manpack Variant and NYC’s hottest expressionistic noise cover band, Pee In My Face with Surgery. He collaborated with choreographer Miguel Gutierrez from 2001 - 2004. His music has been released on Archive Records, Utech Recordings, Locust Music, Chocolate Monk, Deep Fried Tapes, Happy Zloty and Evolving Ear. More at: SS Willoughby
Lawrence English (Brisbane), field recordings
Lawrence English has been quietly carving out a niche for experimental electronics and turntable manipulation. Lawrence, from a far seems a pretty serious guy, but up close he is better known for his penchant for acting out bad taste Michael Jackson jokes and general pranksterism.
DJ Olive (Brooklyn), turntables
DJ Olive was raised in Boston, Nova Scotia, Trinidad, Rhode Island and Australia. In ‘83 he squatted in Amsterdam’s punk scene. He received a BFA from SUNY Purchase in ‘87 studying with Jan Groover and Nick Marsicano. In 1990, after living in Greece, he moved to Brooklyn, becoming an active member of the infamous Williamsburg scene. He performs regularly with many of America’s most radical jazz musicians and improvisers and continues to compose in his Brooklyn studio, Skin Tone Riddles when he’s not playing somewhere like Tasmania.
Martin Ng (Sydney), turntables
Martin is one of that rare breed of electronic musicians / heart surgeons. He sees a genuine microscopic level relationship between his two specialities and consistently pushes the boundaries of improvised performance. He will be using turntables and laptop during the festival and probably humming “Pussy Don’t Fail Me Now”.
Sun of the Seventh Sister (Blue Mountains)
Blue Mountains inspired Ecstatic Noise ensemble with no members.
Anthony Magen (Melbourne), field recordings
Anthony Magen (Melbourne) is interested in the relationship between people within the landscape and this concept covers many surfaces and textures from urban masterplanning to small scale sonic sculpture, responses to understanding ‘NOISE’ and what it means to people and places.
He has been exploring the otic sense through field recordings and contact mic experiments and with many australian improvisors, electrofringe 2004 (Instant Places workshop + J.stern + P.blamey) and SooB 2004 (Brisbane noise orchestra + j.stern + C.Cooper) and regular Melbourne night (plug n’ play) and is an avid contributor to the rotating members of the splinter orchestra. Recent sound works include Reconciliation as part of the 2005 NowNow festival held in Sydney and dropping ephemeral sonic interventions in Melbourne that appear and disappear in an irregularly coherent fashion. Working within the landscape architecture professional means projects can range in scale from town masterplans to designs for a childrens playground requiring varying responses in development and construction. These processes inform and reveal a desire to infuse ‘process focused’ landscape work with an audible twist.
Ben Byrne (Sydney), computer
Ben Byrne is the holder of an academic genius he fortunately ignores for the sake of meaningful music making. A central figure in the organizations of Electro-Fringe, Liquid Architecture and the NOW now, Ben’s uncompromising vision and objectivity in the face of myriad personality clashes makes him an invaluable contributor to any ensemble, or drinking establishment.
Robin Hayward (Berlin), tuba
The tuba player and composer Robin Hayward was born in Brighton, England in 1969. He has developed a specific approach to tuba playing, on the one hand treating the instrument as a labyrinth of tubing within which air may be trapped and redirected, and on the other hand as a collection of individual tube lengths, tuned in whole number proportions to each other. His compositions reveal a conceptual and empirical approach towards musical instruments, draw on the musical qualities of language and explore just intonation and microtonal tuning systems. In 2005 he founded, Zinc and Copper Works, a chamber ensemble dedicated to exploring tuning possibilities and noise production on brass instruments. He plays as a soloist and in numerous ensembles, including Phosphor and Kammerensemble Neue Musik Berlin.
Monika Brooks (Sydney), accordion
Dave Brown aka Candlesnuffer (Melbourne), guitar & electric bass
A leading figure in the Melbourne underground since the earl 70’s, Dave is best known as the half of the microsonics duo LAZY with Sean Baxter and as a founding member of seminal noise core / free jazz quintet BUCKTRIDER in Sydney, he premieres work from his new solo record CANDLESNUFFER which is some of the baddest shit I’ve heard in years.
Quarantine (Melbourne/Sydney)
Kris Wanders, Peter Farrar, Gerard Crewdson, Rod Cooper, Rory Brown and Alex Masso. In full effect.
Gerard Crewdson (Sydney), trombone and soprano trombone
An artist and musician whose moral compass has led him to deep water, Gerard is a life long improviser and a man with a truly shamanistic ability to live in the moment. His engagement with Quarantine and The Splinter Orchestra will be pure heart and soul.
Rod Cooper (Melbourne), hand-made instruments
Rod started his musical career making cast iron furniture and sculpture. His engagement as a sound artist was found through the underground network of the Cave Clan - dedicated to creating site specific work for the interior of industrial structures. His instruments reflect his intimate dedication to craft and the desire to make sounds that deal with the detail within the superstructure.
Kris Wanders (Melbourne), tenor saxophone
One of the most powerful tenor saxophonists to ever breathe air through the horn, Kris Wanders was at the birth of European Improvised Music in the 1960’s.
A member of the seminal Globe Unity Orchestra his collaborators of the time included Peter Brotzmann, Louis Moholo and Fred van Hove, Willem Breuker, Kees Hazevoet, Peter Kowald, Stu Martin, Han Bennink, Gunther Hampel , Irene Schweitzer, Joost Buis, Johannes Bauer, Dave Liebman etc…
Now a resident of Melbourne, Australia, Kris Wanders regularly plays internationally.
Rory Brown (Sydney), double-bass
Has given up much to perform in the Splinter Orchestra - including his reputation as a brilliant young jazz double bassist. Please make him feel welcome.
Alex Masso (Sydney), drums
Alex Masso, at 24, is one of Sydney’s emerging jazz drummers, having studied with a number of Australia’s leading musicians and recently completing a Bachelor of Music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He is interested and involved in various types of music, with a particular interest in jazz and improvised music, but also African, New Music, Blues, Hindustani and various other styles. Current projects include Trio Apoplectic (which he co-leads and composes for), The Vampires, The Splinter Orchestra, Blue Nile/Asim Gorashi Trio, Daniel Rorke Quartet, Quarantine, Masso/Hannaford/Majkowski, a solo project, and others. On his second instrument, tabla, he studies with Bobby Singh and performs with Peter Schaeffer (sitar). In addition to these, Alex has performed with several leading musicians such as Bernie McGann, Dave Panichi and Judy Bailey, and with latin/jazz group Tigramuna.
Alex is also actively involved with regional touring with his groups and Sydney jazz organization The Jazzgroove Association.
Cor Fuhler (Amsterdam), prepared piano
Amsterdam-based Cor Fuhler works in the improvised field of electronic and contemporary music scenes. Piano is his main instrument, and he seeks to take it musically beyond usual perceptions (with use of computerised VC String Stimulators). Fuhler also manipulates sounds from turntables, Linguaphones, springs etc and filters them through an analogue synth: the EMS Synthi AKS. He often builds his own instruments/instalations/modifications such as the Keyolin: a violin with keys. Visit Cor’s site at: www.euronet.nl/users/fuhler/
Jim Denley (Sydney), woodwinds & electronics
An emphasis on spontaneity, site-specific work and collaboration has been central to his work. He sees no clear distinctions between his roles as instrumentalist, improviser and composer. He has recently been awarded a Fellowship by the Australia Council for 2006 + 07 and is currently working towards a paradigm shift in the notion and perception of the saxophone; to establish it’s relevance to ancient and current traditions in Australian music, and to extend it’s range with the addition of innovative electronics and miking.
Clare Cooper (Sydney), pedal harp & guzheng
Clare engages multiple preparations for her ancient instrument, but regardless, it’s never quite ready for the onslaught it receives under her passionate fingers. Lovers of the harp should proceed with caution.
Clayton Thomas (Sydney), double-bass
Double bassist and grass roots organiser. Clayton is forcefully pursuing a line between intimate listening, radicalism and pure energy. He has worked with many inspiring musicians whose dedication to the creative pursuit is a constant inspiration. A difficult line between uncompromising ideals and collective empathy keeps him on his toes.
Robbie Avenaim (Sydney), percussion, battery and body powered
Robbie has been performing live since the 80’s. He has gained a reputation as one of the Australia’s leading drummers and experimental sound artists. His passion is for the unconventional. He has established himself in the international community of experimental musicians and improvisers and composer. Like his peers, he takes music too much more personal and challenging realms, involving spontaneous collaborations, home built instruments and electronics.
Avenaim is also a founder and co-organiser of the What Is Music? Festival.
Anthea Caddy (Melbourne), cello
Over the past 12 years Anthea has developed a distinctive set of techniques on the cello, exploiting its textural and dynamic capabilities, whilst subverting its conventional timbre. Being conscious of the acoustic spaces she performs in, she often seeks unusual environments to perform and record her work. Musically she draws strong reference points to new music and free improvisation, intuitively navigating the conceptual and aesthetic points of convergence and divergence. She has performed at many major national sound-art festivals including Straight out of Brisbane, Liquid Architecture, What is Music?, Articulating Space, the NOW Now and Immersion. Recordings can be found on CD’s published by the Australian Computer Music Association and Liquid Architecture. She recently completed studies in sound at Media Arts, RMIT University.
Jeff Henderson (Wellington), baritone saxophone & voice
For many years Jeff has shone the torch for New Zealand’s improvised scene. He directs The Space a performance venue in Wellington and has helped host and manage visits by some of the world’s great improvisers including Evan Parker, Steve Lacy, Matthew Ship, William Parker and recently Mariyln Crispell. He is one of the true masters of the saxophone and his dedication to his art is an inspiration.
Lloyd Honeybrook (Sydney), saxophones
Tony Buck (Berlin/Sydney), percussion
Australia’s foremost percussionist, Tony has been living in Europe for 12 years, performing and recording with every major improviser of the last two decades. His phenomenal technique and deeply personal language are a blessing to behold.
Thembi Soddell (Melbourne), electronics
Thembi’s work lays deeply routed in the density and complexity of ones emotional world. Drawing inspiration from dreams and personal psychology, she works primarily with the sampler to manipulate and abstract the external world into both a vicious and alluring sonic experience. With a focus on texture and depth, she plays with the extremes of dynamics, pushing the threshold of both silence and noise, toying with the listeners sense of expectation. Her compositional style has a distinct, highly stylised edge, rigid and concisely constructed, at times referential of electroacoustic and classical composition, yet adding a seemingly grunge aesthetic.
Jon Rose’s Pursuit (Sydney)
Jon Rose started playing the violin at 7 years old, after winning a music scholarship to King’s School Rochester. He gave up formal music education at the age of 15 and from then on, was mostly self-taught. He has and will continue to play with many of the worlds most radical musicians.
Adrian Klumpes (Sydney), prepared piano
Prepared pianist and electronic musician Adrian Klumpes is exploring a very personal response to modern jazz, contemporary popular music and atmospheres associated with harmony. Best known for his work with the improvising piano trio TRIOSK, Mr Klumpes is currently exploring a solo language driven more by the ghosts of the music, rather than the event itself.
Milica Stefanovic (Sydney), electric bass
Milica (aka ‘Rockstar’) is better known as one-fifth of Australia’s hottest, most cerebral funk/roots band, Extended Family. A long-standing member of the Splinter Orchestra, Ms Stefanovic is famed for her spicy, intellectual,post-structural, pre-Baroque performance technique utilizing chains, four wooden pegs and a fretless bass.
Simon Barker (Sydney), drums & percussion
Simon is an incredibly diverse and generous musician, respected by generations of players of every genre, he brings love and great awareness to all his music. Be it Korean or Country.
Dean Roberts (Aukland), laptop & guitar
Beginning with the post-punk trio Thela and moving through White Winged Moth and into his solo recordings, New Zelander Dean Roberts has marked himself out to be a guitarist of unique talents. Roberts has played with some of the biggest names in the electric/acoustic improv scene and approaches his instrument in much the same way as the likes of AMM’s Keith Rowe, and Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore. Like them he pushes the limits of experimentation whilst refusing to let his mastery of the guitar descend into meaningless technical work-outs.
Natasha Anderson (Melbourne), contrabass and garklein recorders & electronics
Natasha combines contrabass and garklein recorders with electronics to create works which constantly shift between dialectic extremes; those of frequency, the digital and the bodily and the processed and the instrumental. Appearances in 2006 ranged from the Festival Musiques Innovatrices (France) to the Skopje Summer Festival (Macedonia) and the OFF Film Festival (Brisbane).
Louise Curham (Sydney), 8mm projections
Cass McGlynn (Blue Mountains), tenor horn
One of the rare experimentalists versed in the brass band tradition, Cass has developed a starkly personal approach to this rarely seen horn. 30% trumpet, 70% tuba and 100% super bad.
Simon Ferenci (Sydney), trumpet
Simon’s experience as one of Sydney’s youngest and busiest trumpet players in Jazz, Soul and Funk groups finds a unique voice in this festival and in the Splinter Orchestra. Here he brings his true, introspective and considered self to the fore,
Carolyn Conners (Melbourne), voice
A virtuoso vocalist, Carolyn is an energetic, charismatic force of nature, humorous and serious in equal measure – a devastating presence and a true theatrical force.
the Splinter Orcherstra (Sydney)
Paul Taylor (Auckland), percussion
Brendan Walls (Sydney), electronics
Brendan Walls has been sporadically involved in music for over 10 years (a collection of work from 1988-1994 were released in 2000, on his own Cassia fistula label). He is currently working with mixers, magnetic tape, defective hi-fi equipment and homemade electronic devices (also defective, in most cases). These are utilized to produce dense feedback environments. The fundamental objective at present is the manipulation of electrical energy and exploration of the effects of soundwaves on acoustic environments.
Daniel Whiting (Blacktown), electronics
Abel Cross (Sydney), electric bass
Ian Petersie (Sydney), baritone saxophone
Mathew Ottignon (Sydney), clarinet & flutes
Saxophones and Flute. The Open Trio helped spawn the Space 3 improvised nights under Matt’s helm. Best known for his work with Mike Nock and Jackie Orszaski, he will no doubt explore his refined and diverse experimental side during the festival.
Shannon O’Neil (Sydney), synth
Michael Sheridan (Sydney), guitars & preparations
The driving guitar force of Peril and The Great White Noise, Michael is a musical chameleon moving deftly between the languages of jazz, noise, pop and experimental digital media’s. A passionate and dedicated improviser to the core.
Chris Abrahams (Sydney), piano & dx7
Chris is one if Australia’s most recognisable creative pianists. His 16 year history with The Necks has seen him travel the world, flying the flag for improvised music. A regular performer at Space 3 he will appear this festival playing both acoustic piano and the Yamaha DX7. A must see!
Karen Booth (Sydney), alto saxophone
An allusive figure in the history of Sydney’s new creative music renaissance, Karen’s ultra minimal aesthetic and deep listening in all occasions has had a profound influence on the community sound. Sometimes it’s hard to be Lee Konitz in a John Coltrane world.
Mike Majkowski (Sydney), double-bass
Werner Dafeldecker (Vienna), double-bass, guitar & electronics
Freelance musician, composer and producer. concentrating on improvisation, electronic music and cross-over projects. A longtime sound research, pure acoustic research, and the creation of a personal sound archive are the basis for his work.
He is the co-founder of durian records and changed the face of contemporary improvised music in 1993 with POLWESCHEL one of the seminal ensembles in creative music history (Clayton’s opinion).
Adam Sussmann (Blue Mountains), guitar
Adam is performing with Sun of the Seventh Sister
Matt Earle (Blue Mountains), no-input sampler & guitar
Matt is performing with Sun of the Seventh Sister
Ryko (Blue Mountains), the utopian omniverse
Abject Leader (Brisbane)
Abjectleader perform expanded cinema pieces for multiple 16mm projectors, handmade film, feedback systems, incongruous foley noise, sprockets and flicker, instruments, and cardboard boxes. Recent performances include Madcat Film Festival (San Francisco) and Unsound (Wagga Wagga). Films this year include ‘The Gospel according to Johnny’s ghost’, ‘Bloodless Landscapes’ and a special tribute to French explorer Henri Mouhot who died of malaria in the jungle near Luang Prabang in Laos in 1861. His last diary entries read “’If I must die here, where so many other wanderers have left their bones, I shall be ready when my hour comes’. ‘ and ‘Have pity on me, oh my God….!’ Sally and Joel, along with colleague Danni Zuvela also run Otherfilm, the avant-garde film society responsible for the Now now 16mm screening program and live soundtracks…
Peter Blamey (Sydney), mixing desk
Peter is a Sydney-sider who works with the sound of saturated electronics. He has been fortunate enough to have performed at new music and electronic arts festivals around the country, including What is Music?, Liquid Architecture, Electrofringe, and also previous NOW now festivals. He has collaborated and performed with numerous local and international musicians, including Adam Süssmann, Oren Ambarchi, Werner Dafeldecker (Ger), Clare Cooper, Toshimaru Nakamura (Jap), Philip Samartzis, Joel Stern, Matthew Earle, and Jim Denley, with whom he recorded the album ‘Findings’ in 2006. He is half of a guitar duo with Anthony Guerra, plays drums in Your Intestines, and that’s about it.
John Blades (Sydney), spoken word
A founding member of The Loop Orchestra with Richard Fielding in 1982. Has presented experimental music on Sydney radio since 1982 on 2 MBS FM and has produced six special feature programs for radio national since 1994. He currently presents Background Noise With Richard Fielding on 2 MBS FM.
Embers (Melbourne)
Embers is a brutal, free jazz/grind noise quartet from Melbourne, Australia. The group is made up of bucketrider members, Adam Simmons (various saxophones), Dave Brown (electric microtonal bass) and Sean Baxter (drum kit and junk) with Globe Unity Orchestra alumni, Kris Wanders (tenor saxophone). Their music is freely improvised jazz-noise with echoes of blasting grind
and heavy, free rock.
Adam Simmons (Melbourne), saxophones, clarinets, flutes, shakuhachi
Having played various woodwind instruments for over 25 years, Adam has been involved in everything from avant-garde jazz to grindcore, ska to electronica, working with the likes of Christbait, Australian Art Orchestra, bucketrider, The Engine Room, The Mavis’s, Kate Neal’s Deadhorse and Des Peres, as well as a swathe of his own ensembles and various musical co-operatives such as Make It Up Club, Melbourne Jazz Fringe Festival and La Mama Musica. The connecting factor is an ethos of passion and commitment, seeking to promote music as a truly live performance art experience. Having just presented a Retrospective of his work at the 2006 Melbourne Fringe Fest with over 40 different performances and more than 200 musicians over twelve nights, the journey continues with Adam’s first Sydney visit since 2004 in this new ensemble, Embers - a joyous exploration of the saxophonically-sonic extremities. www.adamsimmons.com
Sean Baxter (Melbourne), drums
Pioneering hard-core-shit-core-hiphopcore-ghostface of the drums. Prepare yourself for a bogan onslaught. “Is he cute?” Justine asked.
Autistic Daughters (Vienna)
Certain songs are vessels for psychogeographic mappings. Within the contours of verse and time, you can hear the conscious, soft treading of the songwriter, who often works as a collectionneuse of other people’s private moments. The art of observation goes hand in hand with internal dialogue; before too long, the outside world is internalised, like passing incidents documented in strange snow globe configurations. The art of the song, then, is to place these discrete instants - installed, some might say, in syntax - in sympathetic settings, to manifest their evocative power by couching lyric in corollary musical form.
Hammeriver (Sydney)
Ghostly jangling bells, sinewaves, spittle and aching strings mould the skeletons of Alice Coltrane’s most sacred music, as played by Hammeriver. Harpist, Clare Cooper formed Hammeriver five years ago. The final concert of the 2007 NOW now festival - the big band edition will rumble with baritones, church bells, psychedelic video (in all the right ways) and feature a visionary fight to the death between harp and harmonium.
Scott Horscroft (Sydney), bells
While not producing Silverchar or Sleepy Jackson, he rocks the bells.
Richie B (Sydney), baritone saxophone & sound
Cicada (Melbourne)
Cicada is a collection of artists who work with landscape - urban, natural, constructed and imagined. www.cicada.tv
Anastasia Freeman is an inter-disciplinary artist, working mainly with printmaking, drawing, video, and installation. Ana attempts to create a visual language, which operates within the constructs of its own other worldliness. Whimsical gestures and weaving narratives inform much of her practise. She has completed a year at the Julian Ashton Art School, a degree in Fine arts at the University of Western Sydney, School of Contemporary Arts, and is involved with the collective Dysfunctional Feed.
Ivan Lisyak is an Electronic artist/ Musician from the Blue Mountains. Ivan is involved in many projects including being a member of psychedelic rock band Belles Will Ring and Sludge Doom- Rock duo Machine Death. His Electronic art engages in the deconstruction of time and space within a moving image utilising digital & analogue processes in an attempt to elevate tired post-production techniques of video art to their origins: the still image. Ivan has exhibited electronic art in Sydney, Melbourne and Japan as
part of these exhibitions; i.audio, performance space (2003); Video Nasty, First Draft (2004); Big Noise, Art Space (2005); Liquid Architecture, Performance Space, Sydney (2005); Satellite Of Love, Bus Gallery, Melbourne (2005); Dying Everyday, pelt Gallery, Sydney, (2006); The Sensory Image, Arts-Asporia, Osaka / Tokyo Exhibition Center, Japan (2005 ˆ 2006); Potent, First Draft, Sydney (2006)
Stephen Fox will present his new work ‘Three Land’ in the screening program.
The rhythm of three sequences of still images caught in a loop, conflicting with the visual beat of the natural landscape. When form and motion obscure vision and comprehension – what is seen only serves to detach the viewer from their surroundings.
Alex White is the hub and flouro slipping spokes of the wheel that is the nightly screen based installation works. Thank you Alex, you rock.
Fortran is Will Noble and Alex White. Signal based analogue television work. Fortran sing a dirge for the departing cathode ray tube.
Sarah Last (Muttama), field recording
Sarah is an artist and independent curator based in regional NSW on a farm 2000mtrs above sea level, consequently she generally avoids venturing into the outside world. Since 2003 Sarah has curated the unsound experimental arts and sound festivals for wagga space program http://space-program.org/. She is currently interested in dualities of nature and the paradoxes it presents with human interaction. “Still Born” her work for the NOW now festival is a field recording presenting a linear narrative that unfolds an interplay of ethical dialectics as two farmers pull a dead breached calf from its living mother.
Otherfilm (Brisbane)
Otherfilm is a collective based in Brisbane, Australia, dedicated to increasing the awareness, appreciation, and accessibility of avant-garde, experimental, abstract, expanded and other film to Australian audiences. We do this through regular screening programs, performance events, exhibitions, workshops and discussions.