fray star, echo
work in textiles for vocalist
2018
indeterminate duration
the first exploration of somatosensory notation
the score is currently in the process of being quilted by textile artist Mary Palmer. This will add a translucent layer of texture and give the finished piece a collaborative aspect.
texture and colour inform interpretation; two parameters act on the same space at once, on the same sound at once
temporality emerges in performance
localised, personal ascription of meaning to asemic forms
original performance notes:
Appliqué with liquid and powder dyes in linen, cotton, and hessian
186 × 134 cm
When interpreting the work, the singer should combine or incorporate their
experiences and impressions of both colour and texture, through interaction with
both the eyes and hands. Vocalisations and gestures of any kind are permissible,
so long as the relations between colour and texture are discernible.
A number of example approaches are given below:
1. The singer may use the hands to feel along the score in a linear fashion, singing
continuously with corresponding changes. Two hands may come into contact with
that many or more colours and textures at any given time. Hands are likely to conceal
colours, so they may have to be contemplated in advance of their corresponding
texture.
2. The singer may remain on an area, sing it, and move between areas that are not
contiguous, with or without a temporal gap.
3. The singer may choose to represent the stasis of the artefact; this might involve
maintaining a consistent sound, unchanging in any number of parameters (timbre,
dynamic, etc.), for either a duration proportional to that which elapses while looking
and/or touching or for one that may act as a temporal depiction of the score. This
could be sung live, presented as a recording of multiple samples assembled to form
a more complex or layered sound/sonic event, or might combine both approaches.
For more information/commentary on the work, or to see the notes written for its public exhibition at Gonzaga College 2020, please get in touch using the contact form.