Listen to music: "THE RISING " / "SHONGWENI" / "DARK WATER"

transience immersive performance events

Site specific live music & environmental video projection works

by Colin Offord and Yeh Yilan

transience #1 premiered in October 2007 in the Japanese Gardens of Gosford Regional Art Gallery. A ninety minute, intimate spectacle projected across the plants, stones and water. It was performed by Chris Finnen: guitars, Paul Jarman: reeds & flutes, Paul Dengate & Chris Miller: sound engineers, Yeh Yilan: waterbells & frogs, Colin Offord: voice, mouthbow, windpipe, shells & moonbells.

transience is an ongoing series of site specific, immersive performance events that transform static architectural and natural settings into transient worlds of moving image and sound. The structure of each performance is unique to its place and time. Offord and Yeh re-edit, re-structure their extensive repertoire of music and video works to suit the scale, aesthetics and ambience of the chosen environment. The basic elements remain the same yet performance is a new work shaped by its time and place. Where possible new video works will be filmed specific to the location.

Yeh Yilan’s video works are mesmeric and enigmatic. What at first appear to be special effects gradually reveal themselves to be subtly modified reflections, shadows and collages of the beauty of the everyday world. The performers are immersed in these images projected directly across the environment.

Below are simulated images of how "transience" could work in different spaces: museums, galleries, theatres, halls, natural and architectural environments.

Background

Since his first exhibitions and experimental performances in the Sydney gallery scene of the late ‘70’s Colin Offord has given concerts and staged performance events throughout the world. He has presented his work in theatres, galleries and concert halls, at arts and music festivals, in ballrooms, cinemas, cathedrals, on the beach, in caves and in the bush, in a volcanic crater and in all kinds of architectural and industrial settings and in the digital realm.

In 2004 he began collaborating with Taiwanese video artist Yeh Yilan, creating a film/concert work “ Tyranny of Distance” commissioned by Le Maillon Theatre de Strasbourg and for the Festival de Sept Collines, St Etienne France. With the support of Screensound Australia the film combined Offord & Yeh’s videography with footage from the 1923 silent film masterpiece “ For the term of his natural life”.

Colin and Yilan presented a new work “Island to Island” in collaboration with the dancer / choreographer Yogi Yu Chun Chan for the Crown Theatre Festival in Taipei, Taiwan. In 2005 Colin composed the music for Yilan’s new media PhD video installation “Dancing Brush” which was presented at the International Conference for New Media Arts at Tainan National University of Arts and back in Sydney in 2006 at Kudos Gallery, COFA, University of N.S.W.

These collaborations and Colin’s experiences of performing in many extraordinary places are the inspiration for “transience”.

Process & technical

As a site specific work exact technical requirements are variable and need to be decided in relation to size, shape and acoustics of the venue. The work can be stage in an outdoor or semi-outdoor setting provided it is reasonably isolated from surrounding light sources and noise.

1. Site is chosen in consultation with the presenter.
2. Site is visited and/or studied through plans, photographs and video.
3. Characteristics and issues of acoustics, light and scale are identified. PA system and sound engineer to be determined.

4. Visual approach is designed according to the scale and character of the site and the number and power of projectors and types of lenses available. In some cases staging, rostra and panels serving as screens may be added. There should be as little intrusion on the unique character of the environment as possible. The idea is to reveal and enhance the existing qualities of a given place.
5.Determine personnel required: musicians, physical performers, sound engineer, projectionists, technicians, and riggers.
6. Compose and rehearse, film and edit new pieces specific to location.
7. Performances.

Projectors
Basic requirements for larger venues are two projectors of 6000 lumin. For more intimate venues it may be possible to work with a number of 3600 lumin or possibly even smaller projectors. At some venues it may be interesting to add TV monitors.