Concurrent#2 will take place in January 2017! The second public event by Edinburgh College of Art’s research network for improvisation between disciplines follows on from Concurrent#1 in 2016; on that occasion capacity audiences enjoyed an array of workshops exploring innovative ways for distinct improvisers to access each others’ practice and ground-breaking performances, documented on our Media page.
This year, activities get under way on Friday 13th January with talks from some of the collaborators on new work in progress, including Sophia Lycouris’ development of movement work in response to Edinburgh’s Botanic Gardens. Performances will follow integrating the sound world of the saxophone with live drawing and dance, including recent work by alto player Christian Ferlaino and new experimentation from Raymond MacDonald and Graeme Wilson (ECA) with visual artist Emma Bowen (Garage gallery, Edinburgh).
On Saturday 14th, daytime workshops will include on-going work to integrate the improvisation of dance and music therapists, using a performance between therapists and non-therapists to query how performative expectations shape improvising. Adam Linson (University of Edinburgh) will discuss improvisation as a characteristic of documentary film-making, while Tara French (Glasgow School of Art) and Ana Almeida (ECA) will explore barriers and opportunities presented by improvised singing or dancing, as perceived by participants in last year’s workshops. Peter Wiegold (Brunel University/Club Inegales) will work with dancers and musicians on a system of conduction to encompass both disciplines.
Performances in the evening of Saturday 14th will include the culmination of Peter Wiegold’s workshop, and more experimentation with strategies for cross-disciplinary improvising groups directed by Graeme Wilson & Raymond MacDonald. Saxophonist Franziska Schroeder (Sonic Arts Research Centre, Queens University Belfast) will perform with visual artists in an emerging electro-acoustic collaboration with ECA’s own Jules Rawlinson.
The full programme is posted on our Events page: Concurrent#2. Please register for this exciting kickstart to 2017 on our Eventbrite page (attendance is free, but places need to be reserved). See you there!