My overall practice is driven by my fascination with the illusory qualities inherent in cinema and early animation. Imagining myself as a cinema pioneer I explore the interplay between the moving and the still, creating works that sit between the pre-cinematic and the digital.
By discovering low-fi ways to add movement to single images and commonplace objects/materials, my intent is to ignite an element of wonder at the illusion of cinema, giving the everyday enough of a twist to allow the imagination to run free.
We live in a society where the material is being replaced by the immaterial. This has drawn me to use tangible everyday materials in my work that I juxtapose with the relative immateriality of video. Behind the scenes of my videos there are various hand-crafted mechanisms that drive them that are hand-operated/cranked.
In recent years I have made kinetic works for audience interaction that have been shown internationally including Turner Contemporary, Margate, U.K, 1shanthiroad, Bangalore, India and Basement 6, Shanghai, China.
'The Pineapple Project', Commissioned by Bristol Beacon (formerly Colston Hall) & Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. First performed at Colston Hall in Bristol in November 2018
The Pineapple Orchestra consists of 9 bow-activated string instruments. When each instrument is played a fresh pineapple top spins and its leaves pluck the strings to create sound.
The pineapple instruments are playable by all regardless of musical background. They layout a blank canvas whereby everyone can come and enjoy a musical journey without any set rules or techniques.
The project draws a parallel with the dark colonial history of the pineapple alongside a more positive contemporary view of the fruit, to explore how we can create inclusive narratives about today’s society, whilst acknowledging the past.
In November 2018 The Pineapple Project brought people from all over Bristol together to play the instruments. The 16 piece community orchestra co-created music with a composer over a 2 month period. This culminated in a performance at Colston Hall. Some of the players had never played an instrument before.
Colston Hall was going through a contentious name change, by disassociating themselves from Edward Colston. Although Colston did great things for the city, he was a noted slave trader. The instruments intended to form a playful and disarming entry point into discussions around this matter and about inclusion in our current society in general
PRESS
'Bristol's slavery past has never before been confronted quite like this', Music Review Bristol 24/7, by Martin Booth, November 22nd, 2018
www.bristol247.com/culture/music/review-the-pineapple-orchestra-colston-hall-foyer
‘Meeting instrument inventors challenging traditions and shifting boundaries’ ‘The Prototype’ BBC Radio 4,
Presented by Hannah Catherine Jones & Produced by Eliza Lomas, May 2019
https://wscdn.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p078v9p2
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Each instrument is made with wood, a gourd, strings, & a pineapple top.
Smallest Instrument: 60cm x 20cm x18.5cm
Largest Instrument: 118cm x 33cm x 28cm
CREDITS:
DESIGNER: Elena Blanco
COMPOSER: Rowan Bishop
PLAYERS: Susan Scarborough, Liam Joseph Beckles, Rob Boardman, Jan Davies, Grace Ekall, Ruth Fehilly, Andrew Fudge, Adam Hedley, Cassandra Imandy, Alain Rouamba, Rowan Shaw, Richard Stockley, Martin Urmson, Steve Watson, Mamadou Keita
LUTHIERS: Adolfo Cabrera, German Arguello, Santiago Auquilla & Cesar Arteaga
SOUND ENGINEER: Colin Pegum
With special thanks to Shashank Satish who sparked the idea for this project when I saw him spin a pineapple top in India.