ArtScience Late: 'Bout sound and vision

Don't you wonder sometimes

'Bout sound and vision 

 David Bowie

In my previous post on C.H.O.P.P.A. I made the statement “sound by feeling rather than feeling by sound”. In context and this was in relation to how and when people move while making music. At  C.H.O.P.P.A., to me it appeared that the order of things were more, emotion, movement, sound than emotion, sound, movement The difference may be minor but I do believe it can be there and that the latter is more what occurs at other stages than C.H.O.P.P.A.

I had no idea how soon I would see more evidence of that!

Last Thursday we decided to finally follow up on an invite by Vanini Belarmino for one of her Thursday night ArtScience Late shows. I said we because I have visited earlier events but my wife had not. ArtsScience late fills one Thursday a month with Avant Garde performances by artists from all over the globe. 

I have to admit that I have been secretly admiring Vanini (no this is not an early Valentine's declaration) on her ability to source and plan these events. I met Vanini in 2013 at the launch concert of Sing Jazz and was back then already impressed with what I saw of her organizational energy. 

What ArtScience late added, is that I am amazed by her knowledge of the contemporary arts scene and her ability to organize performances here in Singapore, with success. Thursday was extremely well attended. The lobby the Arts and Science museum at MBS was filled to the max. 

The performance is called Hypermnesia and revolves around a small round stage with i a pole n the center (as in pole dancing). The stage is created by Composite, a mix of artists and engineers. It is an interactive platform and pole and it contains sensors that respond to body heat, touch and movement. I recently read about Hypermnesia in a book titled Subliminal about the unconscious mind (more coincidences, or not?). 

Before I would not have thought it was a real word! Even Microsoft forgot to add it to the dictionary. It means something like vivid and/or very exact memory. Not exactly something I suffer from. That’s why I take photos!

 

Vanini wrote in her introduction “The randomness of contact will see the reversal of rules and roles in the usual creation of music and dance” This statement put a smile on my face because I saw the connection with my own observation around the timing of movement and sound.

I had noticed that the stage was round so there was no real front or back. I wanted to be as much in front as possible but of course did not want to bother other viewers so positioned myself on the side next to a table that was filled with a sound mixer and various computers. A person approached Vanini who at that point was standing next to me and told her that, for the right effect, during the performance the sound engineer should not be behind the table. 

It was only when I was putting this post together that I understood why. It was essential for people to understand that all light and sound was produced by contact and movement of the intense dancer, Eisa Jocson!

 

I did a little bit of Googling on Eisa and found that she is quite a character, if I may describe her like that. I think she gained name and fame by two projects that have in my perspective both a strong artistic as well as a social message. 

It appeared from what I read, that like Vanini, Eisa doesn’t accept an easy way out and does not like half measures. A trade I have seen in many of the female part of the country where these two lovely ladies are from. 

In many other places this may be true to some extent but in this case particularly, it may be good if the men in that country would only help set the stage, and leave woman to perform!