Text and Music

The aesthetic science of human ecology constantly attempts to find the perfect balance of the current dynamic human environment. In the quest for balance, contemporary ideas have taken over traditional thoughts and identity issues arise in the community, for example in the arts. The art of music and puisi Melayu (Malay poetry) have always strived on the
quest for aesthetical beauty. Therefore, the intent of composing music for ‘Prosa Air Mata’, a poetry written by Dato’ Usman Awang, is justifiably appropriate. The combination of two different art forms - music and poetry - into a single artwork embodies the creativity and emotive qualities of music and text. Responding towards the issues of identity, the prominence of a Malay theme, especially in the choice of a Malay language source of text, is juxtaposed with a contemporary music ensemble not found in Malay culture. The resulting vocal composition of ‘Prosa Air Mata’ shows the composer highlighting Malay literature into a more contemporary idiom of music and arts.

White Masks is a project which revolves around a cycle for cello, live electronics and resonating masks and that focusses on loss. In particular, the project refers to the loss people have to face alone in an increasingly individualistic society and the loss of communities and music traditions refugees go through when they are forced to leave their countries. The idea of the artists is to build a community in the form of objects resonating with 'memories' from the performance of the cycle, entangled with pre-recorded texts from Frantz Fanon, Samuel Beckett, Hans-Peter Dürr and Hilde Domin, and the audio contributions collected from the audiences with which the project will get in contact. During the performance, compositions such as Rebecca Saunder's Solitude, Silvia Rosani's Cera and others will alternate with intermezzi, which will entail live electronics, cello improvisation and the resonances of the objects positioned around in the performing space, thus what the two artists refer to as the masks. Some visual projections will also be arranged on these objects to intensify their humanisation. The performance will, therefore, be shaped in waves, so that the compositions will result as wave crests and the intermezzi as throughs. This cycle will mirror the transformation from life to death and the return of birth. After the performance an interactive installation will stay in place so that people can leave an audio contribution to be embedded in the intermezzi of the following performances. In this way, the project will slowly be enriched by contributions from local communities, which will be invited by the two artists, such as Goldsmiths students, school classes, local poets and musicians, refugee-poets and musicians, traditional instruments' player, and specific women communities, thus offering a safe environment especially to those which struggle to raise their own voices. The project is supported by the Music Department of Goldsmiths, University of London, and, in particular, by the Sound Practice Research Unit (SPR) and the Contemporary Music Research Unit (CMRU). The performing space of St James is the perfect frame to our project and will be easily accessible to local communities from New Cross and Peckham. The Electronics Music Studio (EMS) at Goldsmiths would be providing the equipment necessary for the project, except for the masks, which Silvia would realise in advance. The performance will be preceded by a seminar Esther and Silvia will hold on the project for the Goldsmiths students and external guests. The project has deep roots into Silvia Rosani's research on how to strengthen the relationship between text and music via the sound analysis of human voices uttering texts in specific socio-political contexts. This research investigation has met both artists' interest for non-Western music traditions and click languages, and has led to the adoption of integrative approaches in order to blur the distinction between composer, performer and audience. This project would offer an excellent opportunity to create an environment in which South East London communities and Goldsmiths students and staff can get in contact, hence questioning a segregation which, although not necessarily physical, is still quite palpable. The project has benefitted so far of the contribution of the Francis Chagrin Award, which has enabled the two artists to acquire part of the equipment necessary for the realisation of the project, and of the support of the Institute of Musical Research (IMR).