Australian label Room40 calls itself “a beacon of sound” and invites you to explore the boundaries of audio performance at the two-evening festival Open Frame. Taking place in contemporary multi-arts centre Carriageworks, Sydney, delve into the experimental from June 28 to 29. “This year, Open Frame meditates on states of sonic intensity. Each artist is a study of intensities”, says curator and fellow composer Lawrence English. “This is music that reaches deep inside us and activates a sense of being which is beyond the moment of encounter. A chance for deep and lingering sonic affect”, he continues. Here are some of our top picks.
On Thursday hear France’s leading electronic composer Eliane Radigue’s world premiere of Occam XXIV played by Australian musician Cat Hope. A devoted Tibetan Buddhist, Eliane composes un-scored, sensitive and intensely focussed ambient music exploring states of consciousness. Then comes Charlemagne Palestine’s Australian exclusive performance; across both visual and audio mediums, he’s been pushing the boundaries of piano playing since the 1960s. Hailing from New York City, he’s previously exhibited at the MoMA, the Whitney, the Venice Biennale and Documenta Kassel, one of his highlights being Ccornuuoorphanossccopiaee Aanorphansshhornoffplentyyy, an installation piece featuring eighteen thousand stuffed animals. Expect nothing but the extraordinary from Charlemagne.
Friday sees one of the most important ambient music composers, William Basinski, perform an exclusive piece for the festival. Basinski is a multi-disciplinarian saxophonist, clarinettist, sound and visual artist. His Disintegration Loops was emblematic of 9/11, and was one of the very few albums that Pitchfork awarded a perfect score. Following Basinski is Pan Daijing. You might’ve heard of her: a leading figure in the current avant-garde. This composer and artist has performed across the international cultural scene – from iconic Berghain to festivals such as Sónar, museums like Palais de Tokyo, and theatres HAU and Volksbühne. She uses field recordings from temples and ritual practice blended with her ‘80s industrial and Tibetan music influences, all live scored and combined with movement and theatrical performances; her music morphs like she does.
Lawrence English curates a festival of handpicked influential composers, musicians and artists who in turn will inspire the emerging creatives of today. Reach meditative states with ambient sounds, experience hallucinatory electronics, and witness iconoclastic musicians rejecting traditional instrument playing. What better way is there to spend a winters evening or two?
Friday sees one of the most important ambient music composers, William Basinski, perform an exclusive piece for the festival. Basinski is a multi-disciplinarian saxophonist, clarinettist, sound and visual artist. His Disintegration Loops was emblematic of 9/11, and was one of the very few albums that Pitchfork awarded a perfect score. Following Basinski is Pan Daijing. You might’ve heard of her: a leading figure in the current avant-garde. This composer and artist has performed across the international cultural scene – from iconic Berghain to festivals such as Sónar, museums like Palais de Tokyo, and theatres HAU and Volksbühne. She uses field recordings from temples and ritual practice blended with her ‘80s industrial and Tibetan music influences, all live scored and combined with movement and theatrical performances; her music morphs like she does.
Lawrence English curates a festival of handpicked influential composers, musicians and artists who in turn will inspire the emerging creatives of today. Reach meditative states with ambient sounds, experience hallucinatory electronics, and witness iconoclastic musicians rejecting traditional instrument playing. What better way is there to spend a winters evening or two?
Open Frame will take place on June 28 and 29 at Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh, Sydney.
Eliane Radigue
Charlemagne Palestin
William Basinski
Pan Daijing
Drew McDowall