Stillaphone

water, brass receptacles, brass chain, plastic bottles, dripper nozzles, fabric.
site-specific sound installation.
Durham International Brass Festival, The Old Music School, Palace Green, Durham 2013.

A drop of water falls from the rafters into a brass jam pan. The pan rings out; and the space resounds back. Just as that happens, another drop falls elsewhere in the room, then another, and another…

In this immersive installation in a historic grammar school, a makeshift ensemble of everyday household objects played a fantasy for water, brass and space. Teapots, coal scuttles, jugs and planters were sounded by water drops to create a subtle composition exploring the connection between sound and architecture. Walking around the space, the audience could experience the piece from different points of view. As the day went by, the piece changed: the pace slowed and water filled the brass objects, lowering the pitches they produced.

“Like a post-John Cage take on ‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head’, with echoes of Ligeti’s Poème Symphonique for 100 metronomes in the use of chance. A very ingenious, yet strangely calming artistic creation.” – Reviewed by Andy Hamilton in The Wire 355, Sept 2013

A Brass:Pitch commission for Brass: Durham International Festival.