[NetBehaviour] Improvisation

Wed Apr 1 16:55:18 CEST 2015

lovely ( and interesting technique-wise of course, but first and foremost, lovely)michael

      From: Mab MacMoragh <mabmacmoragh at gmail.com>
 To: NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity <netbehaviour at netbehaviour.org> 
 Sent: Wednesday, April 1, 2015 1:42 AM
 Subject: Re: [NetBehaviour] Improvisation

peter and simon i enjoyed very much reading your descriptions of the improv music gatherings
i have added a machinima to the 0P3NR3P0 NetArtizens gallery of a virtual piece scripted by oberon onmura called contact improvisation (it no longer 'exists' in a virtual art improv place that no longer 'exists' except in further field artworks derived from the artworks, the objects were coded to dance according to contact improvisation principles which they did autonomously and independently according to locus of contact
the sounds were generated by the dance itself and were not added or edited by me
https://vimeo.com/123712004

it seems this improv process could be an apt metaphor for the NetArtizens project
oberon's text about the piece:
Upon entering a Contact Improv structure, two bodies must come together to create a point of contact (i.e., back to back, shoulder to shoulder, head to head, leg to leg, the options are endless), give weight equally to each other, and then create a movement dialog that can last for an undetermined amount of time, as long as both participants are fully engaged." Steve Paxton, the creator of the Contact Improvisation modern dance movement, was a founder of the Judson Dance Theater, which was formed and performed in a church in NYC's Greenwich Village. The activities around the Judson Dance Theater were central to the development of some of the most important artwork of the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Artists involved include Yvonne Rainer, David Gordon, Trisha Brown, Lucinda Childs, Meredith Monk and many others. This simple piece mimics a Contact Improvisation process. Fortunately, the four elements are always "fully engaged."

On Tue, Mar 31, 2015 at 5:57 PM, Simon Mclennan <mclennanfilm at gmail.com> wrote:

Peter,
Thanks for putting this so clearly, this is pretty much my own experience of improvised music over the last few decades.
In Brighton there is a similar group known as SAFEHOUSE collective. We meet monthlyfor the open session, open to both members and non-members. Ensuring a steady flowof newcomers to the group. Some stay some flow through.
It is indeed the discipline, if you like, of listening and reacting and being reacted to, by the other playersand the audience, that is challenging and rewarding. It is safe to experiment and try new ways of playingand relating to the other sounds. 
There is always at least a small audience, and not just players.
I notice and enjoy the fact that there is always a tension between what is performed and not performed, or what could betermed performance. What is permitted. Can you try to speak to the other players - in your normal speaking voice - in a performed voice,speak to the audience. Can you suddenly move about and forget about your instrument. Dance. Draw something.
It’s great.
It’s a big clot of people who come together, in the same room, and sometimes it might sound dull, other times you sweat with the sheer greatness ofit. But there is no bar that you must rise up to. It seems to be social. Sometimes you fall back on the old tricks, you know, the licks, but if you notice youcan soon put a stop to that and add to the beauty of the sound by shutting the fuck up, and so become very much a part of the whole shebangin your very absence.
Simon 

On 31 Mar 2015, at 14:19, Peter Gomes <petegomes at gmail.com> wrote:

Notes on "The Gathering" 30/03/2015 
Lats night I attended ‘The Gathering’ inLondon. Starting in 1989 stemming from people from London Musicians CollectiveMaggie Nichols describes it ;“It started with improvising musicians but quicklyexpanded to include anyone who wanted to explore and experiment in a welcomingenvironment. It's a place where experienced musicians use their skills toencourage rather than exclude others.” It is now a loose group of players whomeet weekly in London and also in Wales. 
What struck me yesterday after my post toNet Behaviour was ‘The Gathering’ and its relationship as a way of working andcommunicating. There was a complete absence of judgement or ego among theattendees. In fact, there was no discussion as to the value of the outputitself, the musicianship or anything produced. The real value appeared to be inthe interaction, the actual process of communication in the midst of acollective creative act, and the ability for players to connect to each otherbeyond language or structure. 
What was evident is this process oflistening and response, was a subtle dialogue of maybe mimicry, repetition, andawareness of the other players and silence. It functioned like a network ofindividuals responding to feedback physical, sonic, aural. A system. 
It is a real social network of musiciansand makers. Tea, playing, talking in between. When we played, yes it wasimprovisation. Technically you might call this ‘Free Improvisation’. We workedwithout structure or planning, key, rhythm or style. People used speech,percussion, drums, violin, flutes, guitar, voice, and vocal sounds. Theatmosphere there was a genuine creative freedom, where you tried new thingsbecause you knew there were no consequences for right or for wrong. Risk didnot really exist because creative fear was simply not present. 
Each participant is autonomous but in anact of collective co creation. A creative network of individuals workingtowards an unknown creative emergent output. 
If there are any doubts about the precisionof this ensemble these are dispelled at the point where the pieces conclude.There is an innate sense of knowing when playing comes to an end, an acuteawareness of each individual, their role and the connection between each player,and collective sense of exactly when to stop.

-- 
@gomespete
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