Composer, Performer, Instrument Designer, Academic
Convergence – An International Conference/Festival of Music, Technology and Ideas, Thursday 12 to Sunday 15 September 2019. The key note speaker was Curtis Roads and I was invited to speak on a panel about the conference theme ‘Simplicity and Complexity’ with Barry Truax, Annie Mahtani, Roopa Penasar, chaired by John Young.
1 6 : 0 0 – 1 7 : 3 0 A C M C C O N C E R T – L I V E E L E C T R O N I C S
D R A M A T H E A T R E , B U I L D I N G 6 8
Donna Hewitt
“Permafrost for Surround” (2019)
Permafrost is a multi channel work (5.1) for live recorders and fixed electronics . The work is composed specifically for Blackburn and is the first composer- performer collaboration between these two artists . It is inspired by Alana’ s comprehensive musical vocabulary with the recorder family and highlights her extensive performance experience with the instruments .The work utilises both natural and synthesised sounds , including some recordings of Antarctic wildlife. The work aims to entwine the textures , timbres and spatial character s of the live and pre-recorded sounds . The work is inspired by the concept of ‘Permafrost’ , the ‘permanently ’ frozen earth found in colder climates . The predicted thawing of the permafrost is accompanied by some ominous scientific predictions for the future of our climate, ecosystems and health and was at the forefront of Hewitt’ s mind as she composed this work.
25 June – 7 July
10am – 5pm daily
Bondi Pavilion Gallery
#Me Too video installation was included in the lovely exhibition.
A Waverley Artist Studios project for Bondi Winter Magic.
A lucky-dip of artworks derived from the Waverley Artist Studios, this exhibition is a mixed-bag of delights showcasing the works of Waverley studio artists from 2010 to present.
Artists include:
Andrew Christie, Donna Hewitt, Douglas Lance Gibson, Greg Semu, Jacqui Butterworth, Julian Talarico, Kevin Mackay, Kevin Platt, Kirsten Fredericks, Lisa Patroni, Mason Kimber, Maz Dixon, Megan Hales, Tannya Harricks
FLO & Friends: City Jam – Zagreb, Academy of Music, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia, 21 June 2019
FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Magdalena Chudy (PL), Donna Hewitt (AU), Ariane Stolfi (BR), Ada Mathea Hoel (NO) + Zagreb Flute Ensemble (ZAF): Renata Penezić, Marija Esih, Danijela Klarić Mimica & Lidija Ljubičić + Academy of Music, University of Zagreb/4 SYRINX: Marina Novak (HR). A telematic multi-channel audio-visual performance collaboration featuring live electronics, voice processing, flute improvisations and dance art videos Hands & Vase I, Hands & Vase II and Walking in Lines by Fumi Tomioka (JP) and Aki Kawashita (JP).
Video 1
Video 2
EO + FLO: Live at Halfback Books & Records, Dee Why, Sydney, Australia, 6 June 2019
Lovely performance with Ethernet Orchestra collaboration with Female Laptop Orchestra recorded live at Halfbackbooks & Records, Dee Why, Sydney Thursday 6th June 2019.
The concert featured visiting FLO founder and sound artist Nela Brown, Sydney based sound artist and vocalist Donna Hewitt, Mir Shahab Chilan performing on traditional Persian instruments balaban and dozaleh and trumpeter and sound artist, Roger Mills performing live at the bookshop.
Online performers included:
Chris Vine (guitar and electronics), Londrina (BR)
Holger Deuter, keyboard and synths), Speyer (DE)
Lea Ikkache (electronics), Paris, (FR)
Sonia Wilkie (flute and live coding), Melbourne (AU)
Check the excerpt from the first part of the performance expertly mixed by Roger from co-located and remote audio stems!
Check the excerpt from the second part of the performance (filmed with the Zoom Q2n), in which the notoriously flaky Australian network started to ‘rear its ugly head’, allowing Roger and Mir to do a nice balaban and trumpet solos 🙂
FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Sonia Wilkie (AU), Donna Hewitt (AU), Léa Ikkache (FR) + Ethernet Orchestra (EO): Roger Mills (AU), Mir Shahab Chilan (IR), Chris Vine (BR), Holger Deuter (DE). A telematic performance collaboration between Female Laptop Orchestra (FLO) and Ethernet Orchestra (EO) with live electronics, voice processing, trumpet, traditional Persian instruments balaban and dozaleh, piano, electric guitar, and soundscapes from Dee Why beach.
FLO & Friends: City Jam – Melbourne, Testing Grounds, Melbourne, Australia, 1 June 2019
FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Sonia Wilkie (AU), Donna Hewitt (AU), Maria Mannone (IT). A telematic audio-visual performance featuring live electronics, voice processing, acoustic piano, projection of dance art video ‘In the Woods’ by Fumi Tomioka (JP) and Aki Kawashita (JP) and live digital drawing by Susanna Langley (UK/AU).
FLO Collab pics
Where Yarra Meets Darebin, Macgeorge House Sessions, Ivanhoe, Melbourne, Australia, 26 May 2019
FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Sonia Wilkie (AU), Donna Hewitt (AU), Ariane Stolfi (BR) + special guests: Kylie Supski (PL), ReVerse Butcher (AU) & Michelle Frencham (AU). A telematic multi-channel audio-visual performance featuring live electronics, poetry, video projection and live visuals.
Donna Hewitt teamed up with Paul Smith and his Blush Opera Company to undertake a residency at the Joan Sutherland Centre. The proposal was selected following an open callout for artists and groups of artists passionate about Western Sydney’s creative culture. Q Theatre selected five artists-in-residence for the Q Lab ’19 Residency program. The recipients were provided with financial assistance and space as well as technical and dramaturgical support for creative development.
The proposal put forth by Hewitt and Smith was to develop an electronic operatic performance work for two performers with a working title, “The Digital Marionette”. This piece will explore the dominant themes of puppetry and specifically the notion of control and interactions with the body and projection of the voice. The world of puppetry involves a complex hierarchy for the performers and also challenges audiences to consider who is causing what actions to happen as in a traditional puppet show.
The relationship between the puppet and the puppeteer is always a kind of weird dance. One puppeteer who has been working with his puppet for 35 years says his work has been an experiment with the relationship between him and his puppet. ‘It all has to do with power,’ he says, ‘and who is the boss.’ Sometimes it’s him, sometimes it’s the puppet.
The aim of the artists is to draw together the media of electronic music, and opera performance practice to consider how the musical and performative overlap can be structured in relation to the concept of puppetry. The artists will explore the use of wearable gestural controllers opening up a modern paradigm for the concept of the puppet, where the data from the movement of the bodies can be used in many ways to control the elements in the performance. The performers can control each other, their voice and the production of the sound and other media elements.
The team were joined by dancer and theatre maker Cloé Fournier who became the puppet/ digital marionette during the project development.
Donna’s new composition Permafrost is premiered at the Tilde~ New Music Festival in Melbourne. Written for and performed by Alana Blackburn.
The work is for recorders and fixed electronics. It is inspired by Alana’s comprehensive musical vocabulary with the recorder family and highlights her extensive performance experience with the instruments.
The work utilises both natural and synthesised sounds, including some recordings of Antarctic wildlife. The work aims to entwine the textures, timbres and spatial characters of the live and pre-recorded sounds. The work is inspired by the concept of ‘Permafrost’, the ‘permanently’ frozen earth found in colder climates. The predicted thawing of the permafrost is accompanied by some ominous scientific predictions for the future of our climate, ecosystems and health and was at the forefront of Hewitt’s mind as she composed this work.
Visiting Canada this week. First stop is an artists talk for the students at Concordia University and then I head off to Nova Scotia for the MINT Conference where I will speak about my work with gestural interfaces and perform with the eMic and wearable. I am also looking forward to a performance with the Concordia Laptop Orchestra cLork. http://mintconference.ca/
