We made our first TV studio project after Covid last week, recording four new pieces by Lab members. It was great to be working with the studio crew again, and we had a fun couple of days trying out some new kit and making some sounds.
We recorded two new pieces by Harry Matthews – Distraction Piece and Home and Away Chords. Distraction Piece features visiting research fellow Elliot Simpson on guitar playing some Luis Milan (very beautifully!), while Harry, James Saunders and Caitlin Rowley go to increasingly desperate lengths to distract him. He’s just too good though. Caitlin also recorded Harry’s piece for multiple speakers playing back audio Caitlin had recorded at home in her studio and while travelling, playing viola live while moving around the speakers. We recorded this one with a binaural mic to give a sense of the movement.
Caitlin also recorded her piece A Memory of Wind, based on readings from coastal rocks overlaid with maritime charts, realised on solo viola. This is going to be part of an extended version of the piece with Misha Penton.
We finished with a recording of James’s reaching an acceptable and stable solution, filmed with a top down camera to allow the chaos to unfold in a slightly more balletic manner.
The videos will gradually appear on the Lab’s video page, and we are planning on making more soon.
