Pretty Gritty #6

Sunday March 30, 2014

beats, bleeps & banging things

The first Pretty Gritty for 2014 celebrates the bang, the crash, the blow, the smack and the whack using real and virtual instruments. Steffan Ianigro creates an otherworldly carillion using a gas cylinder and processing; Jon Drummond lets the bleeps run free from his DIY kit creations; Alon Ilsar plays air drums with his interactive "sticks" joined by Julian Curwin on guitar; and Tina Havelock Stevens rocks an epic duet for drum kit and video.

 

Steffan Ianigro

Steffan Ianigro has a strong interest in exploring unusual sound sources and 'DIY' instruments though the use of electronics to expand and recontextualise the source material. Real time electronics play a fundamental part in Steffan's work, enabling adaptability and flexibility in performance. Visual aspects are also integrated such as the exploration of physical interaction with various sound sources in order to provide visual communication about aspects of concept and sound production.

The sound source of this work is a custom built bell made from an old high pressure gas cylinder. Live processing of samples combined with physical interaction with this instrument will create a sound world completely derived from the inherent properties of this bell. The work will expand the acoustic result of physical interaction into a digital realm, allowing the gradual construction of dense textures and layers.

Gas cylinder bell constructed by Tim Hankinson and John Wright.

http://steffanianigro.com

Jon Drummond

Drones, textures, glitches and beased created with handmade electronics, low fi intstrumens, with copy left designs.
The Salmon Of Knowledge Stops To Ponder
The Bull Of Cooley Follows The Rainbow
Deirdre Of The Sorrows Weeps Into The Sky
The Fir Bolg Ravage The Plains
The Children Of Lir Gather In The Forest
The Leprechaun Giggles Nimbly
The Merrow Folk Glimmer Calmly

http://www.jondrummond.com.au

Alon Ilsar

Alon Ilsar is an instrument designer, electronic producer, percussionist and composer. He has been involved in projects as diverse as Darth Vegas, Company B's Keating! the Musical, Eddie Perfect, Meow Meow, Circus Monoxide, Emergence, Bondi Dreaming, The Colors Tribute Band, Gauche, Trigger Happy, Foley, Gl;tch Jukebox, Aronas,The Renovators, The BZNZZ, KIllsong, Faulkland, Captain Kirkwood, The Rescue Ships, Magnetic Heads, Brian Campeau, Pugsley Buzzard and The Tango Saloon.

For this performance, he will reveal his current invention - the AirSticks - a new interface for electronic percussionists to trigger sound simply through gestures in air. He will be joined by long time collaborator guitarist Julian Curwin of Tango Saloon fame.

 http://alonilsar.com

Tina Havelock Stevens

Tina Havelock Stevens is an interdisciplinary artist who works across music, sound, observational film making, video installation and performance. As her incarnation “White Drummer” Tina taps into the frequencies, the electromagnetic pulses of places and times and the inexplicable. Sturdy beginnings in seminal post-punk band Plug Uglies through to her current collaboration The Mumps, and many other lives along the way has culminated in her art practice of solo and durational drumming. Tina turns her work into different formats for diverse purposes such as live spontaneous composition to film, installation and projection. The works are usually site specific occurring in unusual natural environments, extraordinary urban structures or gallery spaces. The performances are not framed by their location, but inhabit them visually and sonically.

Selected work includes White Drummer Submerge, MONA FOMA 2013 commissioned live world-first performance/sonic event of Underwater drumming, White Drummer on Water- MONA FOMA, Funpark - Sydney Festival, White Drummer Detroit -Tin Sheds Gallery, Winner Fisher Ghost Prize Contemporary Award 2013, Chicks on Speed Collaborations, Transmission at Campbelltown Arts Centre, Ghost Wash for Brisbane Festival, Retro Future Spective Festival at PS122 in NYC, Alterbeast - Penrith Regional Gallery, Gertrude Street Contemporary and Sydney Biennale 2010, Artspace.

http://tinahavelockstevens.com