Warn me before you improvise. Die Einzelteile der Liebe is a collection of scenes from the outside of a Berlin apartment block. In this liminal space, the movie uncovers fragments of the realities of modern parenthood, the opposition of ideas and irrationalities of love. One scene captures a moment between Sophie and Georg (divorced) and their… Continue reading Warn me before you improvise.
(This article is inspired by a talk given at the Philosophy of Improvisation: Aesthetics of Imperfection Workshops) To be the master of perfect is inconceivable to Joe McPhee - he can only ever learn how to be a bigger mess. The Joe McPhee Trio concert on Thursday the 4th of October marked a reunion between Joe… Continue reading Artist of limits.
(This article is inspired by a talk given at the Philosophy of Improvisation: Aesthetics of Imperfection Workshops) Improvising pianist, Adam Fiarhall, likes the rival aesthetics of imperfection and perfection and is, in fact, at peace with crudeness. Perhaps where a problem with perfection versus imperfection arises resides in our tendency to separate practice from performance. This is… Continue reading The Instrumental Impulse.
(This article is inspired by a talk given at the Philosophy of Improvisation: Aesthetics of Imperfection Workshops) Improvisation is like instant coffee! There is no romanticising - improvisation does not pretend to be anything it is not. Improvisation is incomplete; it is not given much thought, if any. What if this is precisely what makes improvised music impressive?… Continue reading The Present Imperfect.
(This article is inspired by a talk given at the Philosophy of Improvisation: Aesthetics of Imperfection Workshops) If musical composition is a means of achieving perfection and musical improvisation takes value in imperfection, what we are dealing with, aesthetically, is not an issue of taxonomy. The difference is in the spontaneity. Graeme Wilson, free improvisation researcher and performer,… Continue reading Imperfect Interactions when Improvising with others.
(This article is inspired by a talk given at the Philosophy of Improvisation: Aesthetics of Imperfection Workshops) Feldman's compositions don't impose themselves on you, and they refuse to shout about their meaning or importance – even their length. They also resist your attempts to predict what might happen next. His music is full of repetition, and… Continue reading That’s Not Freedom, That’s Taking License.
(This article is inspired by a talk given at the Philosophy of Improvisation: Aesthetics of Imperfection Workshops) Recording is known to be a laborious, time-consuming process. Many takes and crumpled sheets of manuscript paper later, the desired sound might be vaguely achieved, and we haven't even started talking about quantising the beat or splicing yet. Rock… Continue reading Perfection and Authenticity.
(This article is inspired by a talk given at the Philosophy of Improvisation: Aesthetics of Imperfection Workshops) What is the perfect performance? Does such a thing even exist? Perhaps perfection is a transient moment. Upon looking back at a video or recording, for example, is it still perfect? Most importantly, can we draw something positive from… Continue reading The Aesthetics of Possibilities.
(This article is inspired by a talk given at the Philosophy of Improvisation: Aesthetics of Imperfection Workshops) The sketch gives a creative and artistic link to the practice of architecture. Despite computational design, algorithms and software that have extended the abilities of the architect, the hand-drawn sketch is still important today. If the sketch is the… Continue reading Architecture of Imperfection: Unfinished Sketches and the Sublime.
(This article is inspired by a talk given at the Philosophy of Improvisation: Aesthetics of Imperfection Workshops) truth and reality in art do not arise until you no longer understand what you are doing and are capable of but nevertheless sense a power that grows in proportion to your resistance - Henri Matisse It is not uncommon for… Continue reading Ethics and Embodiment in Dance improvisation.
(This article is inspired by a talk given at the Philosophy of Improvisation: Aesthetics of Imperfection Workshops) With his prepared semi-acoustic guitar balanced flat on his lap, David Brown set off to show us his fascination with 'imperfect sounds'. Using utensils such as pegs and a fanlike device related to the sound of a fly, David produced… Continue reading Rarely heard, small unwanted sounds from the focus.
(This article is inspired by a talk given at the Philosophy of Improvisation: Aesthetics of Imperfection Workshops) Gardens are forever maturing. I have watched my grandmother plant seeds, water them, watch and worship them. Perhaps after a certain point, your garden becomes independent and self-sufficient. You lose an element of the control you once had. Phil… Continue reading Still water moves.
(This article is inspired by a talk given at the Philosophy of Improvisation: Aesthetics of Imperfection Workshops) Corey Mwamba's thoughts on the mistake gave me more questions to run with than answers to sit down with and that is why I enjoyed listening to him so much. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCx1kx0md2U In this video, skip to 1:45 and you'll… Continue reading The Mistake as Material.
(This article is inspired by a talk given at the Philosophy of Improvisation: Aesthetics of Imperfection Workshops) “I must apologise before I start”, said Martin Mayes, and proceeded to confess that he had pre-prepared his presentation. So much for a workshop based around the theme of values in imperfection and improvisation! Alas, he shall be forgiven,… Continue reading “Stardust” : Seeing and Imagining what Isn’t There.
(This article is inspired by a talk given at the Philosophy of Improvisation: Aesthetics of Imperfection Workshops) Visual artist Claire Zakiewicz does not make art. She prefers to label her creative work as a practice in listening, learning and observing. Claire's work resides in the world of 'spatialised time' – a place where the shapes of sound,… Continue reading Struggle and Surrender : Process and Material in Painting.
The abstract noun, ‘Imperfection’, has quite a comfortable locale in our everyday modern vocabularies. But take a minute to really sit on the word. To repeat it out loud a few times. To think about what on earth it actually implies. You will find that ‘imperfection’ ceases to be a straightforward entirely; it becomes quite… Continue reading An imperfect introduction to Imperfection.
A violin cannot lie. Anecdotal experience tells me so. What I mean is that every light lift of the bow, its return to the string, and the shifting nuances of weight in the stroke, is audible. The musician's conscious and subconscious impulses have nowhere to hide when it comes to the sound; it is almost as… Continue reading Brahms and the philosophy in archery.
In the space of a mere week, Prague revealed to me lessons of life, love, music and writing. An orchestra tour is a time for concerts and music, of course, but also for playing cards into the night and discoursing about everything from space orbital manoeuvre to cold shock response and how long it would… Continue reading A dear little mother with claws.
Last night at the Qatar National Convention centre, three young Qatar National Music Competition winners staged a musical celebration of their achievements and it was, most positively, an evening of pure spectacle. It was one of those concert moments in life where, as much as I prefer composing and being behind the scenes than being in… Continue reading QPO and QNMC winners in concert : Qatar’s most talented young musicians.
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