In The Oval Portrait by Edgar Allan Poe, an artist paints his bride. His perfectionism pulls the strings, costing him many weeks to get the mouth and the ‘tint upon the eye’ just right. Barely casting his eyes from his work, the artist forgets to cherish his wife in the flesh. She sits silently in… Continue reading Necessity in art
The marrow of the aesthetics of imperfection is that it is an aesthetics for performance. Riddled with risk, a lot can go wrong in the performative moment. Music is primarily a performing art. I say ‘primarily’ because our mode of accessing music is drastically different from a hundred years ago. Some say recording technology has presented… Continue reading #3 The marrow is performance
“There is no categorical distinction between improvisation and performance [of compositions]; rather, there is a continuum of practices" - Nicholas Cook. Composition and improvisation exist on a fluid line. Their performative aspects stand in a continuously overlapping sequence, making them interdependent. On the one end stands composition, its epitome being pre-realised, pre-structured electronic music. On… Continue reading The continuum
It is not generally known that in the past, musical improvisation and composition were one and the same thing. Today they are, in one sense, fiercely opposing concepts. In the 19thcentury, improvisation quietly started to disappear from its position in the performance aesthetic. People stopped tolerating deviations from the musical score such as extemporization of… Continue reading #2 No imperfections here.
Musicians, academics, dancers, gardeners and architects gathered together last year in Newcastle to throw a party for 'aesthetic imperfection' in celebration of spontaneity, process and mistakes. In accordance to the theme, attendees came clothed in the coloured tatters and rags of disclosures about their art. Claire, visual artist, confessed she does not really make art,… Continue reading Revisiting the Aesthetics of Imperfection.
(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.
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