From: Sandeep Bhagwati (sandeep.bhagwati@gmail.com)
Date: Sat Jan 15 2011 - 08:37:47 EST
Something that has bugged me while reading many calls for participation in
ea-festivals...
So my reaction to this call is just the proximate, not the underlying cause.
Three excerpts from the Sonorities call (see below)
"..the aim of bringing to Belfast the best music for adventurous ears..."
"...it [is] essential that selected composers and artists attend the
Festival..."
"...the Festival will contribute towards the costs of participation with a
sum of £350..."
These three statements, taken together, define the target group as composers
a) of independent means / employed by a university
b) living in a country that supports travel for composers / with a private
sponsor (and are savvy enough to get that)
d) living relatively near Belfast (preferably with friends in Belfast where
they can crash on the couch).
It excludes composers who
a) try to live from their art (and despite persistent rumours to the
contrary, there are some - and they are not the worst)
b) live in poor countries or countries that do not believe in generous
public support for the arts (e.g. US)
c) live too far away from Belfast and have no friends there
So, even if one accepts the statement that there is such a thing as "the
best music for adventurous ears",
the conditions in the call do not really ensure that it will be brought to
Belfast.
Assuming that the best music is only made by those in the target group is a
tall claim.
The subliminal message the call (and many calls like it) sends, is: we need
more music to fill our festival and to show off/test our facilities.
So if you are prepared to not only compose something we can accept but also
eager enough to pay for your travel and board..fine, come.
If not, well, too bad - we are not that into you anyway...
Dear Festival curators (and this is not only for Sonorities):
I understand that there are limited funds.
But why always aim for a large number of participants?
Invite the few that came out best in your call - and treat them properly.
They have given their best in creating work that excited you.
Give them your best in honoring this fact: a proper honorarium and all
expenses paid.
I think it would indeed change the ea scene for the better if more festivals
would adopt such a policy.
And perhaps a poor, but brilliant composer from Djakarta, Ahmedabad, Dakar
or Chengdu would suddenly have the heart to apply, too.
The relative affordability and ease of access to electroacoustic music has
opened up experimental music making to many composers in otherwise
traditional music cultures. I think ea festivals should not persist in
creating conditions that exclude this groundswell.
Perhaps one of the many reasons why ea music has not garnered the public
attention and popular interest so many of its compositions merit may lie in
the cloistered and insiderish atmosphere that reigns in its festival scene -
universities that invite students and academic employees to play their work
to the local academic students and employees - and treats all equally
fairly.
Perhaps the controversial act of choosing only two hitherto unknown and
unpedigreed composers from a call would instigate a fervent discussion about
the choices. And offer a way out of the current aesthetic stupor induced by
the cautious and cosy everybody-gets-to-play watering-can principle...
My two cents
Sandeep Bhagwati
composer, media artist
Director Hexagram Concordia
Montreal
2011/1/15 Pedro Rebelo <p.rebelo@qub.ac.uk>
>
> Apologies for cross-posting, please distribute...
> *
> *
> *Sonorities Festival of Contemporary Music* *2011*
> *Queen’s University Belfast*
> *8-9 April 2011*
> *http://www.sonorities.org.uk* <http://www.sonorities.org.uk/>
>
> *Call for Works*
> The Sonorities Festival of Contemporary Music invites composers and artists
> working in new music to submit works to be presented during Sonorities 2011.
> The Festival will present four events showcasing works selected from an
> international call for participation. This event builds on Sonorities’
> reputation for attracting high calibre composers and performers from all
> over the world to present exciting new music in Belfast. The concerts will
> be curated by composers in the School of Music and Sonic Arts and will focus
> on practices such as live-electronics, improvisation, multi-channel audio
> and audio-visual work amongst others. This year’s Festival will reflect
> current practices and trends with the aim of bringing to Belfast the best
> music for adventurous ears!
>
> We welcome works by composers/performers, improvisers, new media and sound
> artists.
>
>
> We encourage two types of submission (maximum 1 work per category):
> 1. Live Performances
> This includes laptop improv, VJ, audio-visual, live-electronics, sound
> poetry... Please submit the work in a documentary format that reflects the
> nature of the performance (e.g. audio recording, video, software,
> photographs).
>
>
> 2. Fixed Media
> This includes Stereo works for diffusion, multi-channel works and works
> with video.
>
> The Festival will take place in the Sonic Arts Research Centre’s Sonic Lab
> performance space. This unique environment for the performance of
> electroacoustic music includes facilities for sound projection in a full 3D
> environment through loudspeakers located above and below the audience area.
> The experimental nature of the space makes it essential that selected
> composers and artists attend the Festival to perform their work.
>
> The Festival will contribute towards the costs of participation with a sum
> of £350 per selected work/performance.
>
> *Submission Guidelines: *
> For fixed media work and audio recordings please submit through
> http://soundcloud.com/sonorities and include a short bio in the
> description field indicating full duration of the work and technical
> requirements. If you wish you can make your files private and only
> accessible by sonorities@gmail.com
> Alternatively you can send a CD or DVD with materials including short bio
> and programme note (Word Doc or PDF) to the following address.
>
> Sonorities Festival of Contemporary Music 2011
> Sonic Arts Research Centre
> Queen’s University Belfast
> Belfast BT7 1NN
> Northern Ireland
>
>
> *Important Dates:*
> Deadline for Submissions: Wednesday 26th January 2011 (postmark for postal
> submissions)
> Decision Date: 9th February 2011
> Festival Dates: 8-9 April 2011
>
> *Contacts:*
> Dr. Pedro Rebelo (Festival Chair)
> Dr. Miguel Ortiz (Open Call Co-ordinator)
> email: sonorities@gmail.com
>
>
>
>
> *Sonic Arts Research Centre*
> The Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC) is a newly established centre of
> excellence, dedicated to the research of music technology. This unique
> interdisciplinary project has united internationally recognised experts in
> the areas of musical composition, signal processing, internet technology and
> digital hardware. The Centre was completed in October 2003 and was
> officially opened by Karlheinz Stockhausen in April 2004.
>
>
> http://www.sarc.qub.ac.uk
>
>
>
>
>
>
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