Waves to the Shore and The Dancing Harpy

More time in the workshop.
The piece Waves to the Shore is another commission for the 'Currents and Masses' series (see later post)
and 'The Dancing Harpy' is for an exhibition at West Lavington in the summer, a number of new pieces are being created for that exhibition, I am working on a couple of new 'Cloud Benches' at the moment.

Colour Blindness

Some of you may know already and to others this may be a shock but I am colour blind, red, green and brown and quite common in men, it might be the reason I create black sculptures and shy away from colour in my work and it is certainly why I shied away from painting.  So this piece reminds me of all those colour blind test I have failed at, no I can't see a 7 or a boat or a whatever else one was meant to see, I just saw dots, so this sculpture makes me smile, it's black and there are no images to be seen, just holes and light and lovely it is too, any colour is the colour of the real world coming through the holes rather like  John Cages's silent piano piece 4.33.
I have been busy in the workshop and over the next few weeks some more pieces will appear, plus I now have two looper pedals and my sound work is developing along nicely as well and hopefully the announcement of a gig at the beginning of february, keep the first free in your diaries.
Happy New Year.

More Movies and Echoes and Waves

Echoes and Waves has just been and gone at the Red Brick Gallery in Glastonbury, a showing of the 6 films made by Richard Tomlinson of me playing in various places around Somerset, at the gig I played live to accompany those films and from the response of people it went very well, although of course I couldn't tell as I couldn't see the relationship of me playing next to the film, live and digital.  I look forward to seeing the film of that one day soon.

Here in the meantime are links to the last three remaining films from that series, which means all are now linked on my blog for you all to watch at sometime.

In a rural church:        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGMIJPRrnes

In a wood:            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PRSC7a-guY

In a wood again:        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgHAbRF5q8E

I have also completed a new collection of music called 'Absence' which can be listened to via my soundcloud:  https://soundcloud.com/michael-fairfax

This is a departure from recent recordings as this is back to just me playing and the incorporation of some field recordings in my wood, all very interesting and certainly food for thought for new work.

I have also just started work on a new instrument today which I hope to complete soon and I am very excited about especially as it entailed hollowing out a log!  I shall keep you in suspense for a few days yet.

More video links of me playing in spaces around Somerset

You have already seen the film of me in Banwell Bone Cave, here are links to two more films by Richard Tomlinson of me playing at venues around Somerset, the first one is set in the Old Morland factory in Glastonbury:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byIuwLVGr_I

and the second one is at a saxon round house near Shapwick.

                                     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOfjhm5_arI

Workshop Activites

 So the first cold blasts of winter come to the south west and I have been in my workshop keeping warm making a few things, firstly the 'Stringed Oak Limb' a limb gathered from the woods and a potential instrument revealed.  This one is strung with both metal{stainless steel} and nylon strings, a listening point is  revealed in the bark, and again I can only be surprised at the fantastic sound that can be heard placing ones ear to the oak.

After this a present for my good friends the Hartas's, they have wanted something for a while and a 50th seemed a good a time as any, so a bowl for their table to be laden with fruits seemed a good idea.

                                      

Branch Harp

Another wood another harp.
This one has two sets of strings and so can be played with two hands, it also has a piezo contact mic which can be sung into. I will put a link to the video Richard Tomlinson filmed of this performance once it is finished, we are preparing for the concert and film presentation on the 1st december in Glastonbury of
his Echoes and Waves event, I will also post the flyer when I have that too.

Video of the Trail of the Tree Harps

Photo Rainy Lehrman

As promised you can now hear the sounds of those tree harps:
Go to my vimeo site:
https://vimeo.com/77587596