IHOS Music Theatre & Opera, HyPe and Salamanca Arts Centre presents:
ECHO PART 1 – A NEUROLOGICAL SOUNDSCAPE
A site-specific intimate and immersive experience into an auditory world of an 85-year old living with dementia.
17 – 21 April 2013 | A SITE-SPECIFIC EVENT
45 Murray Street, Hobart
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR CONSTANTINE KOUKIAS
SOUNDSCAPE BY JANE BAKER
PRODUCTION DESIGNERS ELVIO BRIANESE & PETA HEFFERNAN
LIVE SOUND ENGINEER GREG GURR
LIGHTING DESIGN JASON JAMES
A new work from the Tasmanian creative team behind The Barbarians (MONA FOMA 2011), IHOS Music Theatre & Opera Artistic Director Constantine Koukias has worked closely with collaborators Jane Baker (Scenarist and Sound Artist) and architects Elvio Brianese and Peta Heffernan (Directors of Liminal Spaces) to explore the inner world of the neurologically disjointed and emotionally isolating experience of living with dementia; creating a 20 min experience for only 24 persons at a time.
The scenario concept is based on juxtaposed themes of the daily routine of living in an aged care facility and the inner world of memories and “dreams”. The audient enters a space, an unfamiliar environment, and is then immersed into a predominately auditory world. They are the central character, a person approximately 85 years old, living in this moment – with dementia. It is a suggestive experience.
Echo Part 1 – A Neurological Soundscape requires each audience member to wear a set of headphones. They will be seated in the round along the perimeter of a revolving stage and will experience an environmental manipulation of visual and auditory suggestion, launching them into the space that is neither awake nor asleep. Like many IHOS productions, this will be a unique experience that will premiere in Hobart.
Liminal Spaces’ design approach to performance stems from philosophies where the essence of an idea is captured and presented through minimal forms and the manipulation of space; where the interaction between the performer and space define one another. This has led to collaborations with IHOS for Kimisis (MONA FOMA 2010) and The Barbarians (MONA FOMA 2012).
IHOS is a performing arts company based in Tasmania, Australia, with an international reputation for original music-theatre and opera. Works are multicultural, multilingual and exploit multiple art-forms, blending voice, dance and sound with installation art and digital technology. IHOS has origins in the Greek-Australian tradition. The company was established in Hobart in 1990, by composer and artistic director Constantine Koukias, and production director Werner Ihlenfeld.
After 22 years of productions, Echo will be the last work for IHOS , before Artistic Director Constantine Koukias relocates (temporarily) to Amsterdam to pursue the creation of a new company.
JANE BAKER is a musician, composer, performance & recording artist and has worked and studied in the fields of music, art and science and their synthesis. She has studied guitar in Tanzania (overseas study grant: Phonographic Performance Company of Australia) and amongst her achievements is her honorary life membership of East Africa’s most prestigious band Msondo Ngoma. She has worked with IHOS as an improvisational percussionist on The Barbarians (MOFO 2012). Over the past 20 years, Jane has acquired extensive experience and a deep understanding of neurologically challenged people. Her experience includes designing and facilitating diversional & music therapy programs for: intellectually and physically disabled adults and children, elderly people, high needs dementia patients, African refugees, gifted children and people with acquired brain injuries. Jane has studied science, music and psychology at the University of Tasmania and more recently, part-time study in a Bachelor of Science (Neuroscience). Her specific interests include; degenerative brain diseases, neuroplasticity and psychophysics. Jane’s current research and experimentation combines human neuroscience (sensory perception and neurofeedback); applied science within the arts (emerging and existing technologies & applications) and physics; and media technology (sound, light and digital media) to generate altered sensory experiences and achieve sensory augmentation and illusion.
Jason James – Lighting Designer – has worked as a lighting designer for over ten years; creating designs principally for new works. His recent credits include The Barbarians and Kimisis for IHOS Opera, Shadow Dreams, Sleeping Horses Lie, Love, and The Gatekeeper for Terrapin Puppet Theatre, Branch Book Bench, The Company I Keep, If I jumped I’d Fly Tasmanian Theatre Company, Birds for M.A.D.E., The Landing Party, SAC35 for Salamanca Arts Centre, Death by Television for Briony Kidd, Hieronymus for Andrew Harper, ErrorInTime() for Nancy Mauro-Flude, La Casa Di Signori Marrisa Mastrocola and Nigel Kellaway. Jason has a Diploma of Live Production, Theatre and Events, and an Associate Diploma of Electrical Engineering. He is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Fine Arts majoring in Sculpture. During the day he teaches the lighting and core studies for the Diploma of Live Production, Theatre and Events for Salamanca Performing Arts Course in Entertainment. http://www.mediamixed.com/
HyPe is an initiative of Salamanca Arts Centre (SAC), supporting the creation of innovative, contemporary hybrid theatre in Tasmania. HyPe is funded by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and by Hobart City Council and Arts Tasmania.
17 – 21 April 2013
Performance Times:
1:15pm
6:00pm
6:45pm
7:30pm
8:15pm
HyPe is an initiative of Salamanca Arts Centre (SAC), supporting the creation of innovative, contemporary hybrid theatre in Tasmania. HyPe is funded by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and by Hobart City Council and Arts Tasmania.
