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The Interplay Project explores unique multidisciplinary collaboration
Musican Ben Brown and Dance Artist Naomi Brand , one of seven groups of collaborators, throw down in multidisciplinary showcase.
Nothing is new in art making, so they say, but what happens when artists in different practices unite to create?
The Contingency Plan and Moberly Arts and Cultural Centre present, The Interplay Project October 24 and 25, an interdisciplinary performance lab that sees just such an engagement of visual arts, performance art, dance, music, spoken word, theatre, new media and lighting design that could break through the naysayers.
Experimental new works by established and emerging Vancouver artists, The Interplay Project features seven groups of artists showcasing their collaborations.
Dancer Naomi Brand & musician Ben Brown; dancer Julianne Chapple & visual artist Ed Spence; visual artist Amelia Epp & multi-media artist Bronwen Payerle; dancer Thoenn Glover & lighting designer Rob Sondergaard; poet Amal Rana, classical Indian dancer Priti Gami Shah & multi-media artist Noor Attar; interdisciplinary artist Laurel Terlesky & art with activism interdisciplinary artist Bronwyn Preece ; and the dance company plastic orchid factory- working with visual artist Natalie Purschwitz, sound designer Kevin Legere, and lighting designer James Proudfoot.
Catching dance artist Naomi Brand and musician/percussionist Ben Brown in their first days of rehearsal, they were discovering what the beast of their collaboration looked like.
The pair met teaching teen summer schools of art, music and movement at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in Burnaby. Art talk ensued.
“It’s a playful, experimental way to put our conversations into practice, “ suggested Brand. “Both of us are interested in composition and finding the form.”
“Naomi is a natural composer,” enthused Brown.
The marriage of dance and music is not unique but this collaboration is starting from the ground up creating something fresh and reacting to whatever comes up in the rehearsal room.
“There is a relationship between music and dance that prioritizes the dance," said Brand. “Ben and I are equal partners. We’ll both be involved in each others’ work and at the same time, finding relationship within."
“The physical actions will create the sounds so we’re not starting with a movement vocabulary,“ explained Brand. “Ben has to move in order to make sound and somewhere in that pedestrian movement, a link could arise.”
Brown is using percussion, cassette player and loop pedal, moving from each station with a sense of movement. That movement will then be focused on with light provided by lamps.
Brown explained what looping is, “Looping focuses on one sound, like a pebble thrown in the ocean. More attention is put to that one sound through repetition.”
“We’re starting with improvisation and then setting it, “ said Brand. “It’s not our intention to make beautiful dance or beautiful music. It’s about the problem solving and figuring out the elements and negotiating ideas about making performance.”
THE INTERPLAY PROJECT takes place on Oct 24th and 25th at 8pm in the Moberly Arts and Cultural Centre’s intimate Studio Theatre, 7646 Prince Albert St, Vancouver. Tickets: $20/$15 purchased at the door, box office opens at 7:00 pm. For more information please call (604) 718-6521. www.contingencyplan.ca
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