Kontakt: INK in photos + videos
Plus links to artists + #SaveTheComplex
A warm and special evening despite the weather - huge thanks to everyone who came along to Kontakt on 30 November at Kirkos in Dublin.
As I described it on the night, Kontakt is something I do when I want to get a bunch of interesting people together in a room to make some music. It’s hard to call it a concert series as it takes place so sporadically, so instead I like to call it just an open space to try things out, to showcase something new, or improvise. (Almost) all Kontakt gigs end with a group improv which anyone including audience members are welcome to join
Since starting in 2018, I’ve had experimental ensembles, singer-songwriters, modular synths, and international soloists take part in Kontakt. You can check out past line-ups as well as photos and more at the link below.
I’m particularly grateful to regular collaborator Sebastian Adams, who is one of the most creative people I know, and always presents something surprising and brilliant, and who has hosted many of the gigs at the venue he runs with Kirkos (formerly Unit 44, now 1 Little Green Street), as well as playing. I love the openness of this venue, especially with the inviting windows, letting the world in and also making you feel like you are really part of a wider world rather than hidden away in a black box. It’s run by Sebastian and his Kirkos colleagues with devotion and care and love, creating a hub where artists feel supported to come by, be weird and be creative.
The line-up
Sebastian is also always generous in sharing his ideas and music. At this gig he improvised with viola and microscope in a weirdly hypnotic set.
Then there were four songs by singer-songwriter Laura Hyland, who was joined by Carolyn Goodwin and Judith Ring. It was such an honour to give Laura a platform for the first outing of these absolutely gorgeous songs - I’ve been a fan of Laura and her band Clang Sayne for a long time (check below to listen).
Following that there was a return to strings with the wild textural improv of Joanna Mattrey, someone who I had only met briefly before but hope to see play again. It was particularly cool to see her play a Stroh violin (amplified by an attached metal horn), which I’d only ever seen behind glass before!
I finished up with the first full set as INK - complete with sensor array, painting controller and modular - all of which (miraculously) worked. In the spirit of Kontakt being a safe place to try things out, I made a last minute decision to perform kneeling - it allowed the audience to see better, but more importantly it allowed me to more thoroughly explore the Noh-inspired gestural movement I was aiming for (more detailed blog post on this forthcoming).
[Plus kneeling brought an extra bonus - kneeling with the system on the floor meant it was automatically electrically grounded and I didn’t need to worry about it while performing. But also kneeling brought an extra problem: numb feet.]
Watch
I’ve edited together a video of my set taken from a streaming camera, together with a few minutes of phone footage recorded by audience member Olesya Zdorovetska (thanks Olesya!), which you can watch now below.
LISTEN
You can also listen back to a - slightly trimmed - broadcast of everyone’s sets in last week’s Kontakt show on CAMP Radio.
While You’re Here… #SAVETHECOMPLEX
Around the corner from Kirkos is another of Dublin’s great art spaces and home to the Improvised Music Company and more - The Complex. At the start of December, The Complex was give notice to quit on 14th January, taking with it one of the city’s only remaining inclusive multi-disciplinary spaces.
The Complex is also home to The Cooler, home of the Improvised Music Company (and therefore much of the country’s jazz artists), a gallery, and artist studios. This article on The Journal of Music gives some insight into why this space matters to so many people.
You can help by signing the petition here.
