‘Flame-Jam' report for Gas journal 2005
Interpreting live music in flame worked glass presents a unique challenge: How to convey the variety and subtlety of synesthetic color, form and texture to be found in even a single fleeting bar of music within the time span of a performance?
For our combined three hour demonstration, Chris Arnold and I opted for a more realistic approach: Allowing the music to exert a general influence on our glass improvisation which was otherwise governed by sculptural imperatives.
We had several very fortuitous circumstances going for us. One was that the ‘Mystic Beats' a northern NSW band of flameworker musicians with whom I'd previously collaborated were interested in attending the conference and participating in the project. They are: Bodhi Seed on guitar and electronics, Mathew Farrell on Indian Serangi and Sitar, Zhonu Moon on percussion. Even the singer Nina Ray was prepared to come.
Another was that local flameworkers: Steve Morris and Dirk Venema volunteered to provide valuable technical assistance, kilns, accommodation and even a slab of grey-brown slate as a base for the sculpture. (this reminded Chris and I of the semi- arid plains we'd crossed on the 12 hour drive from Melbourne and no doubt influenced the sculpture's likeness to a landscape of abstracted tree-forms).
On our arrival at the Jam factory we were met by the friendly face of Matt Larwood and a fever pitch of excitement around the impending conference. After an exhilarating and inspirational one day workshop with Robert Mickelsen (during which various hot American flameworker Dudes floated in) we rehearsed in the demonstration space and tried to catch what we could of the rest of the conference which seemed to have started everywhere all at once.
Chris and I had pre-made various strange objects which could be woven in to the improvisation like riffs in a jazz solo as well as premixed spindles and rods of assorted colors and patterns so that if the music turned purple, we could go purple and if the music turned stripy… Hell, we could handle that too.
The demo began with us absorbing the music which was Indian-Raga inspired, and very meditative, a good starting point. Then we fired up and as the sculpture got underway, time just vanished. The music got more dance oriented and even funky in places. Sometimes I felt compelled to put down the glass and pick up the saxophone for a while then I'd remind myself that I was here to make a sculpture.
There seemed to be a natural breathing point around the middle of the demo during which the music stopped and I gave a bit of a description of what we were doing. Members of the audience felt free to wonder in and out, which was pretty much essential in order to catch some of the other great things that were going on simultaneously.
Steve Morris who seemed to be in three places at once assisting with all the flamework demos, still managed to video our event while Donna Eichholz kindly took photos.
We somehow finished the piece - amidst the avalanche of other activities - just in time for the silent auction. All things considered, we were fairly happy with the result. Its one thing to create an entertaining spectacle and another, to create a viable sculpture out of it. I think on both counts we came pretty close at least. We also had an extremely good and interesting time.
We'd like to thank Pamela Koss, Robert Mickelsen and everyone at Gas for giving us the opportunity to demonstrate and for going to the trouble to bring the whole show to Adelaide - so far from home.
We'd also like to thank Janine Toner, Matt Larwood and all of the Ausglass people who worked tirelessly to host the event. Charles at Northstar glass kindly provided the borocolor. Travel expenses for this project were assisted with the sponsorship of the Nava Visual and craft artists grant, managed by NAVA with financial assistance from the Visual Arts/Craft board of the Australia council, the Simpson-Michel Foundation and Pat Corrigan.