episode #7 Mira Calix

Mira Calix is the guest for this episode. A multidimensional artist that goes beyond only sound in her work. She was first known for her experimental electronic music released on the innovative Warp Records. Over the years she has developed relationships with prestigious contemporary classical ensembles, choreographers, theatre companies, robots, scientists, festivals and venues all over the world - exapnding her output way beyond stereo limited electronic music.

As her career has progressed Mira has become "an environment builder". Works have become more immersive, exploring a variety of art disciplines and influences in her creations. Along with the music Mira has a strong vision for the visual elements in her pieces and the overall experience for her audience through these "environments" she builds.

The last 10 years have seen a number of these large scale pieces, traditional albums haven't been her focus at all. It's tricky to give you a sense of her more recent projects in a podcast as so much of their impact is in the visual element. So below, along with the usual photography by the excellent Max Adelman, I've included many videos of these works to give you a better sense of what her art is all about.

listen on: iTunes Spotify Acast Soundcloud Mixcloud Overcast and more

In the episode we chat about:

Social media and it's significance in our lives and her work
Creating ‘environments’
Ode to Joy - a recent piece taking data from foetuses in utero
Nunu - a piece using insects and the London Sinfonietta
Mira’s background
And then some!

As Mira doesn't play an instrument. We decided to head to an ice rink to record our sounds that would then become our piece of music. We spent a while there recording the ambience of the rink and even asking some more skilful skaters to contribute to the recordings by performing some 'hard stops'. We then pottered back to my flat, having our chat and got to work chopping up the recordings and constructing some music using only the sounds we gathered.

This Spotify playlist is most of the music examples you hear from the episode but in full. Have a listen, treat yourselves.

Inside There Falls presented by Sydney Festival 8th-17th January 2015 - Carriageworks Bay 17 installation presented by Sydney Festival and co-commissioned by Brett Clegg, Gretel Packer, Simon and Catriona Mordant AM & Sydney Festival Project Partner: Sydney Dance Company. Supported by: City of Sydney, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Andrew Rothery & Julia Champtaloup. With Inside There Falls , Mira Calix has created a multi-sensory installation of paper, sound, music and movement. This blanched new landscape seamlessly blends technological innovation and organic materials. Mira views all these differing materials as equal elements and expressions united in the communication of an instinctive and ancient human desire to share stories. Calix has created an sculptural environment, both physical and sonic for visitors, who she views as participants in the work, to explore. The artwork contains a custom built 180 speaker diffusion system, embedded within the sheaths of paper that cascade inside the 45 x 25 meter Carriageworks, gallery space. Every sheet of paper in this installation is unique. The way it folds and shifts is transitory. The passages you follow, momentary.Dance, choreographed by Sydney Dance Company Artistic Director, Rafael Bonachela, is an intervention. Sound is an implication, light is instrumental, music is a metaphor, all multilingual gestures traversing the conventions of storytelling. The original text, a meditation on myth and identity, was created by the Sydney-based writer Brett Clegg. The narrator is actress Hayley Atwell. Her voice audibly flows between materials reframing and recasting the narrative path for participants to follow, contemplate, explore and in so doing, create their own story. Credits: Artist: Mira Calix Choreographer: Rafael Bonachela Narrator: Hayley Atwell Original Text: Brett Clegg Dancers – Sydney Dance Company: Sam Young-Wright /Luke Mangraviti/David Mack/ Laura Wood/Juliette Barton/Josephine Weise Musicians: Violin: Daniel Pioro & Charlotte Bonneton/Viola: Robert Ames/ Violoncello:Oliver Coates/Clarinet: Stuart King/Flute: Sarah O’Flynn Executive Producer: Brett Clegg Producer: Keri Elmsly Project Managers: Erin Milne Australia &: Aymie Backler United Kingdom Fabrication: James Shearer (Other Fabrications) Sound Design and Technical Consultancy: David Sheppard (Soundintermedia) Architect: Irene Shamma Lighting Design: Alexandros Tsolakis & George Konstantitou (Overcraft) Nick Raymont Audio System Development: Dave Meckin Creative Technologist: Jonathan Green Fabrication Assistants: Lily Hunter Green, Bob Bicknell Knight, Ali Orr, Ruth Lea, Isabelle Harte Costume Design: Fiona Holley Recording Engineers: Adrian Libeyre Ramirez, Neil Quinlan Assistant to Mira Calix: Eleanor Beck Catalogue Design: Fraser Muggeridge Studio Documentation – Film & Photography: Peter Greig Original score Silver Men Drown written and produced by Mira Calix published by Mute Song and recorded at Mute Studios, London. http://www.miracalix.com/commissions/inside-there-falls/

Thanks to Mira for being an amazing guest and thanks to you for checking out excuse the mess. Please do give it a rating on iTunes if it was to your liking. I hope you enjoy this episode!

Discover more from Mira on her online portal and website. Also Twitter and Instagram. Find more music of hers on Spotify (this is old school Mira - still amazing and fresh listening though).

excuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and the Noted Fellowship