Julia Christensen

Fifteen Musical Projects:
Another Exchange with Pauline Oliveros
(After Baldessari)

1.

What are all the possible sounds from a piece of paper?
From objects in your pocket?
From a self-portrait?

2.

One hundred people say RAIN.
Why not one thousand people say TRAIN?

3.

Performers making sounds that they associate with the feeling of HOT and COLD.
Perform when HOT. Perform when COLD.

4.

Six manifestos cut up in a box, make collage score and play.
Sign a manifesto on one breath.

5.

If a video makes you dance, is the video being played like a score?
Dance with two videos simultaneously.

6.

Musicians dress like artists, speak about their artwork, sit in studios. A visual performance.
Artists dress like musicians, speak about their music. Choose an instrument. Play!

7.

Animate words in essay written by musical critic of choice.
Randomize the sentences of an essay written by a musical critic of choice and publish it.

8.

An entire vocal studio on stage performing without using their voices, but with hand tools. Singing with drills, saws, etc.
A vocal studio sings from a hand tool catalog.

9.

Prior idea can be extended using a farm, all animals wearing contact mikes.
Sing from a farm catalog.

10.

Or a row of computers on stage, with no power, and performers hit them, tap them, open and close them.
Computers are all wearing contact mikes.
Do a stomping circle dance whooping & hollering around a pile of computers.

11.

Mother imitates sound of Baby, Baby imitates sound of whatever it wants to.
When Baby makes a sound Mother makes a new sound.

12.

Musician plants flowers. Each day musician plays music for flowers.
Musician plays silently each day to a flower on the nearest street corner.

13.

Alternate shoes, walk backwards, while very slowly mouthing the word ONWARD.
Crawl backwards while beeping and saying WATCH OUT!

14.

Four musicians are in different rooms, each one listening to/playing along with a feed from one of the other rooms.
All four rooms are miked into same room for audience. (For Jason)
Four rooms are miked to record whatever happens. The feed is sent to a speaker in a remote public location.

15.

Audience improvises on any sound members of the orchestra give.
The orchestra is given the day off.

 

Julia Christensen
Pauline Oliveros
March 2013