Thursday 17 May 2018
A sound performance by Rob Mullender and John Lely
Minor Conspiracy takes the form of a reed organ adapted to be powered by the breath of eight participants, with all of the reeds able to be locked open to enable extended duration drones. As such, the altered form of the instrument is intended to produce a collaborative equilibrium between breath, pitch and time; ‘con-spire’s’ original meaning is literally ‘to breathe with’.
Rob Mullender developed this work in collaboration with John Lely, after becoming interested in the altered states of consciousness and changes in listening that could be brought about by hyperventilation.The sound is characterised by slow changes in pitch and timbre, resulting in something resolving around texture rather than around harmony. This seance-like piece places considerable demands on the performers, who at times find themselves close to fainting to maintain the organ’s air supply – producing sound in a communal, hallucinatory state.
About the artists
Read more about Rob Mullender and John Lely here
Work was part of a Museums at Night double bill alongside Little Little Man Man film screening by artist Tao Lashley-Burnley
All events took place at The Harris Museum and Art Gallery harrismuseum.org.uk
© Robin Hill
© Robin Hill
