Very much a process based performative score, I recorded each of the nine musicians involved in the first iteration of The Blind Mass Orchestra to improvise for 60 seconds each while I recorded. I then gave these nine recordings to visual artist William Kentridge, whom I asked to respond to each recording visually. William gave me back a series of ink drawings. He had begun drawing at the beginning and moved on to a fresh page when he felt moved to do so, resulting in around five drawings per audio recording. Each drawing had the musicians name abbreviated in the bottom corner.
I then superimposed two drawings at a time to create duo vignettes and arranged them over time into a video, creating a chain of duets that would make up the entire piece. The musicians were then asked to re-respond to the drawings that had been made in response to their playing as they came up, recognising their turns to play by their name in the bottom corner.
Thandi Ntuli (piano)
Tlale Makhene (percussion, voice)
Ann Masina (voice)
Tsepo Pooe (cello)
Waldo Alexander (electric violin)
Mpumelelo Mcata (electric guitar)
Tshepang Ramoba (electronic drums)
Dan Selsick (trombone)
Janus Fouché (theremin)
