earsthetic returns to the Brighton Dome
Brighton Dome’s annual celebration of boundary breaking audio-visual art, earsthetic, returns to the iconic venue in its new November slot. Between 27th November and 1st December, an array of visual/sonic artists will once again be pushing the boundaries of their chosen discipline in a coming-together of visual art, new electronic music and experimental soundscapes.
This year’s line-up includes a new musical-performance project from CocoRosie’s Bianca Casady, a visually stunning show from cult performers The Tiger Lillies, a multisensory double bill from duo Sculpture and Alex Smoke (pictured, top) with visual artist Florence To, immersive audio-visual installation SeaWomen by acclaimed artist Mikhail Karikis and contemporary musical theatre from experimental vocalist and artist Elaine Mitchener.
Fresh from David Byrne’s Meltdown at Southbank Centre, Bianca Casady steps out of the familiar context of CocoRosie to take to the stage with a new music performance project (1 Dec). Together with long time collaborators The C.i.A. and dancer Biño Sauitzvy, Bianca performs music from her upcoming album in a theatrical performance that marks her debut as a solo artist.
The Tiger Lillies’ genre-defying brand of other-worldly vocals and unnerving performance style has carved them a unique niche in the cabaret and music theatre scene. After their sell-out performance of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner at Brighton Festival 2013, the cult creators of the award-winning Shockheaded Peter join forces with Opera North to stage another adaptation of a macabre classic; Lulu – A Murder Ballad (30 Nov). The band’s flamboyant live performance is enhanced by large-scale virtual sets that create an immersive and richly atmospheric environment.
Experimental vocal artist Elaine Mitchener (pictured) brings a new contemporary musical theatre piece Industrialising Intimacy to the festival for its premiere (29 Nov) ahead of a national tour. Collaborating with award-winning choreographer Dam Van Huynh, pioneer of computer music composer George Lewis and renowned sound artist, and writer and musician David Toop, Industrialising Intimacy uses vocal improvisation, movement and sound to create an original work of contemporary music theatre.
An exclusive double bill of extraordinary live audio visual performance will see Alex Smoke and Florence To alongside Sculpture (27 Nov). Artist Florence To designs and produces spatial light installations whilst Glaswegian DJ Alex Menzies – aka Alex Smoke – uses classical composition and form and electronic music’s darker recesses to create a unique sound. Together they create a visceral live show of visual rhythms and future sounds. Sculpture is an opto-musical duo made up of Dan Hayhurst (media devices and electronic instruments) and Reuben Sutherland (who plays video zoetrope turntable). Their performances are an amalgam of electronic music, kinetic art, comic strips, abstract animation, audiovisual cut-ups – a mix of analogue and digital practices – tape manipulation, samples, found sounds, aleatoric and algorithmic programming and live improvisation.
SeaWomen (27 Nov – 1 Dec) is an installation work by Mikhail Karikis which focuses on a community of female sea workers living on the North Pacific island of Jeju – a volcanic rock between South Korea, Japan and China. This old and fast vanishing community consists of 50-90 year-old women who dive to great depths with no oxygen supply to catch sea-food and find pearls.
Find out more about earsthetic and book tickets at the official website.
