BY KIYA VAN DER LINDEN-KIAN
Skin Deep
Forest Collective
Abbotsford Convent, 19 August
The Forest Collective’s latest concert provided an immersive glimpse into the world of improvisation and unconventional notation.
The four world premieres were seamlessly transitioned from one work into the other, leaving the audience unmoving and evidently enthralled by the atmosphere each work created. The austere yet serene surroundings of the Abbotsford Convent also sought to further immerse the listener in the meditative soundworld the Forest Collective ensemble created.
Most compelling was the interplay of interpretations between the musicians in the ensemble. Taking cues and improvising off each other’s sounds as much as the notation, it felt as though I were a fly on the wall watching an intimate performance between friends. The synchronisation of these varying interpretations seemed to speak to the close relationship between the artists of the Forest Collective, and their openness with one another as well as the audience.
The final work Skin Deep, by ensemble cellist Nikki Edgar, utilised a graphic score projected in front of the audience and musicians. It revealed angular lines of colour splayed across a canvas, intersecting and changing in thickness and depth, and provided a captivating visual element. As the camera would zoom further and further back, more and more colours were revealed, showing the original display as a small but integral part of the whole work.
Traditionally, presenting the audience with a score of the work being performed might scare most musicians. But the beauty of Nikki Edgar’s work is in the intersecting lines of colour, which do not have a start, end, nor definite quality. Simply showing the score allows the audience to interact more with the work and experience it alongside the musicians.
Through its immersive music, the Forest Collective provides a welcome escape from the hubbub of city life. These musicians, you can tell, have been playing together for a long time – and I hope they will continue to do so.
READ NEXT: Kiya chats with composer Nikki Edgar about this very work.
Images supplied. Credit: Meghan Scerri.
