The Flashcard Sequences comprises a series of short semi-improvisatory works produced with handheld mobile phone video and portable laptop production technologies. The production process is intentionally swift and the works are produced (often in hotel rooms) as quickly as possible following the image capture. These pieces function as snapshots which attempt to capture an underlying essence of a moment or place.

Part 1: Amsterdam 14.12.10

CREDITS

Music/Video: Julian Knowles

Amsterdam 14.12.10 is the first piece in the series, and was created during a residency at STEIM, Holland in December 2010. The harsh European winter of 2010/11 gave rise to heavy snowfalls, closing roads and bringing many essential transport services to a halt. The visual material consists of a series of static video shots containing patterns of snow falling from the sky. In this piece, the video source is digitally analysed and used to affect processing parameters in the audio domain. Such an approach attempts to find, and compositionally engage with, the direct structural relationships between the visual and sound materials whilst stopping short of direct and literal sonification. Such an approach aims to take transductive visual/sound mapping processes and bring them into creative dialogue with freely interpretive compositional processes.

Part 2: Robin Hill Country Park 09.09.11

Julian Knowles: guitar, electronics, video

Robin Hill Country Park 09.09.11 is the second piece in this ongoing series. In this work the visual material is seemingly at odds with its pastoral location in parklands on the Isle of Wight, UK. This sense of irony forms the basis for the compositional approach which seeks to recontextualise the moment to uncover a sense of gentle fluidity and present a hypothetical performer’s perspective back to the audience. On a musical level the work is in dialogue with performance, composition and production practices from the experimental/art music, rock and electronica traditions.

The development of this work was supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, Arts QLD and STEIM (Holland)