About the Work

The Instruments (of crisis) - our methods, our language, our movement, our masks, our costumes, our herd, our indivuality, our alarm, our calm, our desire, our reptilian, our data, our (dis) connectivity, our lies, our belief, our stoicism, our exhaustion, our anger, our muscles, our voices, our fear, our discernment, our education, our senses, our screams, our silence. Our choice.

In 2018 Floek (Andrew Batt-Rawden and Ben Hinchley) were invited to make and present a work for “The Experiment” produced by BrandX. In its first rendition, the work was primarily concerned with the social connection / disconnection afforded by mobile technology. Proxima (it’s original name) used audience’s and performers’ mobile phones as instruments. After further development during a residency at Legs On the Wall in 2019, the work transformed into The Instruments and was programmed by the Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music for October 2020. The festival has been postponed due to COVID, but we’re going ahead with development plans nevertheless.

A further development late 2019 / early 2020, Dean Walsh was brought on board as a co-Director / choreographer, S1T2 as software development partners and Mark Oliveiro as modular synth performer. Dean facilitated the group to develop the concepts further into “The Instruments of crisis” and we commissioned S1T2 to develop a system on Unreal Engine that uses live data feeds to detect distance between audience and performers (so we could use it as a sound-trigger device).

With the base-line tech ready to go, we’re now seeking funds for a further development to prepare the work for a Covid-friendly hybrid online / on-stage presentation. Although we don’t know when BIFEM will be up and running again, we’re preparing for April 2021. Future plans for the work include bringing on board other performers and finalise its development.

There are a number of audience participation moments (for audiences at home as well as in studio) in collective choices made through a software interface.