Run What Ya Brung – If Wet… http://www.ifwet.org.uk in the village hall Thu, 06 Oct 2016 15:33:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.12 If Wet #20 – documentation http://www.ifwet.org.uk/documentation/if-wet-20-photo-documentation/ http://www.ifwet.org.uk/documentation/if-wet-20-photo-documentation/#respond Mon, 22 Dec 2014 17:39:13 +0000 http://www.ifwet.org.uk/?p=1575 As our Season #2 finale, If Wet #20 was never going to run totally smoothly. Last year’s finale event was delayed by a bouncy castle, so we had form. For this event, our main presenting artist, Rosanne Robertson, was severely delayed so we had to busk it somewhat.

Luckily, we had invited all of the artists from our second season to come along as our guests and some of them turned up with stuff to present. We also had a couple of great Run What Ya Brung presentations so we were kept very busy until Rosanne arrived.

After Rosanne’s wonderful presentation/performance we had a section where we read out or played back responses to If Wet from all the artists who presented in 2014. This was lovely, so we have documented that below too.

Thank you to everyone for your support this year. We have some [Kickstarter] plans for next season and we are running a radio show (starting on 28th December, 2-4pm) in the meantime. It has been a really lovely year for us.

Thank you for coming down to the hall! X

1

The Dynamic Duo, introducing our last If Wet of Season #2

2

Alan Stephen demonstrating no-input mixing (RWYB)

3

Richard Windley demonstrating his latest noisy units (RWYB)

4

Richard Windley’s latest noisy units

5

Paul Gittins setting up his latest addition to his Oak Apple Orchestra

6

Paul Gittins setting up his latest addition to his Oak Apple Orchestra

7

Tim Cranmore inspecting Paul’s Oak Apple Orchestra tin can instrument

8

Ray Lee demonstrating an Ethometric instrument

9

Stavroula Kounadea discussing the Ethometric Museum

10

Joining hands to activate the Ethometric instrument

11

Rosanne Roberts reading from her book of found conversation

12

Rosanne Roberts making noise

13

Rosanne Roberts making noise

14

Rosanne Roberts making noise

15

Rosanne Roberts’ instruments

———————

As mentioned we asked all Season #2 artists to attend or send us a response of some kind regarding their experience of If Wet. Here they are:

FLATPACK
Sebastian Hegarty
I had a great day with If Wet at the Flatpack Festival, Birmingham. Got to hear the water instrument and the wet acoustics of Trevor Cox with his wave organs, dripping stalactites and subterranean oil reservoir: Lovely people, fascinating ideas and spoiled ears. Thank you very much Sam and David.

Distant Voices: Still Raining is a short damp apology for not being there (If Wet #20). The sound includes the remains of rainfall as it drip-drops through guttering and a short soliloquy in a fragment of voice taken from a telephone conversation with my lovely mam. The piece concludes with the song, I Get the Blues, filched from Terence Davies wonderful film, Distant Voices/Still Lives.
 

Trevor Cox
I can think of nothing more appropriate for If Wet then to send a sound effect for everyone to enjoy.

It is from a trip to an Oslo train station. This is me chatting in the space so people can hear the effect and it describes what is going on:

 
And here is a balloon burst, that brings out the warble:

 
The secret behind the warble is that this is space made from two half-cylinders of different radius connected together.

SUPERSONIC
Ryan Jordan
Enclosed his press release: “these practitioners practice dark hypnosis in psychoactive hyperventilation clubs”

Sarah Kenchington
sorry not to reply sooner , I have been a bit gobbled up by my new job working in a chocolate factory.
If wet was great super friendly and interesting. Sorry I won’t be able to make it to Callow End, sounds spooky.
A few weeks before if wet I had been to a car boot sale, and found a rather amazing pedal powered fret saw, I did my usual thing, instead of rehearsing I built a new instrument, I converted the fret saw into a machine to bow my violin. The first gig we did in front of maniac children it didn’t work and then at the If Wet gig it worked like a dream and I pretended I was a virtuoso violin player. Everyone believed me. I also included a bath tub for the first time in my orchestra. Since then I have been using the bath full of water. Getting right into watery trumpet sounds Perhaps you could play the thing I did on the Isle of Eigg. I thought it would be appropriate for an If Wet event .Wet as anything it is.
 

Graham Dunning
In the spirit of If Wet me and Leslie decided to make an instrument and make some sounds with it. I had a wooden box with a lid knocking about and we bought some other bits and bobs from the local 98p Store. We recorded the whole process of making and experimenting as we went, with a nod to Robert Morris’ Box With The Sound of Its Own Making – the intention was to edit that down to a short piece for you to play.

TOUR
Sompting Village Hall
Leslie Deere
See above w/ Graham Dunning.
 

www

Sarah Angliss

Fitzhead Tythe Barn
Jules Bushell
“It was great fun and fascinating to meet other makers and sonic explorers at ‘If Wet’. An opportunity to meet other likeminded individuals, and a relief to realise there are people out there with similar interests. You are not alone! A chance to share ideas and take contraptions out of the workshop, even if they are still works in progress. Thanks guys, have fun, sorry not to join you there!”

Hacker Farm
Here ya go – this is what 6.00am in my house sounded like this morning.

And a separate message from KEK
“Hey. Thanks for the 2014 village-hall invite, IF-WETTERS; really enjoyed scrrra-a-a-a-aping the HTML from your website and turning it into MIDI-file music. Never played a musical web-page before. Digging those Tuh-tuh-text squirts, man; it’s the New Serialism”

Bardsea Malt Kiln
Hugs Bison

Lee Patterson (1st)
As always, I’m on the last minute, in fact it’s a wonder I made it to either of the If Wet events that I contributed to this year – Bardsea and Callow End… Anyhow, both events reminded me that, despite the isolated way in which we may consume and produce music, music always has a social element – whether implied or actual and opportunities to share with like minds are increasingly rare. So, Sam, David – keep up the good work at Callow End and elsewhere!
Right, got to rush to catch a train to Huddersfield!

Callow End Village Hall
Paddy Steer

Callow End Village Hall
Lee Patterson (2nd)
See above.

Worcester Music Festival
Paul Gittins
Present

Ray Lee and Stav
Present

Callow End Village Hall
Sarah Nicolls
I loved being at If Wet: an intelligent, friendly and totally engaged audience. It was a really useful and genuinely fun and encouraging experience.

Callow End Village Hall
Pete Ashton
Present

Ben Gwilliam
If wet? not as much as it would be where I live, callow end hall dry n all.
Thanks very much for the opportunity to try out elements of current works, that although they are incomplete, at if wet I can test the metal of the idea and importantly the way it sounds.
As much as I try out sound as music, you gave me an opportunity to test visual work that confirms for me the direction that making stuff like this does: always in the opposite of what everything else is!

So I wish you all the best for this last one of the season, I do hope that season three makes it round swiftly next year. Every town should have a collective space for discussion, presentation & banter on artists work that is as informal & invaluable as if wet. Doing these activities keep the arts real. So continue to keep it real.

THANK YOU ALL!

]]>
http://www.ifwet.org.uk/documentation/if-wet-20-photo-documentation/feed/ 0
If Wet #19 – photo documentation http://www.ifwet.org.uk/documentation/if-wet-19-photo-documentation/ http://www.ifwet.org.uk/documentation/if-wet-19-photo-documentation/#respond Thu, 06 Nov 2014 11:51:34 +0000 http://www.ifwet.org.uk/?p=1508 Here are a few pictures from If Wet #19, which featured two visiting artists. We were delighted to welcome Pete Ashton and Ben Gwilliam to present their latest work.

Our next event is our last of this season, featuring Rosanne Robertson! We aren’t having a big end-of-year event this year but we are planning to head to the pub to celebrate another season afterwards! JOIN US. Oh and, we have scribbled some notes on the back of a blog post regarding our plans for next year.

mu1

The odd speaker pods of our light-responsive Sonic Graffiti pieces

mu2

Starting up our light-responsive Sonic Graffiti pieces

pete1

Pete demonstrating slit-scanning

pete2

Pete demonstrating his selfie project

pete5

Pete demonstrating his Live Sonification of Photography, using images taken at If Wet

Naturally, Pete blogged his time at If Wet.

ben1

Ben demonstrating an early prototype of his latest piece

ben2

Ben’s long-form video and sound piece

Very rarely we had no Run What Ya Brung contributions this month, and ran to time!

Thank you to our guest and to all that made it down. Thanks to Team Joory for the wonderful catering and to Francis for the great cakes. Oh and St. George’s for the cracking beer. AND cheers to George Benson for taking these pictures – except those of Ben, which Our David took. Who did we miss!?

]]>
http://www.ifwet.org.uk/documentation/if-wet-19-photo-documentation/feed/ 0
If Wet #18 – photo documentation http://www.ifwet.org.uk/documentation/if-wet-18-photo-documentation/ http://www.ifwet.org.uk/documentation/if-wet-18-photo-documentation/#respond Thu, 02 Oct 2014 22:37:57 +0000 http://www.ifwet.org.uk/?p=1465 Here are a few pictures from If Wet #18, which took place back in our home of Callow End Village Hall with the wonderful Sarah Nicolls talking about her Inside-Out Piano, and another great contribution from our regular Run What Ya Brunger, Richard Windley.

Our next event is our penultimate of this season, featuring Ben Gwilliam and Pete Ashton! JOIN US.

1

Sam demonstrating the spacial aspects of our Futuro Mantra sound art boxes

2

David and Sam, chuckling

3

Futuro Mantra box

4

Futuro Mantra boxes

4b

Futuro Mantra box

5

Sarah Nicolls introducing the background to her Inside-Out Piano

6

Sarah Nicolls helping us all experience what leaning inside a grand piano is like

7

Sarah Nicolls presenting her Inside-Out Piano

8

Sarah Nicolls providing a unique insight into her latest show

9

Sarah Nicolls providing a unique insight into her latest show

10

Sarah Nicolls providing a unique insight into her latest show

windley

Richard Windley presenting his LED light and sound display, as a RWYB.

Cheers to George Benson for taking these pictures – except that of Richard Windley, which Sam took on his phone because George needed to dash…

]]>
http://www.ifwet.org.uk/documentation/if-wet-18-photo-documentation/feed/ 0
If Wet at Supersonic – documentation http://www.ifwet.org.uk/documentation/if-wet-at-supersonic-documentation/ http://www.ifwet.org.uk/documentation/if-wet-at-supersonic-documentation/#comments Thu, 12 Jun 2014 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.ifwet.org.uk/?p=1263 Generally speaking we have resolved not to document remote If Wets. There is a lot involved in putting them on and in our local hall we know better what we face. This means the If Wets at Flatpack Festival and the Southbank Centre are documented only in preview form and in the memories of their attendees.

If Wet at Supersonic is a little different, though, because Sam normally contributes a rambling blog post to the Supersonic Collective Memory, so we felt we ought to provide a few photos (taken by David during the event) at least.

We spoke about our project Descent first. If you are very quick you may still catch it at Millenium Point.

Then we had Sarah Kenchington talk, followed by Ryan Jordan. This led on to an extended Run What Ya Brung section, co-run by Stryx, with presentations by various artists. The day finished with wonderful performances by Sarah Kenchington and Graham Dunning.

Here are some pictures and a few lines about what went on.

Sarah Kenchington

Sarah Kenchington demonstrating her self-made instruments

Sarah Farmer

Sarah Farmer running what she brung

Graham Dunning

Graham Dunning’s Mechanical Techno

Drumpet

Sam playing Sarah’s Drumpet

We have rooted around for some reviews but most reviewers seem to have stuck to the main stages. Here are a couple of exceptions – 1 / 2.

We enjoyed what the former said of Sarah Kenchington, “It really felt like she summed up everything Supersonic was actually about – pushing the limits of what music is and how we should think about it.”

It was a delight to behold. Thank you to everyone who presented and performed, and to all of you who came to witness it.

Next up, we are off on tour to four village halls across the country. We are delighted with the line-up. Have a look and buy tickets HERE. JOIN US.

]]>
http://www.ifwet.org.uk/documentation/if-wet-at-supersonic-documentation/feed/ 1