Alex and Nichola in the CCA for their residency. Photo contributed.
Sound artist Nichola Scrutton and One Ensemble musician Alex South have collaborated together on this fascinating project, Rough Breathing, which interrogates breathing techniques and both the limitations and possibilities of sound.
It vacillates between extremes: playful, feral, panicked or ecstatic, and Scrutton’s voice complements and responds to South’s complex clarinet playing. Found sounds and everyday interactions inform the work.
The result is at once visceral and cerebral, and the beauty of the project is that it can go anywhere. Through live electronic and acoustic sonics, the duo can expand upon the process, having previously worked with dancers Joan Cleville and Solene Weinachter .
In their most recent sharing at the CCA, they performed an organic soundtrack alongside a film by Wendy Kirkup, which depicted a human, pulsing ‘landscape’.
Photo contributed
It’s future-focused work, and I can’t wait to see where it takes them next. Genres are best when skewed, and presented within a cross-pollination context.
For more information:
http://www.nicholascrutton.co.uk
http://www.alexsouthmusician.tumblr.com
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