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En Masse
Submitted by Nathan Slevin on Tuesday, 26th Oct 2010
As we entered the dimly lit circular room lined with lounge chairs a la the Planetarium at Scienceworks various instruments were noticeably scattered around the middle of the room marking the performance space and screens where the film in question would soon be screened filled the air above us.
While the imagery and music were mesmerising and blended well the audience doesn’t get a sense of the overall message intended if there is one. En Masse could have worked just as well as a documentary as a huge amount of effort has gone into the creation of this piece. Its just a shame the elements this performance consists don’t provide any discernible meaning.
Date of Show:
Tuesday, 19th October 2010 (All day)
Venue:
Melbourne International Arts Festival A sensual experience that explores survival in a complex and chaotic world.
A new Australian work, presented by Arts House and the Melbourne International Arts Festival, En Masse ‘part concert, part installation and part film’ is the result of a collaboration between six sound artists culminating in this performance. One of Australia’s musical geniuses Genevieve Lacey, composer and performer, shares her music and Marc Silver’s film with the audience and encourages us to reflect on humanity and the modern society in which we live.
As we entered the dimly lit circular room lined with lounge chairs a la the Planetarium at Scienceworks various instruments were noticeably scattered around the middle of the room marking the performance space and screens where the film in question would soon be screened filled the air above us.Once all members of the audience were seated the lights eventually went out and the performance began. The film by Marc Silver presented continuous images of thousands of starling birds as they migrated in the winter played out to a soundtrack featuring pre recorded electro acoustic percussive instruments and wooden pipes while Lacey plays live in front of the audience.
En Masse aims to explore themes of globalisation, individualism and consumerism and the search for peace in today’s fast paced chaotic world. While there are glimpses of these ideas in our observation of the behaviour of the birds they are never explored as well as they could have been. This performance was marred by an uncomfortable atmosphere throughout resulting in the audience not knowing if it was actually finished when the lights came up.
While the imagery and music were mesmerising and blended well the audience doesn’t get a sense of the overall message intended if there is one. En Masse could have worked just as well as a documentary as a huge amount of effort has gone into the creation of this piece. Its just a shame the elements this performance consists don’t provide any discernible meaning.What En Masse really needs is either some sort of narration or spoken or sung text, whether pre recorded or live on stage, to effectively explain its purpose. This half hour performance is reminiscent of viewing a whole gallery of spectacular images without the stories behind them. En Masse is worth seeing for fans of Genevieve Lacey’s compositions and does present a moving film accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack but don’t be surprised if you leave feeling a little unsatisfied.
State:
VIC