VOX PIX
VOICES AND IMAGES
Wyselaskie Auditorium
Centre for Theology and Ministry
29 College Crescent, Parkville
Exhibition Dates: 4 – 16 October, 2011
Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th October,
Concert Dates: Saturday, 15th and Sunday, 16th October
The idea for this project began over a coffee (as so many projects do) three years ago, and has led us down fascinating creative paths as we explored ways to bring the idea to fruition. I had recently seen James Yunken’s series of paintings inspired by Greek Orthodox icons, and I found their vibrant colours and richness of texture exhilarating. As James and I discussed these works, I thought of a number of his other paintings (from exhibitions in 2005 and 2008) with similar qualities. To me, as a singer, these paintings evoked the passionate, warm world of singing. We started building a glorious fantasy, in which his paintings were combined with live choral music and vocal chamber music, immersing the audience in music and images. Well, sometimes fantasies can become reality…
By early 2011 other musicians and artists had joined the team, bringing their wide experience and sense of adventure to the project: Gregory Alex-Vasey leapt into the task of setting the paintings in motion via digital animations, singers Justine Anderson and Vivien Hamilton joined me to form the Icon Trio, and Early Voices choir (directed by Vivien) came on board. It was a particular joy when three Melbourne composers (Mark McSherry, Peter Neville and Irine Vela) came forward to create music especially for the event, with Peter and Irine also playing tonight. It has been a privilege to work closely with these artists this year, as we created Vox Pix together. I give my heartfelt thanks to them all for giving so generously of their time and skills in this project.
In addition to the performance, you also have the opportunity tonight to view many of the Vox Pix paintings “in the flesh” in the gallery space outside the auditorium
ICON TRIO 