ISOvisations

Improvisation for isolated ensemble

A group of friends consisting of Claudia Barton, Mark Waldron-Hyden, Nicholas Maloney and Peter
Venus has been facing the challenges of lockdown and social isolation. More or less constant
lockdown creates the task of being together in one room impossible. Playing together with
streaming technology over the internet not only has a big impact on the intuition of presence but the
available connections inevitably cause hiccups and add the constant involvement of computer
technology as a distracting factor. The four performers devised an experiment, in which they try to
comprehend a quasi-telepathic connection between them while performing, inspired by the The
Quiet Club’s “Telepathic Lockdown Tapes”, released 2020 on the Takuroku label. They arranged a
definitive time and date on which they would play a concert together. Each one individually. Each
one in isolation. No audible connection between them. Each one recording only their own part.
Only being aware that the others are performing exactly at the same time. Only having a sense for
the presence of the others. What are they playing right now? What sounds and instruments are they
using?
The four had agreed on an exact length for the performance as well as roughly organized time slots
for duos and trios. The individual recordings and parts have been mixed together without further
editing, only adjusting levels.

Performed and recorded February 2021
Photography: Victoria Maloney