It’d also be crazy not to mention the Futurists and
all the work they did with sensory installations,
like Marinetti’s Futurist Cookbook. (It’s worth
checking out Valentine de Saint-Point, one of
the few female futurists.) Also Thomas Wilfred’s
colour organs (Clavilux), Stan Brakhage’s films,
Charles Baudelaire, Claude Debussy, symbolist
poetry, and just so many other people who
have been experimenting with the senses. It’s
impossible to get them all down.
There are also some incredible researchers out
there: David Howes (Concordia University),
Jools Simner, Jamie Ward, Sarah McCartney,
Charles Michel, Daniel Ospina, Sharen Weeks,
Victoria Hume, Sense UK, Sensory Spectacle…
the list goes on and on and on.
We loved the use of music from string
instruments in the Sensory Score; why
choose strings? How important was
sound in the performance?
Thank you!
Good question – this was a very specific part of
the process for Tanya as we wanted something
that would echo a traditional classical
performance. We thought a string trio would
conjure this atmosphere. Plus, Tanya was so
excited to experiment with strings; as she says,
the strings were her rocket launch!
Is there anything that the performers/
participators find difficult or awkward/
invasive?
We have a full report written by Clare Jonas;
audience feedback suggested that taste or
touch were often considered invasive, but these
elements were also the most affecting for others.
We found that:
- Sound was considered the most important
sense stimulation of the experience
- Overall, the experience conjured positive
reactions: joy, relaxation, elation, happiness,
trust, comfort
- People were not interacting with the smell
(perfumes). In future, we hope to repeat a
concert where no smells are smelt and compare
findings
- The more recognisable the sensory experience
was – for example, a taste was put in an audience
member’s mouth or a chair tipped backwards
– the more it was mentioned. We wondered if
next time we could involve less word-focused
description and more abstract description, so
perhaps a demonstration or drawing. This
would encourage the ability to explore less
concrete and recognisable sensations, like
warmth from reiki
- Taste evoked the strongest reactions. In some
cases, taste was reported as overwhelming or
distracting for an audience member’s ability
to concentrate on the music. But the nicer the
tastes – like white chocolate – the more people
liked it
- Touch is regarded as the most appropriate
sense to evoke the music, but movement and
taste share a fairly equal position as second..
How do you know what is going to work
on the night and how do you come up
with ideas and sequences?
We don’t! Every night is an experiment. But we
also have an extensive devising process, which
combines a lot of playing with the music and
brainstorming our instant reactions to the music.
The devising process for the Sensory Score
involved Anna Pearce, Eileih Muir and Ashraf
Ejjbair and involved us assessing our crossmodal associations to the music, sharing
and debating these ideas and finding sensory
relationships and experiences that match.