The foundations of Guy’s work is Voic(e)motion. This is an approach to synthesising voice, movement and emotion through improvisation. The idea is to notice patterns and rhythms within the qualities of sound and physicality created by the emerging emotions and to amplify/play with them.
In his research for the Lab he worked on capturing and editing these improvisations on video to create ‘vocal-physical films’ which he hoped might end up being films in their own right and/or eventually be visual-aural spectacles or backdrops for live interaction, either improvised or set.
Working with dancers-movement artists, Guy aims to try and expand the artists’ physical and vocal language in tandem. This workshop was the source of the material for what became known as his Physical Music films.
Video 1: Workshop excerpts
Here is a film showing the process involved in making a Physical Music film followed by an example, called Sample 4.
Video 2: Physical Music
This sample and the below samples uses split-frame editing as a compositional tool and is much longer and more complex in structure than the first video loops Guy created at the beginnings of his research, which were posted onto his original project pages during the Lab.
Video 3: Physical Music 2
Video 4: Physical Music 3
Guy Dartnell is a solo and collaborative artist, director, mentor and teacher who specialises in voice-movement and improvised performance. For further information go to www.guydartnell.org.uk.