Dither
ditherquartet@gmail.com|
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Work in Progress Showing! Jan 13, 2023 at Coffey St. Studio |
PROGRAM:
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I. white noise |
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II. constellations |
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III. radio dial |
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IV. shepard tone |
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V. glow |
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VI. binaries |
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VII. monolith |
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VIII. feeding frenzy |
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IX. anthem |
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X. murmuration |
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10 Amendments is an experiment in individual and collective freedom and an exploration of rights, agency, responsibilities, and restrictions. It is an immersive improvised musical structure for an orchestra of electric guitarists, a vocalist, and an ambisonic audio engineer, using the first ten amendments of the United States Constitution — The Bill of Rights — as its text. We tear, re-order and reassemble the original text to explore what lies behind, beneath and within its letters and characters. By chipping the cornerstone of our constitution down to linguistic bits and slivers, 10 Amendments reveals fault lines in its promise, its gains and losses, and the troublesome complexities and stunning simplicities embedded within its words.
THE SPACE is a large open room. The instrumentalists are around the perimeter with the vocalist and audience in the center. The piece is manifested in a surround sound format called Ambisonics. There are speakers placed around the space, and an engineer controls the movement of the sound sources, creating a dynamic sonic geography for each section, alternately amplifying and obfuscating questions of agency and individuality. THE LIBRETTO is the result of a series of editing experiments placed dispassionately upon the text of The Bill of Rights, including various methods of redaction, alphabetization and anagrammatization. These amendments to the text are illustrated as black-and-white typographic animations and projected throughout the space for both the musicians and the audience to follow. THE SCORE consists of ten sections, symbolized by visual “road signs,” each of which denote a set of musical and improvisational guidelines. These are also projected throughout the space. THE INSTRUMENTALISTS are a community, a society. Speaking through the ultimate iconic American instrument — the electric guitar — they create a unified sound containing an diversity of individual voices. In each performance, they inhabit and interpret the guidelines of the “road signs” according to their individual whims and collective responsibilities. THE VOCALIST is any and every American. She follows the projected amended texts, which alternately reveal and conceal meaning and association. She speaks and sings through a mercurial masquerade of voices, testing the mettle of this shared public document and trying to understand her relationship with its intentions and implications. She sifts through fragments of language to grasp the meaning of what we have, and what we’ve lost. WHY NOW? It is as prescient now as ever to investigate the nuts and bolts of this seminal American document. Our political and social discourse is at an irrational boiling point. Many of our hard-won rights and ideals are in the crosshairs of our governmental process. Once again, extremist ideologies are on the rise. OUR GOAL: This showing is the artistic team’s first opportunity to bring together the fundamental musical, visual, and theatrical elements of 10 Amendments. We continue to develop all aspects of the show, aiming to create a work that can be adapted to a performance space of any size and with a flexible ensemble ranging from 4-16 guitarists. For more information please contact Sruly Lazaros: sruly (at) ditherquartet (dot) com
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