A Placere – (at pleasure; i.e., the performer need not follow the rhythm strictly).

By Dan Petley (Camera by Sam Smith)

In my response to the audio, I have documented a live response to the piece by using headphones in a public setting. The film documents a juxtaposition of self reflection and public exposure. In this piece I gave my camera man instructions, but allowed him to capture the performance in whatever way he saw fit. Throughout the performance, I don’t acknowledge him at all.

I have contrived, performed and documented four responses to the piece, walking, jogging, slow walking and sprinting. I listened to the relevant part of the original sound piece whilst responding to the sound by moving at a pre conceived speed.

I have used musical terminology as titles for these four ‘movements’ in order to reflect my recent interest in learning about classical music. Many terms used when discussing classical music are in Italian; in accordance with the Italian origins of many European music conventions. This is something that has made classical music seem esoteric and inaccessible to me in the past. This inspired me to classify my personally contrived responses to the sound in this way, as it sustains a level of isolation from the audience by making the piece slightly less accessible and universal.

My responses to the piece have added a new layer of sound to the original audio. The speech of passers by, a road sweeper, bird calls and the sound of the wind all add a serendipitous depth to the piece, while the sound of footsteps from both me and my camera man reflect the directions offered in the musical terminology, thus transforming the piece into a very singular contemporary mini symphony. Therefore the piece is made all the more engaging through the process of exploring the potential alienation of the audience.

21st May 2009