Artist Research: Gavin Bryars.
"In 1971, when I lived in London, I was working with a friend, Alan Power, on a film about people living rough in the area around Elephant and Castle and Waterloo Station. In the course of being filmed, some people broke into drunken song - sometimes bits of opera, sometimes sentimental ballads - and one, who in fact did not drink, sang a religious song "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet". This was not ultimately used in the film and I was given all the unused sections of tape, including this one.
When I played it at home, I found that his singing was in tune with my piano, and I improvised a simple accompaniment. I noticed, too, that the first section of the song - 13 bars in length - formed an effective loop which repeated in a slightly unpredictable way. I took the tape loop to Leicester, where I was working in the Fine Art Department, and copied the loop onto a continuous reel of tape, thinking about perhaps adding an orchestrated accompaniment to this. The door of the recording room opened on to one of the large painting studios and I left the tape copying, with the door open, while I went to have a cup of coffee. When I came back I found the normally lively room unnaturally subdued. People were moving about much more slowly than usual and a few were sitting alone, quietly weeping.
I was puzzled until I realised that the tape was still playing and that they had been overcome by the old man's singing. This convinced me of the emotional power of the music and of the possibilities offered by adding a simple, though gradually evolving, orchestral accompaniment that respected the tramp's nobility and simple faith. Although he died before he could hear what I had done with his singing, the piece remains as an eloquent, but understated testimony to his spirit and optimism." -Gavin Bryars.
During one of my tutorials, I explained my struggle to find a relevant artist that I could relate to and be influenced by in my own practice, and how it was impeding my progress. After this conversation, my tutor recommended Gavin Bryars, a composer. I listened to "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet", it was a slow buildup, and for a while I thought the speakers on the computer were faulty!
Then the voice faded in, a man singing the lyrics with a shaky and raspy, yet warm and welcoming tone. You didn't need visuals to tell that this man had his struggles, the emotion in his voice as he sings this song rubs off onto you. The rich harmonies of string and brass slowly fade in as it progresses and this engulfs you, got to be honest, after listening I was on the verge of tears.
This experience with Bryars' work was so crucial to my practice because it reminded me how powerful sound can be. Despite it's simplicity, it's a very emotional and gripping piece of music, complex work doesn't necessarily mean great work. Listening to this piece, researching Bryars' methods and inspirations behind it has helped me break free of my creative block, and ideas are flowing more freely now.
Maybe I could film different landscape pans in different locations in Sunderland, but also bring a field recorder to record the sounds from that location, editing them and transferring them to my mixer to be played live, then have the video of the locations play beside me. I want to create soundscapes with feeling and emotion, something that moves the audience.
The context is also incredibly important, what am I trying to convey and how? A social commentary on the locations filmed? A study into how and why sound moves people? I need to think about this if I want my work to develop further.