Project Title: Wingform
Funding strand: Film Commission 2020
Project Description:
Wingform (2017 - 2020) is a Crash Ensemble Commission by Barry O’Halpin. The commission is an hour-length work in four movements, with solo electric guitar passages as connective tissue. It serves as the culmination of Barry O’Halpin’s period as Crash
Ensemble’s composer-in-residence, alongside his first few years as Crash guitarist. The work is performed by Crash Ensemble with visuals by designer Jack Phelan.
Wingform teems intensely with a living energy, taking full advantage of Crash’s unique ability to cover a breadth of musical ground: winding melodies, mechanical rhythms, rapid lines and hypnotic drones. The work combines an experimental and highly personal
approach to the electric guitar with a fascination toward the contrasts and uncanny commonalities between ‘wild’ sounds in nature and human-made music and machinery, juxtaposing these elements in vividly surreal ways.” Premiere at New Music Dublin
2021 with the full ensemble, live stream from Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin Visual artist Jack Phelan was commissioned to create an installation based on the composition. The installation toured Ireland between March-December 2022 culminating in a final
presentation at the National Concert Hall as part of Crash 25. Wingform was performed in November 2022 at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (UK) and in December 2023 at the National Concert Hall, Dublin as part of Crash 25.
Photo: Crash Ensemble
Aims of the project/work
The aim of Wingform was to commission video artist Jack Phelan to create a live/ digital hybrid multi-format installation with the music Wingform by Barry O’Halpin.
It was important for Crash Ensemble to create work through meaningful collaboration with creatives outside of the music genre and medium. The aim of this Film Commission was to explore different paths of live and non-live performances and to look at various
ways to disseminate the company’s work differently. The Arts Council’s Film Commission Award was a natural progression of their way of working:
"We commission new work and we perform new work. One of the key developments in our work over the last couple of years is looking at new ways to present work. We work a lot with film. [...] The installation is actually a really good example of how we
can work in other ways outside of music, but that it's still very much about music, and connected to music."
Siân Cunningham
Photo: Crash Ensemble
Development of work
The idea for Wingform originated during O’Halpin’s time as composer-in-residence with Crash Ensemble where he created an original score, Wingform. Video-artist and technical director Jack Phelan was commissioned to create the moving image and visuals
for Wingform which premiered online in 2021. Audiences were able to watch the interaction between the film commission and the new original score online during the work’s premiere at New Music Dublin and their online edition in 2021.
The work that Jack created for Wingform was then used in different kinds of facets of the work beyond the online presentation. It is a live/digital hybrid multi-format work for non-live installation and live performances.
The Film Commission continues to be shown as part of live performances of Wingform on stage, through on-stage screens as well as through an installation, effectively exhibiting a non-live version of Wing Form in art spaces.
"So certainly from a presentation perspective, there was that focus on visual art spaces. I think for different reasons but primarily informed by what the installation needed."
Learnings
Engaging audiences
A key outcome of the film commission was that it enabled Crash Ensemble to engage an audience with music in a totally different way and engage with audiences they would not normally reach:
“I think it has given us an opportunity to connect with new audiences that perhaps we wouldn't always have reached before. So it helped us to broaden our audience base. Now where the crossover ultimately lies for future audiences is a whole other question,
but definitely, in terms of the exposure of the work over the last year, it's been really, really great."
The film commission of Wingform gave the original score by Barry O’Halpin a whole other life cycle:
"I think that one of the really interesting things about this particular project [note: Wing Form] as well is that it gave what originally was a music commission, a whole other life and a whole other audience around that particular piece of work."
Digital costs
Creating work in the digital space can be expensive. It depends on the equipment used and the maintenance of the equipment purchased also needs to be considered. Digital art projects tend to ultimately end up costing a bit more:
"Because once you bring any level of technology, you need the people to support troubleshooting. So I think definitely for the future it would be something for the funding of digital arts, that they are definitely in need of more robust budgets."
Factoring in a live stream, for instance, increases project costs.
Impact
The film commission of Wingform resulted in an Irish tour around the country and the feedback from audiences was very positive and audiences were responding well to the work being shown on screen throughout the live performance:
"One thing I've heard numerous times from audience members is ‘oh it’s really interesting to have all that work on screens’. It gives another layer to the work and another way for audiences to connect with it. Obviously, the work that we present in digital
formats has to make sense in the context of the music as well. But I've found it really interesting to hear this audience feedback. Audiences are really interested in the wider experience that they get at the gig now, which I think definitely bodes
well for doing more of this type of work in the future."
Collaborations and cross-art form commissions for compositions in the digital space might therefore continue for Crash Ensemble in the future.
What’s next?
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Crash Ensemble continues to develop work outside of the live performance space and diversify the work they present as non-live performances. Furthermore, Crash Ensemble has created a new stage identity incorporating digital screens
and light boxes for their live performances which draws from the experiences of the Installation of Wing Form and has similar elements to it.
Key areas that Crash Ensemble will continue to work on are:
- Collaborations with creatives outside of the medium of music;
- Building relationships;
- Focus on reaching new audiences.
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