Longleash’s film and media project, Resonant Lens, illuminates the stories, concepts, and visions behind core works of our ensemble’s repertoire. Through collaborations with video artists, photographers, animators, and visual artists, we develop films and modular video content that can be projected during a live performance, presented in public screenings, or streamed online.
During the past two years of the pandemic, this collection of films has enabled our ensemble to stay connected to audiences through online screenings and virtual events. The program’s themes of contemplation, interconnectedness, and a recognition of nature’s intelligence and agency have also offered context and solace for the difficult circumstances of the past two years — a reminder of the power of the arts to guide us through uncertain times. This project is made possible through the generous support of Music Academy of the West’s Alumni Enterprise Award.
The films
Flyway Detour
Flyway Detour, a film by Swiss-Japanese filmmaker Caroline Mariko Stucky based on the trio by Anthony Cheung, draws connections between aviary migratory patterns and other forms of embodied memory, and considers the moments when our planned trajectories go awry.
Music: Flyway Detour by Anthony Cheung
Director: Caroline Mariko Stucky
Cinematography: Eric Richardson
Editor: Ariadne Greif
Buddha
The manuscript of Julius Eastman’s Buddha is strikingly beautiful: a hand drawn oval encircles twenty staves of stemless pitches, ringed by resonance lines and a title in delicate script. In her animation, Longleash violinist Pala Garcia traced over Eastman’s handwriting, translating static text into live gestures and, eventually, a hybrid moving script that combined the unique qualities of Eastman’s hand and her own.
Music: Buddha by Julius Eastman
Animation: Pala Garcia
Editor: John Popham
Tree/Peace
Exploring themes of interconnectedness, multisensory communication, and collective consciousness, Tree/Peace, directed by French filmmaker Pascal Perich, offers a visual response to American composer Pauline Oliveros’ work of the same name. Oliveros’ structured improvisation for violin, cello, and piano prompts its performers to contemplate moments of a tree’s life cycle as they react and respond to each other. The film was shot at the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest in Clermont, KY.
Music: Tree/Peace by Pauline Oliveros
Director: Pascal Perich
Titles and color: Mark Popham
In Her Dream Song
Colombian composer James Diaz’ composition and accompanying graphic animation, “In her dream song,” draws inspiration from the aesthetics of psychedelia, immersing the audience in a joyful and expansive sound world and kaleidoscopic visual energy.
Music: In Her Dream Song by James Diaz
Animation: James Diaz
