Before I crack on and tell you why I love Bristol, I want to do a bit of a shout out about my Balloon single, which looks like this:
The badge comes complete with a download code to get Balloon, Sticking in Pins, Balloon video, and the badge itself which is a small part of a very big stitched mountain I made from old paper (sea charts, antique book covers and scrolls from Japan, my scale book from school etc)
There is a code to track your very piece. And there is an invitation to join the photo project, the idea being that the squares can be tracked to their next destination.... hopefully with an exhibition next spring/summer.
This is my submission and below is a short film of the making of this project which describes it better than words
And now I'll give some news of he last few weeks. Lots of inspirational goings on in BRISTOL:
STREET PARTY, EASTON
Impromptu session at our street party, wind section just out of the picture included 3 clarinetists, french horn, sax and a trumpet. ....and all living in the same street would you believe
ICHI'S HUMAN SIZED EARTH XYLAPHONE
getting tips from our neighbour who we met at the street party
FORAGE
A day in Boiling Wells, Bristol, organised by the marvellous Qu Junktions team. A magical array of sound art goings on amongst the foliage
Putting the bike trailer/suitcase to good use
Earth Xylaphone digging action, received lots of "who are you burying" comments
After a short improvisational performance by Ichi, we improvised by getting inside it 1 at a time! Sounded beautiful from within, not claustraphobic but cosy and you could feel the humming vibrations of the wood. Late in the day family of 4 children, youngest just 1 year old, climbed inside all together and stayed there for about 10 minutes. Finally it had to be dismantled. Destroying things is so quick in comparison to creating them! Ichi is already thinking about a new improved design.
Tall James's wind pipe organ creations
as an observer it was hard to understand but I gleaned that all had different instructions coming at them through their headphones. One participant was told to check her e-mails, another was told to ask if anyone wanted anything from the kiosk
APPLE AND MULBERRY PICKING
I went out along the cut in Bristol with a group who look after the wild apple trees. I got involved with a saw and came home with apples for a huge crumble
EXHIBITION by HIENZ JUNKINS (James from OLO Worms) at The Louisiana
with Music from myself, Ichi, Rozi, SJEsau and Found
Ichi in the cellar
Rozi Plain
SJEsau with some incredible projections he's been making
and now for a quick Europe Tour Plug...
EUROPE SEPTEMBER TOUR
me and Ichi are packed and ready
Sep 15th - Feinkostlampe, Hannover, Germany
Sep 16th - Volksbad Buckau, Magdeburg, Germany
Sep 18th - Fischbar, Leipzig, Germany
Sep 20th - Fluc, Vienna, Austria
Sep 22nd - Hafen 2, Offenbach, Germany
Sep 23rd - Kohi, Karlsruhe, Germany
Sep 24th - Oliver Peel Session, Paris, France
Sep 30th - Enuma, Dusseldorf, Germany
Very excited to be having my album released in Japan. The first 100 purchases from SweetDreamsPress in Japan come with a free cdr of live and home recordings, (but just to warn you this may be an obstacle-course if you can't read Japanese. I'm reasonably computer illiterate so you may well have more luck than me if you're willing to persevere!)
making old songs new again at our first date in Hannover with Emma Gatrill
Ichi, Chris and Emma
We had time in Magdeburg before 2nd date of the tour, and found a real life Hundert Wasser building to explore which we went on a mission to find after it was spotted from this wall
While in Berlin Dennis of Burning Eagle booking organised a house concert in his home, a cosy event with pumpkin soup to ward off the wind and rain. Thank you Dennis for the street roaming, the trip to the lake, for turning your bedroom into a dormitory. And of course thank you for organising all the lovely shows.
One of Emma Gatrill's solo performances on harp,
filmed in Paris with Renaud (the creator of The Cargo Sessions) and his daughter
Since getting Aurelie Mathigot's book I've wanted to see her beautiful work up close, and while in Paris she invited us to visit her studio which was a true inspiration. I'm excited about our future swap - an embroidered cardigan for one of her incredible creations - I reckon I'm going to come up trumps
while staying with Kate and Jesse of This is the Kit we experienced some lucky timing when Jamie of The Magic Lantern arrived to play with them in the Shakespear and Co. book shop in Paris. Usually with an ensemble but this time solo, his performance somehow managed to transport me to some serene far away place. As well as guitar he used kalimber which is a favorite of mine at the moment. The album is very highly recommended **********
Ichi played at two experimental nights in The Netherlands on the final leg of our tour. The first was a regular event Gifgrond, and the second was in Rotterdam. Both nights were shared with a pair from Dresden - Schnaak - who performed some incredibly inventive guitar playing using a chopstick sized stick and some thwacking of drums with a bundle of canes, among other pleasing ear suprises
