WAAPA Live at the Rechabite and Defying Gravity Flies Solo: New performance paradigms in Pandemic Art
Author Identifier (ORCID)
Research Statement
Research Background
COVID 19 had a devastating impact on live music performance around the world in 2020, and most performing musicians went into hibernation. Instead, White set out to establish a new performance model by turning isolation and physical separation restrictions into artistic stimulus. Drawing from the single-camera-shot full-length film ‘Russian Ark’, and observing WA’s COVID physical separation rules, White’s research produced two unprecedented live mobile music performances, both live-streamed around the world on Facebook.
Research Contribution
In each performance, White devised an unbroken single-shot hyper-mobile live-streamed music performance. The ‘Rechabite’ project turned COVID separation rules to advantage by separating 24 musicians, using a mobile camera to journey through them and around Perth’s historic Rechabite Hall. Fifty-one separate works including six world premieres were performed by a total of 24 musicians in an unbroken 47-minute live-streamed performance, with the camera taking a 150-metre musical odyssey around the three floors of the Rechabite Hall. In addition, the performance amplified the use of purposeful lighting, space, movement, acting, vocalisation and multimedia far more than a conventional classical music concert. White personally devised, curated, directed and filmed both performances; in the process creating a model which may be unprecedented in the field of classical music.
Research Significance
‘WAAPA Live at the Rechabite’ and ‘Defying Gravity Flies Solo’ were viewed over 46,000 times on Facebook, making them the second-most-viewed performances ever released by WAAPA. White’s research trajectory continues, as the Fremantle Arts Centre’s ‘OffBEAT’ series engaged him for an extension of these concepts in performance in 2021, further supporting the claim of excellence. White is collaborating with the National Trust and WA’s Government House to live-stream similar performances from their venues.
Non-Traditional Research Output
Live Performance
Document Type
Non-Traditional Research Output
Date of Publication
2020
Location of the Work
Perth
Publisher
Tim White
School
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
RAS ID
36043
Event Title
WAAPA Live at the Rechabite / Defying Gravity Flies Solo
Event Dates
April 21; June 9, 2020
Event Venue
The Rechabite Hall (Northbridge Perth), Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (Edith Cowan University)
Additional Information
Two separate performances and total audience of 46,000 online viewers
Duration
77 mins (total)
Comments
White, T. (2020). ‘WAAPA Live at the Rechabite’ and ‘Defying Gravity Flies Solo’: New performance paradigms in Pandemic Art [Musical performance livestreamed on Facebook]. The Rechabite Hall (Northbridge, Perth), Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (Edith Cowan University, Perth).