Andy Holden Performance

I just wanted to mention the performance by Andy Holden at the Victoria Gallery a few weeks ago. Until then I had never really experienced a performance piece, so I didn’t know what to expect. But I enjoyed it very much! The performance consisted of six pieces of experimental music played with a live string quartet. As the quartet played the first piece, a film of one of Holden’s sculptures rolled in the background. It was amazing how the film and music linked together so well, and how the music affected the mood of the film so much.

Holden had performed the first three pieces at Tate Britain, however we were very honoured to be the first to hear the newly composed second half. I feel that these were more enjoyable, because of their more experimental qualities. For one piece Holden, the conductor and the string quartet simultaneously read out information about the geology, geography and history of one particular rock. It was impossible to understand but the information was all nonetheless there. This reminded me of the internet. There is so much information given to us everyday and when its put in front of us so blatantly it seems quite humorous, shocking but definitely humorous.