Human Connection in a Time of Isolation
Human Connection in a Time of Isolation
It is no
question that the current pandemic afflicting the world has put a strain on the
lives of people everywhere. This is especially true for artists and musicians.
Art, however, perseveres, and the performance and presentation of the ‘1+1+1…’
project, produced by the Turning Point Ensemble, is an example of such a work
that could only be born out of these current circumstances. ‘1+1+1…’ is a
collaborative interdisciplinary art project. In it, each member of the Turning
Point Ensemble worked with a composer and other artists of their choosing to
create an interdisciplinary art piece that would be filmed and then presented
together. The first three pieces of this project were premiered back to back on
January 23rd of 2021 on YouTube.
These pieces were ‘Synapses’, ‘Cone’, and ‘Shared Solitude’. ‘Synapses’
involves oboist David Owen and dancer-choreographer Emmalena Frederiksson and
was composed by Bob Pritchard. ‘Cone’ is performed by violinist Mary Sokol
Brown and composed by Owen Underhill. ‘Shared Solitude’ is performed by Ingrid
Chiang for the bassoon, piano, and footwork, and composed by Réjean Marois. Each of these films was then directed by Sean Patrick Shaul.
Despite
each of these three pieces being created in isolation from one another by
different composers and artists, there is still a common thread connecting each
of them, as well as the entire project overall thus far: each piece is in some
way about how the current state of the world is affecting our human connections
in different ways, between people and artists alike. This is represented
differently in each artwork, but at the core of each of them, human connection plays
a big role. This can be gleaned from the context of the creation of some of
these pieces, but I will also argue this through the analysis and
interpretations of each of these pieces one by one. As well as this, the
project would not exist in this form at all had it not been for how the
pandemic has affected our human connections.
The first piece, ‘Synapses’, revolves around the relationship between the oboist, David Owen, and dancer, Emmalena Frederiksson. In a statement on this piece, composer Bob Pritchard says that “this short work explores communication through sound, light, and movement” (“2020/21 Season”). The piece begins with David playing alone, and as the piece progresses, the lighting changes multiple times, and Emmalena appears and begins to dance, while a contraption attached to her head and spine glows with LED lights. Throughout the piece, David plays in response to the different lighting and sounds that play in the room, as well as the movements of Emmalena, which in turn are a response to the playing and movements of David. Bob further mentions that “their interaction gradually builds in intensity until their partnering reaches a breaking point and dissolves” (“2020/21 Season”), which is shown in the piece as it nears its climax and ends with the two performers facing each other.
In this piece we see the reflection of human connection in a more literal sense; the two performers are interacting with each other, and the piece revolves around the interactions of the two performers to propel it forwards. This is seen in multiple parts of the piece, such as when David gestures towards Emmalena, it is in response to a specific sound that is played, and Emmalena responds to these gestures with her own movement. In Bob’s statement on this piece, he says that “the title refers to one of the mechanisms of communication in the nervous system, which the dancer’s costume and the interaction reference throughout” (“2020/21 Season”). In a literal sense, this piece represents communication within the human body, but in a more metaphorical sense, it represents the connections we share, and the effects we have on the others close to us.
In his
statement, the composer says that “as musicians, we are now often distanced or
totally separated from each other and all those with whom we would normally
share the special experience of live performance” and he mentions as well how
this piece is a reflection of the shared struggle between artists to continue
creating in such a changed state of the world right now (“2020/21 Season”). As
well as this, many of the shots of Mary focus on her connection to her
instrument by being very close to her and framing her and her violin in the
center of the shot. This is especially important as this represents another
aspect of how the piece represents human connection; she is connected with her
family and loved ones even when away from them physically because of the photos
she keeps with her instrument. In a way, she takes her family and connection
with her whenever she performs. The focus on her connection to her instrument
in the film supports this. Additionally, the wide shots the show the empty
audience further exemplify the absence of connection and juxtapose her connection
to other people and her instrument. This piece in this way is a commentary on
how the pandemic has affected artists, and how important human connections are
in our work, but also that the artistic spirit still prevails in this new
reality we all share.
The third piece ‘Shared Solitude’, is performed by Ingrid Chiang, and revolves around her playing each of the separate parts of the piece by herself. In it, she begins by sounding footwork akin to percussion, and then begins playing the bassoon. After a moment, she walks with her bassoon to an electric piano, and plays both instruments together, and echoing certain melodies and motifs across both instruments. About halfway through, she moves over to a grand piano as well, and throughout the piece changes back and forth between instruments a few more times. The music of this piece focuses on the interactions between the all the instruments and sounds that the performer is controlling all on her own. In a normal ensemble or performance, multiple musicians would play these separate instruments, but because of the pandemic, she is forced to play everything herself. But like the previous piece, ‘Cone’, she is not alone with her instruments.
In a
statement about the piece, the composer Réjean Marois, says that “this solo
piece is about being alone without a sense of loneliness…” (“2020/21 Season”) which
connects to the current state of the world due to the pandemic. She is alone
with all these instruments, but in a manner, she is simulating a larger group
of musicians by playing multiple instruments at once. Likewise, this represents
the idea that we are still connected to each other through technological
communicative means, even when we are alone in person, a simulation of
gathering. We are unable to share in physical human connections in the same
space, but at the same time, we are living in an age where we are always
connected to each other through technology. So, in this way, despite the state
of the world, we are not alone.
Each of these pieces in separate ways represents the effects of the pandemic on the state of the world and our human connections between artists and musicians, but also on others as well. Each of these pieces were created in isolation from the others, but somehow are still connected because of this common theme. As well as this, composer and artistic director of the ensemble, Owen Underhill, has said that “as we cannot in this pandemic period easily perform together as a larger group, [we have] decided to mount something quite innovative and original focused on individual performance” (Turning Point Ensemble, “Turning Point Ensemble_1+1+1...Launch” 00:42–00:57), showcasing that, as I stated earlier, this project would not exist if it were not for the current pandemic. In conclusion, the ‘1+1+1…’ project in its totality (as of the writing of this), represents different facets of human connection, and how this current pandemic and state of the world affect those connections.
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