HyperkembanganX
An experimental dance film made in collaboration with Javanese composer, Dion Nataraja, working with Gamelan sounds, and Ayesha Bashir, a filmmaker from Karachi. The movement was developed together with Mrunal, a fellow dancer from Pune.
About the music:
“The attempt to stretch the concept of irama by exploring the liminality between pulse and noise is at the heart of this piece. This idea, coming from Central Javanese gamelan, organizes the temporal density within a piece; starting from irama lancar with one saron panerus beats per balungan notes, to irama rangkep with sixteen saron panerus beats per balungan notes. Hyperkembangan is based on a central question: what would the sound of an extremely high level of irama be, where the balungan notes is imperceivably sparse, while the elaboration is extremely dense? This hypothetical situation leads me to conceptualize a piece based on a progression from pulse, to complex sound (represented by spectral harmonies), to noise—noise here functions as a representation of an overload in the elaborative part. The piece is played with two gendèrs with pair tuning consists of customized 14 notes system that could accommodate spectral harmonies (based on the spectra of note 1 in gendèr struck with hard mallet) and its various manipulations. The "X" in the title—as well as a reference to Boulez's "Polyphonie X"—suggests a kind of cultural defacing, where new content is imposed on the cultural memory of the music, yet still maintains parts of those memories; a form of a musical palimpsest.”
- Dion Nataraja (composer)
Composition: Dion Nataraja (Indonesia)
Music Performed by Sandikala Ensemble (Indonesia)
Choreography/Performance: Surabhee Arjunwadker (India), Mrunal Khadke (India)
Videography: Ayesha Bashir (Pakistan)
Bennington College , VT, USA
October 2021