*
700IS Hreindyraland
Chiara Ambrosio
German Britch
Brendan Colvert
Drawn Together
Genetic Moo
James Hesford
Chris Humphreys
Wu Junyong
Kengo Kuma & Associates
Ragnhild Ljosland
Tom Løberg
Lasse Marhaug
Mirrie Dancers
Tom Muir
Multiplicities
Joseph Nechvatal
Antonio Nodar
Wladimir Prib
Thomas Rummelhoff
Saltfishforty
Saunders Architects
Armando Seijo
The Chair
Zoe Walker & Niel Bromwich
Apichatpong Weerasethankul
 
 
James Hesford
papa westray
"The Entire Population of Papa Westray" was commissioned by Land Art - Papa Westray. For PAPAY GYRO NIGHTS 2011 the composition will be released as a single and will be used to create a sound installation in PAPAY

James Hesford - composer,
Mikey Kirkpatrick - Flute,
Julian Saxl- violin,
Marc Layton Bennett - snare drum/hide skin drum ,
James Hesford - accordion
 

I noticed that many of the Scottish tunes are named after people. I decided that I would write a very long tune giving 4 bars of music to each person on the island of Papay. There are 70 people living there, which makes 280 bars of music without repeats..

As well as writing music I also write words - forming ideas through flow of consciousness. I wanted to approach the composition in the same way - writing a single line melody from left to right which would
flow from my pen as easily as words do. My starting point was the fond memories I have of playing with Margaret Rendall (accordionist) in the Papay pub on Saturday nights so the beginning melodic curves and rhythms are reminiscent of the Scottish and Island tunes we played together for the Papay dances.

I soon found the melody took a life of its own and steered me into darker tonal areas. I suppose I could not escape the changing moods of the weather in the Islands which was unknowingly influencing me. The melody became as unpredictable as the wind, weaving into the brightness of the diatonic folk tunes and out into territories more akin to Ornette Coleman's free jazz improvisation or early twentieth
century attempts at atonalism.

I decided that the tune should be played by a fiddle and flute player, two percussionists playing military snare and hide skin drum, and a non musician improvising on accordion to add a layer of familiar texture, and to be as disruptive as the ever blowing wind.

James Hesford. 2009

 
www.jameshesford.com
 
 
 
 
INTRODUCTION
 
HISTORY
 
PROGRAMME
 
PARTICIPANTS
 
ART PRIZE
 
BLOG
 
CONTACT
© LAND ART - PAPA WESTRAY 2010