Supported by Regional Arts Western Australia

They dream ocean currents here: landlocked
low-rise valley, foot of purgatory
tidal and exposed to the drag of planets

Other Oceans it as a creative development undertaken on Nyoongar Ballardong country. We were fortunate to find a brief period that coincided with Bec and Jon’s Australian tour. We spent a few days playing and collecting ideas, however what seemed to resonate most significantly was their physical presence in this- in many ways- isolated place. This collaboration is part of a much longer story, which began in Naarm and Berlin, and now seems to be located more in the relationship we share.

Jon proposed a concept to explore an ambiguous space between monody and polyphony. At what point is a single melodic line played by two instruments perceived as two melodic lines? How far and in what ways must they diverge? Is there a state somewhere in between? We devised an exercise where we attempted to simultaneous improvise the same melody, without any prior indication of pitch or tempo. This ‘flocking’, as described by Jon, and way of ‘finding each another’ resonated throughout our explorations.

More ideas have emerged following these few days together. We plan to continue to work to find ways to engage with the perception of resonant frequencies across the townsite of York. The resonances that reoccur across it- the vehicles, church bells and bird song- are coloured by the sonic reflections through trees and the shape of the valley. The conceptual and logistical challenges are not insignificant. However, the vitality of this collaboration lies in its expanded field, that enriches the social and cultural landscape of Nyoongar Ballardong country with a narrative thread woven between continents.