James Benning (B. 1942) is an American filmmaker known for his experimental observational/documentary film. Exploring both nature and the built environment, utilising durational static shots. James Benning is known for his use of structuralist techniques in his films. Structuralism as a film movement that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s and explores the formal elements of cinema, such as shot composition, editing, and sound, and the ways in which these elements can be used to create meaning. Benning works with long static shots, presented in real time, asking the viewer to inhabit the world of the film, through quiet and still contemplation.
Benning is a significant influence of my work as a musician, championing similar durational ideas of inhabitation of intangible media, while also exploring stillness and quiet as compositional devices. This work pays tribute to the film I have most deeply connected with ’Ten Skies’, rescoring the film from Benning with an earthy minimalist soundtrack.
The piece was performed as layered improvisations, on Flue pipes, contact miced slate and a chordophone of the artist design. These improvisations were then processed and underscored with the addition of test equipment derived oscillating sine waves.
James Benning - Ten Skies (Jacob Calland Rescore) from Discreet Archive on Vimeo.
Jacob Calland, After James Benning, DA03, 2023
Field recordings from Nîmes are combined with sparse piano, re-pitched viol de gamba, sine wave resonances and percussion to create a sound world exploring overlapping and unreal spaces. The works are intended to be interacted with as a space, to be indulged in rather than listened to in a linear fashion. Slow/quiet, turn it down.
Luc, a musician and luthier, explores Ideas of stillness, quiet and unreal space through their work, presenting sound as object, manipulating sonic materiality.
René is a playwright, musician, pie thief and is currently breathing the green air on uncilivilsation.
All proceeds of this album will be donated to Amnesty International
Luc Virilio and Rene Virilio, 43.8374, 4.35351, DA02, 2022
This album recorded in the mountains of north Wales, utilises homemade Metallophones of the artists design, and varied extended percussion technique, performed as free improvisations. These performances were then digitally recomposed with the addition of synthesis into the three-part work here.
Luc explores Ideas of stillness, quiet and silence through their work, presenting sonic objects and manipulating the sonic materiality of these objects. The works are intended to be interacted with as a space, to be indulged in rather than listened to in a linear fashion.
All proceeds of this album will be donated to Amnesty International.
Luc Virilio, Outside (Articulated), DA01, 2022