NEADERTHAL: THE WORKSHOP by Simon Thorne

place: Fabryka Sztuki w Łodzi, ul. Tymienieckiego 3

time: 14 th and 15 th of August 2010, 11 a.m- 3 p.m

info/ reservation: pola.amber@fabrykasztuki.org

price: 40 zł/ per day

Simon Thorne is a composer and theatre artist living and working in Wales. His work spans opera, soundscape installation and radical improvisation. He has been working extensively with the figure of the Neanderthal to explore the relationship between language, speech and song. He has been working with new ways of writing to provoke freedom in improvisation that connects to the primordial human impulse to make music.

“why did we ever make music in the first place? The idea that Neanderthals sang their way through the landscape and that early humans were also accomplished musicians creates a space that is ripe for conjecture – how do we know ourselves in the world through song?”

Here is an opportunity to explore techniques that free the voice as a source of natural immediate expression. It is an opportunity to work with graphic mark making as a technique for composing and structuring improvisation. It is an opportunity to explore simple and direct strategies that can unlock the creativity of composer, performer, singer and musician alike.

SIMON THORNE www.simonthornemusic.co.uk/

Simon Thorne has been associate musical director for Akademia Ruchu, and a performing member of Cardiff Laboratory Theatre. He was a vocalist with the Meredith Monk Ensemble. He has also worked closely with Teatr Laboratorium, Odin Teatret and members of the Roy Hart Theatre.

He was co-founder, performer and director of Man Act theatre company. He is a founder member of The Wales Jazz Composers Orchestra. He is also composer and director for The Canton Opera Company.

Recent works include The Prodigy of Love (2004) for the Welsh Baroque Orchestra, also Ivan and the Wolf (2005) for the orchestra of the Welsh National Opera and The Infernal Twittering Machine (2007) for Klangwerkstatt Weimar. Hope Street (2008) was an interactive sound installation for the Anglican and Roman Catholic cathedrals in Liverpool for Liverpool 2008 European City of Culture. Neanderthal (2007 -) is already a soundscape installation and live performance commissioned by National Museum Wales. Dancing for Neanderthal, Drawing on Neanderthal and Sounding Neanderthal are all currently in preparation as choreographic, performance installation and instrumental versions. Tel Magura (2010) is a soundscape work for Art Landscape Transformations EC project 2007-4230 that is being conducted as a partnership between the School of History and Archaeology, Cardiff University and Muzeul Judetean Teleormanul, Romania.