Our collaborators in this project called Hand Eye
is a group of composers called Sleeping Giant.
There are six composers who work together,
we went back and forth on ideas.
The composers sometimes would send us
excerpts of things to try out.
We would play a phrase
or record something on an instrument,
maybe tune something in an unusual way it could be
ten seconds of a video and we would return that
and then they would have more information
and they would go back to the drawing board
and write new things.
I don't think it's realistic that you can erase yourself
from the experience if you're physically on stage.
I appreciate receiving the information of that score,
but I miss the person in it,
if the performer is not bringing
themselves to the experience
in a really full way.
And so, we've not only embraced the live performance,
the “us” that is in the performance,
but we've done what we can over time
to prioritize and amplify that.
That's led to us trying all kinds of things on stage
that are not always usual in live performance
and definitely not usual in live classical performance.
I think what's incredible about eighth blackbird
is that they actually are about that collective.
They are about “how do you create art with one another
in a very open and safe dialogue.”
Because the art of collaboration
actually is unbelievably difficult.
Usually people start to win out,
and there's always different power dynamics.
But what's incredible about this group is they've
been together for such a very long time,
that they know the ins and outs of each other,
and they meet each other all in the same place
and wavelength, which then
as an artist walking into that,
we are new layers into that collaboration.
It really helps to have somebody out in the house
helping you know what's happening,
because when you're on the stage
you really can't see the whole picture.
And so, for a production like this
we really do like to bring in an artistic team.
They're very open to our thoughts and our suggestions
and our visual lenses, because,
just like them as artists creating music,
we are also musicians in many respects.
The tempi of light, the movement,
the spatial relationships,
how quickly people move through space, or
how quickly things are happening in the video
in combination with their music—is an added layer
that creates another piece onto the compositions.
We wanted to add to the six pieces
written by the Sleeping Giant composers.
The contribution being made
by our projectionist, Deborah Johnson—
she's designed a geometric six-paneled screen.
She's creating a visual reaction to the work
that is no differently, artistically
inspired than the six compositions are themselves.
Their hunger for sharing in that collaboration
is really an intricate balance,
because everybody has an artistic say,
not only on what they're doing
but what the overall picture is.
They're a Grammy Award–winning ensemble.
From our perspective,
we prefer that everyone is involved
in all aspects during the collaborative
and the creative process.
And that was much more the case in this situation
to a very satisfying degree.
Great artists are able to throw stuff away
and keep bringing in new elements
and having it fold in and over itself.
It's almost like origami. You make an improper fold,
it's going to be all kinds of funky.
It requires lots of folding and unfolding
to finally make the shape.
And that's what they do.
They are able to fold one way and then look at that.
Is that going to end up creating the object that we want?
They can unfold and refold it in a different form
that eventually is going to reach
the crux of the artistic moment
and pinnacle of the experience.
