The initial footage for the High Definition video Messages becomes the visual structure and foundation for the audio work of seven sound artists including; a Norwegian a cappella group, an Argentine Tango player, two American poets, two composers - Egyptian and Swedish, and an Afghan singer. By simplifying the field of water images, an interesting situation happened. Playing in succession the variety is evident but for the moment each work holds the stage. Initially the video, captured on the Connecticut River in Western Massachusetts embraced the idea of a direct connection between the consciousnesses of the audience with the water.

In the studio, during the process of editing, a realization manifested, the video shifted both visually and conceptually to the impressions of natural light distortion using the natural element only as a support. Patterns achieved by the ebb and flow can at times suggest calligraphic shapes or figures shifting into visual metaphors of messages passing by. Back and forth, in and out, consciousness moves between recognition and the dreamlike imagination. More questions were generated, such as; how will the audience relate or connect with the Zen like (simplified) visuals? What effect will this abstract light and dark movement have on the viewer?

This is the point where the work shifts from an earlier piece Messages where the audio element ‘silence’ was crucial for the connection between the consciousness of the water and audience. In the new work Invention / Translation audio becomes a new source and connector in forming a bridge between the minimal image and the audience. The outcome being, each audio became a distinct translation for the single video image. How can one object, a video, support diverse interpretations that make sense and hold together? Relatively few visual adjustments were needed for the adaptation of the seven audio tracks with the original video. This also verified the syncopated rhythm between video and sound shared by all the participants. The idea of ‘take’ or ‘translation’ led to the title of the larger work, Invention / Translation - Messages. I did have permission to freely work with the audio to establish a strong connection with the video, so there would be no questions or distractions created by offset cues. The idea of interpretation and connection within the collective is of deep interest for all the artists involved in this project. The edited version was created after a conversation with Marita Jonsson of Kors Bars Garden on Gotland, Sweden suggesting that the original video was too long to be presented in a gallery situation. So, I went back to editing the video and thus the shortened version was created.

Nordic Voices, Diphonie 1 Op. 39, a capella, Norway

JP Jofre, Improvisation, tango, Argentina

Ethelbert Miller, Restructured Poem, poetry USA

Ashraf Fouad, Two Compositions, contemporary composition, Egypt

Carol Beane, Restructured Poem, poetry USA

Johan Svensson, Fieldwalking, contemporary composition, Sweden (Marco Fusi, musician works with Johan, viola de amour, Italy)

Humayun Khan, Nain So Nain, vocalist, Afghanistan, USA

The complexity of memory, time, sense of place, interdependence and connection lay at the foundation.

Invention / Translation – Messages, edited version, 2018 HD video, RT: 15:41, 1920 x 1080.