Sensology Premiering in 2110
Nancy and I had a wonderful time and were treated like VIPs. The last show we saw was by famed Jazz composer and improvisor Paul Plimley. After the amazing musical session, I shared my thoughts with Rainbow on how this music inspired me to do an abstract animated short film. To my surprised, Rainbow said, "That's why I brought you here, I was hoping you'd say that!"
I've always been a fan of the abstract films of Oscar Fischinger and Norman McLaren and it's always been a desire of mine to do such a project. I even pitched the concept to the head of Warner Brothers Feature Animation while I was supervising special effects there (even meeting Quincy Jones in the process), but was flatly turned down. Being granted financing for this project is truly a dream come true. The two and a half minute short film, Sensology: Lyrical Amber, Hand Held, will be part of this larger project (1 hour) called, Fixed, Fragmented, Fluid, which will be a collaboration between Barry Guy, and myself. It will be a live show with a seven-piece ensemble (including piano virtuoso, Paul Plimley) and a giant screen that will combine abstract animation and jazz music. The performance will take place on June 25th, 2010 as the opening night performance of the Innovation Series at the Roundhouse Performance Centre, in Vancouver, on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. Stay tuned for more info as we get closer to the performance date. Technical Info: Lead Organization: Coastal Jazz and Blues Society
Project Title: Fixed, Fragmented and Fluid
Town/City: Vancouver
Project Scope: Vancouver, Canada, International
Discipline(s): Music, Inter-disciplinary, Media Arts
Start Date: 8/1/2009
End Date: 7/1/2010
Key Artists:
Michel Gagné – animator (Bellingham, U.S.A.)
Barry Guy – composer/conductor (Zurich, Switzerland)
Peggy Lee – musician (Vancouver)
Paul Plimley – musician (Vancouver)
Maya Homberger – musician (Zurich, Switzerland)
Lucas Niggli – musician (Zurich, Switzerland)
Peter Evans – musician (New York, U.S.A.)
Evan Parker – musician (London, U.K.)
Project Description: The Coastal Jazz and Blues Society will commission composer
Barry Guy and animator Michel Gagné to create an interdisciplinary work that
combines music with abstract animation. Composed for an ensemble of seven
musicians, the piece will be further developed in a workshop setting and premiered in
a live performance at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival in 2010.
----------- Click
here to dowload a short teaser done for the proposal (3.7
mb). Sensology (music) is © 1995 Maya Records |
Back
in June 2006, I was invited to the 
Upon
returning to my studio, I immediately got a hold of several musical
pieces by Paul. After many hours of listening, I selected a piece
called "Sensology: Lyrical Amber, Hand Held": a chaotic, energetic and powerful
musical landscape featuring Paul Plimley on the piano and famed
improvisor Barry Guy on the Bass. I then created a 2.5-minute animated short film to illustrate the vision for a proposed live show combining animation and improvised jazz music. In July 2009, I was awarded a grant to bring this project to fruition.