Artmusic was formed in 1999 to promote collaborative work between artists from different disciplines and to foster new relationships between the arts and other spheres. The organisation continues to build a repertoire of installation and performance pieces and is committed to exploring new environments and addressing new audiences in the presentation of its work.
The first two works were developed as a research project with funding from South West Arts. Footprints, by artist Rowena Pearce, sound designer Alastair Goolden and composer Helen Ottaway, was the first of an ongoing series of installations which use the movement of the public around a space to generate and shape music and sound. Round & Round , a cycle of paintings and piano pieces by Barry Cooper and Helen Ottaway with video by Al Morrison was first performed at the Merlin Theatre, Frome.
Site specific installations form a large part of Artmusic's output with works created for The National Review of Live Art in a subterranean corridor and for Salisbury Festival in the roof of Salisbury Cathedral. Thin Air , Helen Ottaway and Alastair Goolden's site specific sound sculpture for cathedrals and other religious buildings is recreated for each new venue, using material linked to the building and its history and involving members of the community in the development process.
The creation of interactive environments, an essential element in Artmusic's installation and site specific work, has been developed by Alastair Goolden and Helen Ottaway using Soundbeam. Soundbeam converts physical movement into sound using ultra-sonic sensors. The sensors send out streams of pulses of ultra-sound in invisible beams. Interruptions of the beam by movement cause ‘echoes' of the ultra-sonic pulses to be reflected back to the sensor. In Artmusic's work this information is interpreted by a sampler which will ‘play' previously recorded individual fragments of music and ‘found sound' according to the nuances of the detected movement.
The exploration of aspects of performance is another ongoing strand of Artmusic's activity. In Black & White , painter Barry Cooper and composer/pianist Helen Ottaway are developing a joint language for making and performing a series of improvised and composed duets. The documentation of their research includes text, drawings, notation, paintings and audio and video recording.
In both the conception and the realisation Artmusic's work includes much which is either random or intuitive or both. When two or more elements coexist and interact the results are often unpredictable. The product of the collaborative process is always more than the sum of its parts and there emerges another layer in the work which is indefinable and separate. This is the magical quality which draws people to the work time and time again.
Artmusic is a not-for-profit partnership supported by a voluntary advisory panel.
Composer and artistic director of Artmusic since its formation. Previous administrative experience includes 3 or 4 Composers (with Melanie Pappenheim). Helen Ottaway is also a collaborating artist with Artmusic .
Freelance administrator. Currently working with Artsadmin and clients, Action on Disability and Development and others. Formerly Finance Controller at Institute of Contemporary Arts (1986 to 1995), Administrator for Hesitate & Demonstrate (1984 -1986) and Natural Theatre Company (1979 to 1984).
Independent Arts producer based in London . Formerly manager of the Arts and Events programme at Canary Wharf , London (1997-9). Prior to that, freelance producer including director of Nott Dance Festival (1992-5); Barclays New Stages Festival in Nottinghamshire (1995); New Art Works Commissions programme consultant (1996-7) and other consultancies for artists, local authorities and regional and national funding bodies.
Fine artist and administrator of Shave Farm International Artists' Workshop (reg. Charity) established 1991 in association with Robert Loder and Anthony Caro. Rowena Pearce is also a collaborating artist with Artmusic .
Academic researcher and teacher with extensive marketing experience.
Museum and exhibition curator and art historian working since 1974 in Britain and Italy.
| Arts Council England | @ok | |
| Frome Town Council | Cuprinol | |
| Mendip District Council | Hanson | |
| The Odin Charitable Trust | Homebase | |
| Rowena Seddon | Laura Ashley | |
| Somerset County Council | Shave Farm | |
| Shawford Mill |
| National Review of Live Art | Salisbury Festival | |
| Nottinghamshire County Council | Salisbury District Council |