Restrung New Chamber Festival: An Exploration of Contemporary String Practice Danielle Sarah Bentley BMus MCI School of Music and Sound Submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Queensland University of Technology (2011) 1 Keywords New music, classical music, string music, hybrid arts, Brisbane, Queensland, festival, Restrung New Chamber Festival, creative industries, practice-led research 2 Abstract The Restrung New Chamber Festival was a practice-led research project which explored the intricacies of musical relationships. Specifically, it investigated the nature of contemporary string practice, with “New music” at its core. For the purposes of this project, “New music” will be defined in terms of representing a “global sonorous space” (Nancy 2007:12), which Hulse describes as “a spectacular comingling of styles and an unprecedented explosion of creative possibilities” (Hulse n.d.:2). Approaches to staging such an event are contextualised through a comparative analysis with relevant Australian and European festivals. The Restrung model derived inspiration from both art music and popular music festival models, in several aspects. One strategy was to engage audiences through combinations of musical, visual and spatial features. Another strategy was to encourage interaction by audiences with installations, workshops and forums. Restrung represents a new and distinctive model which presented art music within an immersive environment. This exegesis presents an evaluation framework which investigates the relationship between curatorial input and the experiential qualities of the festival. The context of an overview of trends in arts festival curation informs the discussion, as well as approaches to identifying new and receptive audiences. It is expected that the evaluation framework will provide a useful and practical guide for curators working in contemporary string practice, hybrid arts, experimental and cross-art form festival design. 3 Statement of Original Authorship The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted to meet requirements for an award at this or any other higher education institution. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made. Signature ______________________________________________ Date _____________ 4 Acknowledgements Enormous gratitude and thanks to: Dr Steven Dillon, Dr Robert Davidson, Dr Axel Bruns, Dr Sally Macarthur, Dr Jodie Taylor, Dr Andrew Brown, Dr Sarah Collins, Andrew Ross, Dr Susan Carson, Professor Andy Arthurs and Sarah Gornall. To my family: David, Lena, Zeke, Eva and Zola Bentley. To Brisbane Powerhouse and Creative Industries Research Office staff. To Restrung performers, audience members, collaborative artists, technicians, and to all my interviewees. 5 Important Note to the Reader The practice-led nature of this project has necessitated a large volume of appendices and support materials. The appendices are provided as a PDF document on Disk 1. To facilitate navigation, I have created a hyperlinked table of contents at the top of this document. Disks containing Restrung footage and relevant audio and visual materials are itemised in the List of Supplementary Materials on Disk. 6 Table of Contents Page Abstract…………………………………………………………..………..………...3 List of Tables………………………………………………………………….……15 List of Supplementary Materials on Disk………………..……………...………..16 Introduction……………………………………………….………………………..17 Overview 17 Researcher’s Perspective 20 Chapter Outline 20 Chapter 1: Research Context……………………………………………………..23 1.1 Introduction 23 1.2 Curatorial Concepts 24 1.2.1 Festival as Artwork 24 1.2.2 The Immersive Artwork 25 1.2.3 Alice In Wonderland 26 1.3 Empirical Musicology 29 1.4 Situating Contemporary String Practice 30 1.4.1 Introduction 30 1.4.2 Syncretism in Contemporary String Practice: A Global Sonorous Space 31 1.4.3 Disambiguation: What is New music? 31 1.4.4 Contemporary String Practice: Perspectives on Syncretism 34 1.4.5 Stylistic Pluralism 36 1.4.6 A Becoming-Music 38 1.4.7 Audience Reception for New Music 40 1.4.8 Audience Profile Development 43 1.4.9 The Creative Class: the performative audience 44 1.4.10 A Becoming-Audience 46 1.5 Background to Festival Theory 47 1.5.1 Introduction: Defining the role of the contemporary festival 47 1.5.2 Key Festival Research Resources 48 1.5.3 Community 49 7 1.5.4 Festivals as Experience 52 1.5.5 Festival Models 54 1.5.6 Festival as Marketing Tool 57 1.5.7 Brisbane Context 58 1.5.8 Brisbane’s Festivals 60 1.6 Curatorial Festival Theory 61 1.6.1 Innovation and Risk Taking 61 1.6.2 Excess 64 1.6.3 Accessibility 65 1.6.4 Audience Engagement 67 1.6.5 Places and Contexts 68 1.7 Conclusion 72 Chapter 2: The Festival Landscape………………………………………………75 2.1 Introduction 75 2.2 Introduction to Festivals and Interviewees 76 2.2.1 Introduction 76 2.2.2 Gaudeamus Music Week 2008 80 2.2.3 iF 84 2.2.4 Aurora/ISCM World New Music Days 86 2.2.5 Dartington International Summer School (DISS) 89 2.2.6 This Is Not Art (TINA) 91 2.2.7 Straight Out of Brisbane 94 2.3 Festival Comparative Analysis 96 2.3.1 Marketing 96 2.3.2 Staging and Programming 106 2.3.3 Social Aspects 112 2.3.4 Measuring Creative Success: Evaluation and development strategies 119 2.4 Conclusions 126 Chapter 3: Approaches to Methodology and Analysis……….………………....129 3.1 Introduction 129 3.2 Selecting an Appropriate Methodology 129 3.2.1 Performative Research Paradigm 130 8 3.2.2 Conceptual Design as Research Reporting 131 3.2.3 The Research Timetable 132 3.3 The Appropriateness of the Interpretive Paradigm 139 3.3.1 Arts Festival Evaluation 139 3.3.2 Highlighting the Need to Evaluate Social, Curatorial and Cultural Impacts 141 3.3.3 Previous Academic Studies on Evaluating Social and Cultural Aspects of Festivals 142 3.3.4 Using Constructivist Evaluation 143 3.3.5 Participant Observation Case Study 144 3.3.6 General Advantages and Disadvantages of the Approach 145 3.4 Conceptual Design Pilot Study and Prototype 149 3.4.1 Introduction 149 3.4.2 Pilot Study: Australian Music for Strings Weekend 150 3.4.3 Prototype: Hothouse Festival, Gabba Village 153 3.5 Restrung New Chamber Festival 155 3.5.1 Background 155 3.5.2 Description of the Site 156 3.5.3 Overview of Conceptual Design 156 3.5.4 Criteria for Selecting Musical Performances 161 3.5.5 Music Programme: Diversity in contemporary string practice 162 3.5.6 Ongoing Exhibits 163 3.5.7 Marketing to a cross-section of audiences 163 3.6 Qualitative Features of the Research Design 165 3.6.1 Introduction 165 3.6.2 Interviews and Focus Groups 165 3.6.3 Observation Data 181 3.7 Surveys 182 3.8 Cross-Checking Data 183 3.8.1 Emergent Trustworthiness and Authenticity 183 3.8.2 Negative Case Analysis 184 3.8.3 Seeking a Number of Lenses On a Phenomena 185 3.9 Conclusion 185 9 Chapter 4: Research Outcomes……...……………………………….…………...187 4.1 Introduction 187 4.2 Pre-Restrung Market Research Focus Groups 188 4.3 Marketing: Evaluating the Creation of Expectation 190 4.3.1 Marketing Channels: Survey Results 191 4.3.2 Marketing Imagery and Language 194 4.3.3 Restrung: Classical or Contemporary?. 198 4.3.4 Marketing Strategies Conclusion 201 4.4 Feedback on Programme and Accessibility 202 4.4.1 Continuity of Programming 202 4.4.2 Free Music 205 4.4.3 Use of the Space 207 4.4.4 Use of Visual aspects 208 4.4.5 Interactive Elements: The Violinarium 211 4.5 Feedback on Social Aspects 213 4.6 Becoming-Audience 216 4.7 Conclusion 218 Chapter 5: Measuring and Building on Creative Success…………………….…221 5.1 Introduction 221 5.2 Marketing 221 5.2.1 Marketing Channels 221 5.2.2 Marketing Focus: Classical or Contemporary? 222 5.3 Programming and Staging 223 5.3.1 Continuity and Variety in Programming 224 5.3.2 Free Music 225 5.3.3 Use of Space 226 5.3.4 Visual Aspects 227 5.3.5 Interactive Elements of the Festival Design 228 5.4 Social Aspects 229 5.5 Evaluation of Evaluation Methods 230 5.6 Conclusions 232 10 Appendices PDF…………………………………………………………………Disk 1 Table of Contents Appendix A: Australian Music for Strings Weekend (AMSW) Appendix A.1: AMSW Workplace Report Appendix A.2: AMSW schedule Appendix A.3: Letter from Sue Smith, Rockhampton City Council Appendix B: Hothouse at Gabba Village Appendix B.1: Letter from Bruce Roberts Appendix B.2: Gabba Village Business/Marketing Plans (includes maps) Appendix B.3: Gabba Village Meeting Minutes Appendix B.4: Hothouse Gabba Village Photos Appendix C: Restrung Conceptual Design Appendix C.1: Proposal to Brisbane Powerhouse Appendix C.2: Email from Harriman Appendix C.3: Performer Descriptions Appendix C.4: Harriman Email re. Powerhouse Contributions Appendix C.5: Powerhouse Letter of Support Appendix C.6: Australia Council New Work Grant Documentation Appendix C.7: Australia Council Presentation/Promo. Grant Documentation Appendix C.8: Brisbane Powerhouse Venue Information 2008 Appendix C.9: Turbine Hall Floor Plan and Photos Appendix C.10: Sample of Event Management Role, Letter of Agreement Appendix C.11: Email to Powerhouse re. Text for Brochure Appendix C.12: Restrung Schedule Appendix C.13: Ongoing Exhibit Descriptions Appendix C.14: Wattenberg Violinarium Sketches Appendix C.15: Crossbow Sound Sculpture Proposal Appendix C.16: Email re. Sample Visuals Collaboration Appendix C.17: Miss Random Biography Appendix C.18: Beh Wattenberg CV Appendix C.19: Joel Stern CV 11 Appendix D: Restrung Marketing Appendix D.1: Restrung Brochure Appendix D.2: Restrung Posters Appendix D.3: Poster Bill Distribution