study for flamenco guitar and serge synthesiser #1 (2021)
Simon Blackmore’s work explores the live interaction between playing a flamenco guitar and a serge synthesiser. Both instruments have rich traditions that have inspired musicians to explore their sonic worlds and the techniques used to play them. The bright percussive sound of the flamenco guitar evolved in Andalucia, Spain, to accompany singers and dancers and was later popularised as a solo instrument by virtuoso guitarists such as Ramon Montoya and Paco de Lucia. The serge synthesiser has a more recent history. Developed by Serge Tcherepnin at CalArts (California) in the 1970s it aimed to provide affordable synthesisers for people to build and explore the sonic possibilities of electronic sound beyond the confinements of western musical structures both harmonically and rhythmically. The versatility of how this synthesiser can be modified and patched through cables has given it a longstanding reputation among artists exploring cybernetic feedback systems.
In this work, the two artforms are conceived as cosmotechnical worlds that have developed their unique voices and aesthetics. Through the use of custom electronics that picks up the vibration of each guitar string and send it as voltage to the synthesiser they have been connected in such a way that they can be played together live.
Simon Blackmore (b.1976) is an artist making sound and technology based installations and performances and a founding member of the art collective Owl Project. He worked with Owl Project on ~Flow, an Artist Taking the Lead project for the 2012 Olympics. His work was presented in a solo show at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Connecticut, USA (2014) and recent performances have included Parallel Voices, a piece for eight vocalists and custom technology presented at the Lowry Theatre(2020).