Simple Things announces week-long EXT. programme for 2016 including shows, discussions and art installations
Simple Things Festival is proud to announce Simple Things EXT. – an extended programme of unique performances, talks and art installations supported by Arts Council England in the week preceding the main festival.
From 17-19 October, Simple Things will partner with At-Bristol for Planetarium sessions, three audio-visual performances set in the intimate surroundings of the projection-mapped planetarium.
17 October will welcome The British Paraorchestra – the first ever British orchestra comprised wholly of disabled musicians – to At-Bristol to remix Terry Riley’s minimalist classic In C as a sound and visual experiment that will take over the planetarium dome.
On 18 October, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith will bring her critically-lauded ambient-leaning electronica to the Planetarium, a perfect reflection of the cosmic landscapes she creates. Read our review of her latest album release, EARS, here.
19 October welcomes electro double act Dopplereffekt who will perform live in the space, providing a bracing conclusion to the sessions.
20 October sees Thom Yorke and Nicolas Jaar collaborator and audio-visual composer Tarik Barri debuting a specially-commissioned piece titled Versum I at The Pithay. Versum I begins with a live set from Barri on the evening of Thursday 20, followed by a week long installation. Versum I is presented in partnership with PROGRAMME gallery to mark the opening of the new arts space.
Panel discussions are another new addition to the Simple Things offering. Creative hub Watershed will host a series of talks spanning the evening of Friday 21 and the early afternoon of Saturday 22 exploring key issues and experiences within the contemporary musical landscape, titled:
– How can musical activity support itself financially in a digital era?
– DIY or Die: Is Bristol’s changing landscape providing opportunities or challenges for its creative scene?
– Are UK Festivals becoming dangerously homogenised?
– Radical Dancefloors: Reclaiming club cultures’ progressive roots.
Names of panellists will be announced soon.
On Friday 21 October, two expert Ableton Push trainers Mark Burnett and Luca Mucci, will be guiding users through some advanced skill training in Colston Hall’s education spaces. Tickets for these are free and extremely limited.
In addition to this, on the day of Simple Things (Saturday 22), both Mark and Luca will be presenting an all-day drop-in workshop in association with Elevator Sound and Bristol Ableton User Group. This will allow first-time users as well as users who have previous Ableton experience the opportunity to experience the software with Luca, Mark and members of Bristol Ableton UG on hand to as a guide. This drop-in session will be free for everyone who is attending Simple Things Festival on the Saturday.
Tickets for events will be available on Friday 26 August at 11am here, with Ableton Masterclass tickets released closer to the festival. T here are an extremely limited number of places available here, so those wanting to attend will be asked to email in directly at that time.
All events are free apart from the Planetarium shows, which are priced at £12.50. The Tarik Barri performance Versum I Live will be open on a first-come first-served basis.
