Birmingham and U.K creative culture as experienced by Modulate’s resident artist Damian Frey from New Zealand. Three videos below.
In 2007 Modulate successfully applied to host a three month International Artist Fellowship , a unique Arts Council programme established to award time and space fellowships to enable artists to explore ideas outside of the constraints of a production schedule, and to engage with their peers in different cultural settings,
From a wide range of applicants, from 24 countries, New ZealanderDamian Frey was the person who resonated most with Modulate’s callout for a ‘Sonic Beatnik’, and the person whom we felt would gain the most opportunity from being selected.
In May 2008 Damian re visited us in Birmingham and we took the opportunity to talk to him about his experience of being here, and how the residency had impacted on his creative path since then. We also collaborated on a piece of work, something we hadn’t done much during his residency.
Since the Modulate residency brought him to the northern hemisphere, Damian has remained in Europe, finding his skills – which include code programming and software development, musical composition, interactive sound and light installations – much in demand. As well as developing his individual work, he has successfully collaborated with high level media artists and organisations including Ars Electronica – OfLab (Austria), Chris Sugrue (US), Medialab Prado (Madrid), New Interfaces For Performance (Bristol), the Netherlands Media Art Institute (Amsterdam), Yolande Harris, Dorkbot Valencia (SP) Steim Foundation (NL) RjDj and Andre Goncalves (PT).
One of the best outcome of the I.A.F residency has, for us, been in making a strong connection with Damian, so that we now consider him an international ‘floating ‘ member of our extended Modulate collective.
Below : short video related to Damians residency and revisit
Below : two conversations with Modulate. Taking part: Damian Frey, Bobby Bird, Mark Bunegar, Mark Harris, Scylla Magda, Joseph Potts, Sean Clark. Mediated by artist Geoff Broadway, One : more about the residency
Two : “Isolation” geographical and artistic: Damian in New Zealand / Modulate in Birmingham.
Excerpt: ” Maybe being isolated from the rest of the artistic crowd says a lot more about the rest of the artistic crowd than it says about Modulate. Maybe there’s a good reason to be isolated – to isolate yourself from the rest of the art world. -maybe the rest of the arts world is disappearing up its own rear end, for want of a better term, in lots of important ways ” Damian Frey (NZ)
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