inspired by the life of Hildegard von Bingen
Multi-media performance
Zeena Parkins electric harp, sampler
Janene Higgins live video mix
A blinding light of exceptional brilliance
went through my entire brain;
and it kindled my whole heart and breast
like a fire: not burning, but warming...
and suddenly, I understood.
The duo consists of a live interaction of music and video: imagery projected through mixers is manipulated live by Janene (using several VTR's, and a camera feed which is focused on Zeena's hands and instrument) to the sounds of Zeena's unique electric harp and various electronic sound processors. The images and music are in the form of an experimental narrative mixed with abstract visuals. The pieces are based on a core composition, with room for improvisation for both performers.
Their latest piece, Artificial Eye, is inspired by the life and works of Hildegard von Bingen (11th-century composer, healer, poet, cloistered nun, scholar): her writings, music, hallucinatory experiences, and her theories on female sexuality & reproduction. The imagery ranges from the violence of Europe during the Middle Ages, to serene musings on the female body, to the mysticism of early Catholicism. The music makes full use of Zeena's unique sonic vocabulary developed for her electric harp (a hybrid of an acoustic harp and an electric guitar), and is embellished with samples of Hildegard's choir music, and spoken segments of Hildegard's texts.
Artificial Eye premiered in August '97 in Kassel, Germany, for Documenta X. An updated version was presented at "Music Unlimited" in Wels, Austria, November '97, and at The University of Missouri in March of '98. The latest edition of the piece was performed at the City of Women festival, Slovenia, in October '98.
I have sensed these visions in myself
since childhood.
Most of the music in Artificial Eye can be found on Zeena's latest solo CD, "No Way Back" on Atavistic Records.