If an opera singer performs to camera, and it's not streamed into your lounge room, did they really perform?

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'FRACTURED SUBLIME' — a projected video installation experiment at No Vacancy Gallery

 

Devised as a timely comment on the fractured nature of performing arts in the midst of rampant illness, economic uncertainty, lack of public funding and staff shortages, FRACTURED SUBLIME features eleven exceptional Australian opera singers performing universally acclaimed ‘sublime’ music (Mozart, Händel, Beethoven et.al.) to camera, and pairs with live pop-up performance. This installation offers a unique hybrid between online and onstage performance for people to come together in a shared experience of wonder and artistry. 

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FRACTURED SUBLIME was presented as a video art installation via large projection in the gallery space. Attendees were invited to prop on gallery style benches or move around the space, engaging with the performance on their own terms. No Vacancy Gallery has an onsite café.

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LINDA THOMPSON, CREATIVE DIRECTOR:

"Opera is an art form that traditionally derives its emotional and visceral power from the singular effect of vibrations passed from one human to another.  Separation via a screen undoubtedly changes the experience, but at the same time, enables us to draw focus to the emotional exchange from close up eye contact between performer and viewer."

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Taking that face-to-face contact one step further is a 'hot seat’, where an audience member is invited to sit in front of a camera to be both viewer, and viewed. A kind of silent, solo Gogglebox. Random live pop-up performances (unannounced and unscheduled) took place across selected performances.

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CREATIVE DIRECTION

Director: Linda Thompson

Soundtrack/Arranger: Alvaro Ardila

Video Editor: Greta Nash and Sam Cross

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1o exceptional Australian opera singers

Universally-acclaimed 'sublime' music

by

Mozart, Händel, Beethoven, Wagner and others

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