If Music Be the Food of Love was awarded a prize for best Experimental Video in 2020’s SoundDance Festival in Barcelona, as well as screening in festivals in Israel, Paraguay, Portugal and the United States.
This particular work originated in a dance in which the costume constructed for the occasion determined the kind of movement that I would do. This process continued through the construction of another costume influenced by the Korean Bogaji; gift-wraps that are created from sewing together fabric scraps. Influenced by McTaggaert’s essay on time, and an insane but continuous urge to dance in snow, I took this costume out into a very cold landscape and created movement in response to both the costume and my surroundings. Back indoors, the original dance was projected onto sculptures created from found materials. This new, re-photographed footage, was combined with the winter scenes and other complimentary footage, to create the final video. Finally, the work was inspired by the song, which was one of my favorite songs as a child – my grandmother sang it many times when she was completing her Masters in music. Purcell’s theatrical and dramatic setting of Shakespeare’s words helped to shape the original movements, as well as the final edit.
Song extracted from 2002 VAI CD “What Magic Has Victorious Love
Music of Purcell and Handel
Nancy Armstrong, soprano, accompanied by The Boston Museum Trio
To hear more, go to:
vaimusic.com/product/1211.html
If Music Be the Food of Love (excerpt) from Christy Walsh on Vimeo.
