Zig Zag

Plan9,  Tim Gruchy plus

Commisioned by Roger King 

Taranaki Arts Festival

Royal Theatre New Plymouth

Aug 12 2007

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Zig Zag is an innovative and timely response to the art of Len Lye. Using sound and vision derived from his sculptures as a departure point musicians David Donaldson, Steve Roche, Janet Roddick (Plan 9), David Long, Jeff Henderson and Chris O’Connor and longstanding visual musician Tim Gruchy have created a truly unique and original live work that seeks to explore Len’s lifelong interests in rhythm and movement and the interplay between sound and vision as manifest in both his films and kinetic sculptures. It takes the whimsy and engaging dynamics so evident in all Len’s work and creates a wonderfully engaging and entertaining live performance. Taranaki Festival of the Arts commissioned the work, from an idea by Tony Rabbit. With full cooperation from the Len Lye Foundation they have been generously granted access to Len’s work including some sculptures that have not be seen since his death in 1980. The piece takes the form of a live concert where the musicians play a host of instruments ranging from double bass, theremin, euphonium, marimba to Indian harmonium, clarinet, banjo, percussion and samples. Concurrently Tim uses the very latest digital technology to truly play the vision live as an enormous visual backdrop to the performers. This makes for a thoroughly modern extension and progression of Len’s concerns, something he always expressed a keen desire for.

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