Common Ground - The Bawnmore Project

The piece took place in three separate venues divided into three interactive multimedia and sound movements on the Bawmore campus. This included showcasing work in the Sports Hall, the Swimming Pool and Bawnmore Church. The Irish Chamber Orchestra, directed by Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, performed the musical elements. Saxophonist Kenneth Edge, improvised a sound composition influenced by live swimmers/residents from Bawnmore in the pool area. An interactive performance (with video screenings) by the Irish World Music Center’s sacred music vocal ensemble Lucernarium under the direction of Helen Phelan also took place in Bawnmore Church as part of this unique event.
The evening ended with a composition of Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin's - a rarely heard electronic piece entitled ‘The Sun Has Risen’ for tape and orchestra which was choreographed by Mary Nunan and danced by students of the Irish World Music Center’s MA in Contemporary Dance Performance. The Bawnmore Ensemble, a performance group made up of residents of Bawnmore, created a unique interactive sound art element in response to a computer-mediated composition created by Taylor and Fernström, inspired by Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin's Salve. The interaction was created using a variety of computer-linked sensor-objects especially designed for members of the Bawnmore Ensemble, some of whom had mobility problems. This allowed the Ensemble to manipulate/create unique versions of the composition.