A multi-weekend celebration of innovative instruments and alternate tunings
Thingamajigs presents the 2016 edition of the sound-art festival that started it all. A power-pack of musical works of homemade instruments, found objects, and alternate tunings by some of the Bay Area’s most innovative artists; the 19th Annual MFP&T festival is a step further in Thingamajigs’ search for sounds; as it extends the spirit beyond its artist community. In order to achieve this, the festival will be held over 3 weekends and in different venues around Bay Area.
MFP&T festival will commence with a durational performance ‘Continuum’ - large-scale multimedia works based on 1000 poems written by Stephen Ratcliffe. The poems will be performed by the Thingamajigs Performance Group, along with artists Rae Diamond (Long Tone Choir) and Shinichi Iova-Koga (inkBoat), with their unique perspectives on durational creative practice, built upon the exquisite control of breath and body in motion. The performance is set in a military bunker in the beautiful setting of Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve. Audience members are encouraged to picnic, hike or BBQ and come in and out of the performance as they please.
In the second phase, the festival will move outdoors in San Francisco at theMarket Street Prototyping festival. Thingamajigs’ artists David Samas, Bart Hopkins and Peter Whitehead will create an orchestra area called “Play Hear” - a space for inventive and spontaneous musical collaborationswith friends and strangers of all ages and abilities. Various works will be presented over 3 days in this space. Those on the other side of the bay, canattend Rock Music in Alternate Tunings sets by Thingamajigs Performance Group’s alter ego, 'Fraid o' Freyja, the just-intoned psychedelic three-piece; Winner's Bitch, the speed metal duo made up of sound healer Joy Hutchinson and TPG's Suki O'Kane; and Solo Organ, the psychedelic sound ofDouglas Katelus.
2016 also marks the beginning of a year-long tribute to the composer Lou Harrison. 19th MFP&T’s last leg on October 16th will kick-off this commemoration project with special concerts. Featured here will be a performance by Bay Area legendary percussionist William Winant, who will present pieces on a special bell instrument designed by Lou Harrison and his partner Bill Colvig. Another group - Pet the Tiger Instrument Inventors Collective will present pieces on a new instrument called ‘The (Theta-Schumann) Harmonic Series Gamelan’. This is an intense work of alternate tunings, inspired by the works of Lou Harrison. Long Tone Choir and Gamelan Encinal are other performances, based on Lou Harrison's lifework.
The gala 19th celebration of music created with found objects and alternate tuning systems will offer a window to the bay area community. People can look into and experience the world of inventive music and new sounds, on the streets or in the concert hall.