SIMON WHETHAM

October 2008, I join a group of UK based performance artists in Tallinn, Estonia, to produce new collaborative works as guests of Non Grata. The project, Co-LAB08, is organised and run by Orion Maxted and protopPLAY. The theme of the project is Deconstruction/Reconstruction, appropriate as this reflects my composing using field recordings. The first performances are solo, showcasing existing work. I spend two days recording and composing in Tallinn, performing a 30 minute sound piece for the group. The second performance has barely begun when the power is cut and a hole is smashed in the wall of the performance space with a sledgehammer. The third performance is a group reaction to this, starting loud and intense, gradually becoming calm and peaceful. Throughout the fourth performance, individuals reacted to artists actions during the previous performance. My subject, Yoko Ishiguro, carried out the following: smoking, cooking, washing her hair, eating a banana, attempting all simultaneously. (Simon Whetham, 2009)