Program notes:

We carry signatures of ourselves everywhere. They crop up in everything we do, imbuing a tiny piece of ourselves in every action, every word, every breath. However fleetingly, almost imperceptibly, we autograph the world around us.

Just as our handwriting is our unique fingerprint on a page, our movements inscribe the space around us in a uniquely personal way. There is no one for whom this could be more true than musicians, who train their bodies and minds to repeat actions precisely, consistently, instinctively. It is noteworthy that their practice, while drawing heavily on the exacting dexterity of the body, places sound as the primary focus and outcome. The body is the instrument; it exists to draw the music out. What if the characteristic movements of the musicians could be brought forward into the spotlight?

In Contrails, light-weight UV lights are attached to key areas of three instruments – Viola, Flute and Guitar – and the gestures of each respective musician will be captured by glow-in-the-dark screens, thus offering movement an opportunity to be perceived on the same page as autographs. The resulting movement signatures, inscribed by UV light, offer a glimpse into each musicians’ repeated, practiced, habitual and yet distinctly personal motions. The light-drawn patterns will be transient, like the gestures that produce them, but they will give an impression that lingers long enough to be deservedly acknowledged and considered as a key component of musical context. We are all constantly radiating innately personal ‘autographs’; let us take a brief moment to see them shine.