live multimedia + music collaborative performances on a sporadic basis

by virtual migrants

parallel narratives between live music, multimedia and video projection

"Passenger" is a sporadic and evolving live format which virtual migrants uses to bring together a particular responsiveness and narrative juxtaposition between collaborative partners.  It was developed as an extension to and inspired by the music performances which accompany the "What If I'm Not Real" installation.  Video or multimedia works are projected either as originals or re-mixed-manipulated using VJ or other interactive software, and this forms a backdrop for various and changeable live musicians who identify with the issues and perspectives from a range of backgrounds, personal developments and cultural contexts.

The video and multimedia narratives draw on documentary approaches even if using semi-surreal fictional forms, and this can be seen as a parallel to the way conscious popular music also draws on an authenticity of experience while simultaneously using bold and abstract poetic licence.  Pushing the boundaries between documentary and live performance, at the Passenger show at the Green Room (23/3/07) the actual lived experience of people dealing with the issues was brought into the theatre space as an additional layer, taking place simultaneously with the live multimedia performance.

Selected Passenger events:

PASSENGER 'X', The Late Room, Manchester  23rd July 2006

PASSENGER: EXHALE, The Green Room, Manchester  23rd March 2007

REROUTE (Passenger 3), Manchester University - Creolising Europe conference  8th September 2007

REGISTER (Passenger 4), CUBE gallery, Manchester  27th May 2009

Forthcoming at The Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol, BS1 4QA.  Tel: 0117 917 2300:

virtual migrants live performance
“Passenger 5: Climate Racism”
SUNDAY 4^TH OCTOBER 2.00PM FREE
Artists, guests and participants - live and recorded - discuss racial and imperialist backgrounds to climate change interacting with sampled documentary, interviews, music and video.  Special Guests: Arun Kundnani (virtual) from Institute of Race Relations, and Guy Bailey OBE (live) originally of the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott and vice-chair of the Black Development Agency.

virtual migrants live performance
“Passenger 6: Third Resistance”
SATURDAY 7^TH NOVEMBER 2.00PM FREE
A narrative montage combining live dialogues with sampled documentary, interviews, music and interactive video.  This will evolve with new material continually added in response to global events that are yet to take place. Featuring interviews from the Declaration of Rights for Indigenous People Conference at the Pierian Centre (Bristol), 12^th October 2009.