Easter at the Piano Mill 2023

Sunday 9 April 2023

Featuring 

the world premiere of “Be Prepared: Peak Plastique” by Vanessa Tomlinson,
Erik Griswold and Anna McMichael in Lagavulin;
Gondwana Echoes by Renata Buziak with Jan Baker-Finch,
Tomlinson and Griswold, outdoors sounding the valley;
Piano Mill Extraction (Bruce Wolfe – tractor) featuring the removal of a piano,
and then a duo between solo pre-loved piano (Erik Griswold) and the pianos in the mill
(Colin Noble, Alistair Noble, Vanessa Tomlinson)

Easter at the Piano Mill continued its new intimate format with Be Prepared: Peak Plastique. Performing in the amazing acoustic of the 40-seat Lagavulin concert hall the trio explored how to prepare their instruments - piano, percussion and violin. Part art project, and part sonic transformation, the trio transformed their instruments with locally sourced organic material, and locally found plastic waste to create a set of minimalist unexpected sonic patterns.

Peak Plastique
Piano – Erik Griswold | Violin – Anna McMichael | Percussion – Vanessa Tomlinson

1- Polypropylene (PP) C3H6 Erik Griswold - Prepared Piano, Violin, Vibraphone
2- Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) C2H3Cl Erik Griswold - Humous container, violin, Stars Wars Plastic, Piano
3- Peak Plastique Anna McMichael - Single Use Plastic Bags, Plastic Bottle, Bread Bags, Drums, Vibraphone, Violin, Prepared Piano
4- Nylon (C6H11NO) GRISWOLD, McMichael, Tomlinson - Bowed fishing line piano, plastic knife, plastic straws, plastic cord and bowed vibraphone
5- Lego - Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) (C8H8)x·(C4H6)y·(C3H3N)z Vanessa Tomlinson - Piano, scordatura violin, vibraphone, drums
6- Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)C10H8O4 Erik Griswold - Piano, Violin, Drums
7- Vinyl Chloride (VCM) C2H3Cl - Erik Griswold Vinyl LP, Vibraphone, Piano, Violin
8- Bubble Wrap - Low-density polyethylene Vanessa Tomlinson - Bubble Wrap (audience participation), vibraphone, drums, violin, piano, chopsticks
9- Sustainable Seaweed Packaging – Anna McMichael - Melodica, Waldteufel, violin loop pedal, piano, violin, vibraphone
10- Eucalyptus obliqua – Erik Griswold - Data sonfication of Eucalyptus Oliqua DNA (Messmate), Messmate leaves, Messmate twigs, piano, violin
11- Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) C2F4 - Erik Griswold - Violin, piano, vibraphone

Gondwana Echoes
Jan Baker-Finch - movement
Erik Griswold – percussion
Vanessa Tomlinson – percussion
Renata Buziak – fabric
Vicki Kelleher – poetry

Piano Extraction (Bruce Wolfe on tractor, Erik and Vanessa)
Piano and Mill Duet (Erik with Vanessa, Alistair Noble, Colin Noble in the Mill)

2023 creatives:
Jan Baker-Finch, Renata Buziak,  Erik Griswold, Greg Harm, Vicki Kelleher, Anna McMichael,  Alistair Noble, Colin Noble, Vanessa Tomlinson, Bruce Wolfe