Decimation in A-flat and F-minor - Configured for Live Piano
Shipsides and Beggs Projects - performed live by Caroline Scotton
36min
2018

After an intensive period of working, transcribing the midi data of the 'Decimation in A-flat and D-minor' audio artwork to sheet music and arranging the composition for live performance it was then developed and performed live by professional French classical pianist Caroline Scotton-Goulard.

The event took place on the September 30th at La Cuisine Centre d'arte et de aesign, in France as the final phase of the Lament of the Accolade Tree exhibition by Shipsides and Beggs Projects in 2018.

Live audio documentation of this event is here:
https://vimeo.com/298460718

Contextual information:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Original work: Decimation in A-flat and F-minor. 12inch specially commissioned vinyl record. 31mins. Edition of 4. 2018

A terrifying policy of the Italian Army in WW1 was that of Decimation, where one in ten soldiers were randomly selected and executed if any soldier in that section was thought guilty of cowardice. The audio work in the form of 12” record vinyl is played on a record player. It takes the elevation data of the 1916 Italian mountain frontier and transcodes it into musical partition, transforming that data into a topological sound piece. Configured for two pianos playing in chords A-flat and F-minor the work takes on a beautiful but haunting musical form.

A performance of this electronic work was developed for live recital by professional classical pianist Caroline Scotton-Goulard took place at the end of the exhibition (documentation within the link below).

More information and documentation on Decimation in A-flat and F-minor can be found here:

http://www.danshipsides.com/DshipsidesWeb/DECIAF.html

The work exists in several forms:
as Pure Data electronical output audio data file
as a vinyl record pressed using the audio file
as transferred into music notation for live performance (first arranged and performed by Caroline Scotton Goulard La Cuisine in September 2018 - see above.)