About this artwork
This exhibition captures an immersive music / art project conceived by Steve Harrington about life in the Charente and the production of the favourite local drink, cognac.
The music of a brass band, the paintings and the films, all original, combine to celebrate all those who live and work on the Cognac estates. The marriage of painting and music allows the spectator to feel completely immersed in the world of Cognac!
The première showing of the project concept was in January 2022 at the Digital Performance Laboratory, Media City, Salford Quays, UK. Dan Price, composer and University of Salford lecturer, and Steve Harrington, Eb Soprano Cornet player with the Brass Band de Charente, collaborated on this project over a two year period (2020 – 2021).
Dan, has successfully captured the essence of life in the region and cleverly refers to music from both the region and wider France. Listen out for musical references from Gabriel Fauré’s ‘In Paradisum’, Joseph Canteloube’s ‘Songs from the Auvergne’ and Edith Piaf’s ‘Under the skies of Paris’.
The piece is in three movements and describes the journey from winter to grape harvesting in August, the ‘mystical and ethereal’ process of distillation, to the final ageing in the cellars. The piece’s title “L’Ivresse des Anges”, meaning “Intoxicated Angels”, takes it’s name from the small percentage of Cognac that evaporates each year which distillers refer to as the “angels share” (La Parte des Anges). It was this idea that inspired Dan to produce a final movement of ‘crazy angels dancing and having fun’.
‘I - Genèse d’un petit grain et sa joyeuse apogée – Song’
The awakening of land from winter, through spring to late summer when grapes are ready for harvesting.
‘I - Genèse d’un petit grain et sa joyeuse apogée – Dance’
Happy days late summer, with local folk dancing, celebrating the grape harvest with château’s overlooking the vineyards.
‘II - Naissance de l’eau de vie’
The mysterious, almost ethereal, process of distilling Cognac. Swirling vapours resulting in a pure liquid.
‘III - Folle sarabande des anges’
Angels dancing with gaiety, in celebration. They only appear behind closed doors.Opening dance melody based on the Bal-musette originating from the Auvergne.
The concept
The concept is for three videos to be projected on to different walls of an exhibition room whereby the viewer can stand amongst them feeling immersed in the music with complementary art work, local countryside scenes, and the musicians playing the specially composed piece of music.
The central idea is for the music and visual images to complement each other and enhance the audiences appreciation of the music. The first of the videos portrays four paintings by the artist, Sarah Borg, a professional and internationally renowned painter, also based in the region. The style of paintings was deliberately evocative rather than representative. The time-lapse insert of Sarah, brilliantly shows her artistic process and thinking as well as how the collaboration process shaped the final paintings.
The second video captures the Cognac countryside and the distillery process using footage produced with the cooperation of two local distillery owners: Mathieu Durand (Le Maine Giraud) and Bernard Gauthier (Gauthier et Fils).
The final video captures the musicians playing the composition: ‘L’Ivresse des Anges’ by Daniel Price. The Amersham Band, conducted by Paul Fisher, produced a superb accompanying performance in record time to meet the première date. The purpose of showing the musicians, in addition to the art and countryside scenes, is to build the connection between the audience and how real brass sounds are made.