DEEP HIVE MUSIC
GLASTONBURY PROPOSAL
Swarm Intelligence Unit comprises Mr and Mrs B, a husband and wife team adorned in bee costumes.
The workshop and DJ'ing is based under two gazebos but is also mobile and features swarm intelligence unit’s very own mobile hurdy-gurdy type drone instrument. DJ'ing is by Mr B. Swarm decor and workshops by Madi Acharya Baskerville (Mrs B) who is an established contemporary visual artist.
We propose to host the following sessions;
- Mornings: Workshops of making, decorating and playing recyclable home made percussion instruments. Emphasis on children participation.
- Afternoons: Percussion workshops making deep house dance music with home made instruments; Playing along to samples of bee recordings and other drone sounds. Instruments will consist of shakers ,pipe drums, home made djembes and a mobile hurdy-gurdy type drone instrument,which require no musical ability other than to tap or shake in time.
- Evenings: DJ'ing /playing mixture of house music, acid /ethnic /drone beats with audience as willing assistants.
The aim is to provide a flexible approach and a diverse range of activities that recreate deep house beats using recyclable home made percussion instruments and looping pedals. The beekeeper will DJ from a small PA with beats to keep the workshop in time and add sampled drone sounds and rhythms recorded from inside beehives, while Mrs B leads the workshop,and visuals. We build up complex sounds, similar to bees using sounds to communicate in the hive ;ie deep hive music.
Djembe, Didgeridoo, and gadgets for the DJ'ing
Djembe, Didgeridoo, and gadgets for the DJ'ing
Mobile Drone Unit
(unfinished)
This will be decorated as a beehive. Cranking the handle will make the drone sounds to accompany the drumming workshop.
Mobile Drone Unit
(unfinished)
This will be decorated as a beehive. Cranking the handle will make the drone sounds to accompany the drumming workshop.
Workshop Experience; Madi Acharya Baskerville
I have led a number of exciting and diverse participatory projects over the last 10 years. I am experienced in running workshops with different community groups including schools, people with mental health problems, physical disabilities and those seeking asylum. I am particularly interested in working on projects exploring issues around migration and cultural difference as an extension of my studio practice.
Testimonials:
'Thanking you for the brilliant workshop. It was perfect and so good to get a mixture of ages involved'
'Thank you for the Kids' Club workshop, the evaluations were great and they certainly enjoyed it'
'Thanks for the' You are what you keep' workshops, they were spot on'
Specific Workshops/ participatory projects include:
2016 LiveFriday at Ashmolean Museum in June and September events, workshops responding to museum’s collections (June) and workshop exploring ‘Hope’ (November). Both workshops very well received with over 60 participants during the course of the evening (ACE Funded)
2016 Workshop looking at patterns in nature with primary school children in Grenoble as part of Oxford/Grenoble twinning show ‘Material World’ (Oxford City Council funded)
2010 Workshop at Benson Primary School involving creating patterns on found wood using inspiration from patterns in buildings and textiles from around the world.
2009 Residency at Gosford Hill School commissioned by educational charity Kids@rt working with students to create outdoor sculptures using recycled materials
2008 Residency at Eynsham Primary School commissioned by Kids@rt, working with students to create woodland sculptures using natural and found materials.
2007 In-tent-city: Commissioned as lead artist by Fusion (Oxford’s community arts agency) to work with culturally diverse groups to create an installation involving a tent.
2007 ‘This is Me? ’ Commissioned by Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock to engage the public in a participatory arts project exploring issues around identity.
2007 ‘The Treasure Tree’ Textile panel commissioned by charity Reading Quest, created from a participatory project looking at reading as refuge/ treasure.
2007 ‘You are what you keep’ workshops at Oxfordshire Museum GCSE students exploring how collecting objects relates to one’s identity.
2006 Mentoring Commission: working with public artists on the East Oxford Health Centre sculpture commission, delivering workshops related to health and well-being
2005-6 Creating Routes Project, Selected as one of 4 artists to deliver painting and collage on reclaimed wood, for diverse groups of people including adults with Mental Health Problems,(Warneford Hospital) those with Physical Disabilties (Nuffield Orthapedic Hospital ) and with those seeking Asylum (this included a 2 day workshop at Campsfield House, Oxfordshire) exploring issues around migration and coast-lines.