A REQUIEM FOR EDWARD SNOWDEN

Audio Visual Performance | 2016

Musicians perform on stage under a large, grainy blue-toned image of a face. The atmosphere is intense and focused, highlighting the fusion of music and visuals.

Developed with support from Creative Scotland, New Media Scotland and Magnetic North.

Requiem for Edward Snowden is a large scale live audiovisual performance piece created in collaboration with Jules Rawlinson.

Snowden’s revelations showed that we live in a world where we are totally reliant not just on electronic communication, but on daily routines in which our privacy is routinely compromised.

The phones that we carry with us in our pockets not only keep us connected to the world, but also allow others to delve into our most personal data.

The piece explores these themes through a combination of electronic sound, acoustic instrumentation and live visuals in a 50 minute-long performance.

Matthew Collings’s interest in mixing digital media with traditional instrumentation is reflected in the style of performance. The piece’s musical structure combines with an intricate and expressive visual language to create a unique performance that has proved popular with audiences.

"By turns politically muscular and poignantly nuanced, Collings's excellent piece is a heartening reminder of the quality of new music being created and performed in Scotland today"

- The Herald Scotland