Stanley Borg interviews Ruben Zahra who composed the music for the interdisciplinary performance Rhythms of Vision, featuring contemporary dance accompanied by a showcase of photographic projections.
Part of Evenings on Campus, Rhythms of Vision harnesses multiple art forms – music, dance and photography – within one performance. But how do the multiple forms interact with each other?
“Rhythms of Vision is set in four scenes of contemporary dance by Red Tape Dance Company, choreographed by Christina Cauchi. The backdrop of each scene portrays a photographic projection of four distinct textures: rubble walls, the sea, tree trunks and sunsets. Each scene has its own texture and colour scheme derived from local raw materials,” says Ruben Zahra.
“Stephen Buhagiar’s photos take the audience on a journey inside a micro cosmos that captures Malta’s environmental heritage in a mosaic of abstract forms and colour. Music connects the choreography to the photographic showcase because they both lock on to the structure and form of the music composition,” Zahra adds.
Local raw materials are used as a backdrop to the contemporary dance piece.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the abstract configuration of visual textures,” says Zahra. “When I’m travelling I usually focus on details to capture unique textures that cannot be found anywhere else in the world – marble patterns from Carthage in Tunisia, ceramic mosaics by Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona, the cobbled streets of Rome, clusters of seashells on Malibu beach, medieval brick walls of Siena.
“Each texture has its own colour scheme and rhythm. These visual compositions often merge into the abstract and lose their concrete reference. Something very concrete becomes abstract. This is precisely the underlying concept of Rhythms of Vision: dancing back and forth between the concrete and the abstract.”
Rhythms of Vision proves, once again, that as a composer, Zahra does not limit himself to music.
“I like working within an interdisciplinary context and I often collaborate with a wide range of artists, from visual art to dance, theatre and cinema,” says Zahra. “I have been following the work of Red Tape and I am interested in their innovative approach. Their work delves into dance-theatre and they have a lot of enthusiasm to try out new things and explore new territories.
“Cauchi was very receptive to the concept of Rhythms of Vision and created her choreography in relationship to the aesthetic attributes of the visual material in the photos. It’s been a very stimulating experience because the structure of the performance took shape and developed through a process of collective sessions.”
Another important element to the performance is local cultural heritage, which Zahra places on a contemporary platform.
“That is another important level to Rhythms of Vision because the performance presents a showcase of Malta’s environmental heritage in a completely new way.
“The photos by Buhagiar are not your regular postcard snapshot of Malta – rather, the collection of photos for Rhythms of Vision portrays a contemporary portrait of raw materials that represent Malta’s authenticity: rustic stone structures, waves and ripples, the textured bark of a tree and glowing sunsets.
“These very basic subjects portray an extensive variety. Each rubble wall is a unique rustic sculpture. The sea is always in flux and the only way to appreciate the form of a wave or a ripple is by capturing it in a photo. Tree trunks and bark depict an exciting microcosm of forms and texture while cloud formations in a vibrant red shy are truly spectacular.”
For Rhythms of Vision, Zahra has selected a cycle of four musical pieces he composed in 2000 for the Etnika folk band.
“The music has a distinct Mediterranean character and offers a wide range of contrasts: melodic and dissonant, rhythmic and tranquil, passionate and whimsical. The music is very unpredictable and keeps leaping between these contrasting moods.”
Rhythms of Vision will premier at Atriju Vassalli, University of Malta, on Thursday at 9 p.m. as part of Evenings on Campus. Tickets at €8 are available before the performance at the door or from room 133 Administration Building, University of Malta. For further information e-mail daphne.kelleher@um.edu.mt or call on 2340 2142.