Adam Brimmer catches up with musician and composer Renzo Spiteri ahead of a collaborative performance focusing on contemporary themes.

How was the concept for Now Here, Nowhere born?

I am always interested in creating a dialogue between different art forms, be it theatre, contemporary dance, literature, moving image and so on. Now Here, Nowhere started off with a chance encounter with Giulia Privitelli’s writings while I was on a flight.

The words resonated in a particular manner, and I felt the need to investigate ways I could engage more with her words and writings through some way or another. From the onset, I felt that this shouldn’t be approached as a musico-literary event, but that a more profound relationship between sounds and words should be researched. The tapestry that has emerged is what shaped the treatment of sounds, music and words in this project.

Fabrizio Fedele

How important for you are the themes that are being tackled in this project?

Extremely! The relevance of the subjects dealt with and transference of sentiments, reactions and experience of a daily nature into writings ignited my urge to seek ways in which I could create a platform for a cross-artistic project that reflects on themes like environment, migration, fake news and negotiating with the realities of life on a small island, among others.

When did work on the project start?

In my mind, the project started from the moment I put the in-flight magazine back in its place. But I needed the necessary time and head-space to formulate a direction and who to involve. Apart from that, I wanted to have the time to read Giulia’s collection of poems in her book Walking In Circles, and to build my own commentary on it. I was very much intrigued by the collaborative spirit of Giulia and Steve Bonello, whose drawings in the book reflect a period of reflection, consideration and engagement between these two artists.

How did the collaboration with Fabrizio Fedele, Erica and Giulia come about?

I called up Erica because I knew, from past working experience, that she would be very sensitive to this particular text. I am not after acting skills since that does not fit within the idiom of Now Here, Nowhere, but a strong commitment towards insights of the selected poetry was a must for me.

A strong commitment towards insights of the selected poetry was a must for me

Working with Fabrizio will be a first, even though we have known each other for a couple of years. There was always a common and strong desire for us to share our passion for making music and I felt this could be the right situation to explore possibilities of artistic language. His improvisational skills work well with my approach to treating projects of this nature, and I also like to think that Fabrizio has found himself in unchartered territory with the creative process I have laid out.

Finally, there is Giulia, with whom I have shared very pleasant hours talking about her writings, her commitment to spending a year jotting down her thoughts every night and our shared opinions of today’s realities. I felt that it was important for every person involved in this project to be immersed in discussions and the shaping of the work.

What were the biggest challenges translating the themes from ideas to music?

The biggest challenge for me is always to be truthful to the work and to keep to very precise and focused intentions. There was a common understanding that every action in producing this work had to have meaning. But, since I could hear sounds in my head while reading the collection of poems over and over again, then the progression seemed quite natural.

And rather than verbalise thoughts, I figured out that the most effective way to transmit these ideas to Erica and Fabrizio was to ask them to spend days with me and share an intense creative experience.

What was the creative process like?

Spending time with Giulia was top of my list. I had never met her or worked with her before, so gaining insights and having the time to talk about matters directly or indirectly related to her writings was important to me.

With regard to Erica and Fabrizio, I had laid out some preparatory work before the periods spent together in my studio space. There was a ‘tuning-in’ process before the actual encounters materialised.

Do you believe that music has a role to play in social commentary?

I think so. Music is a very powerful expressive tool and, in my case, I like to use the time shared with my audience as a reflective process too. Therefore, the way we are collectively expressing ourselves through an artistic language is, in itself, a social commentary. Words and sounds produced must mean something because I, for one, would rather not be there if it weren’t the case.

Your work moves seamlessly from traditional to contemporary – a case in point being Evolution a few weeks ago. Is there a sound/technique/instrument you are drawn to more than others?

No, not really. I like to adapt my approach according to the needs of the project and/or the space I am working in. So I find myself staring at a blank canvas for quite some time before deciding what my intervention on that canvas will be like, if any at all. Any sound, any technique or any instrument that is employed will only be used if it can serve as the interface between my thoughts and the materialisation of the work.

What can the audience expect from the upcoming event?

I would like to offer yet another special experience to the audience. I have just presented another new project of mine, the aforementioned solo performance Evolution, and I liked the fact that most people felt the need to share their experience of the evening with me. This is very meaningful. I always look for ways that people can make something personal out of these events rather than being passive. And since words don’t feature that often in my performances I am even more excited to see how words and sounds, in such a particular context and presentation, will resonate with our audience.

Now Here|Nowhere takes place on May 18 and 19 at 7.30pm at the Valletta Campus Theatre. The project is supported by Arts Council Malta – Multi-Annual Support Grant (Malta Arts Fund). Tickets are available from showshappening.com.