Ekrem Mülayim
Hermitage
Hermitage
Hermitage is a 15-day sound composition written for a solo performer with various instruments by Ekrem Mülayim. It was performed from sunrise to sunset each day atop Currie Harbour Lighthouse on King Island, north-west Tasmania.
Ekrem Mülayim:
It is not a coincidence that the Hermit character is an archetype. We all, at one time or another in our lives, seek solitude and retreat to find answers. Hermit's journey is one that we all wish to take with varying intensities of desire, as we know there are things to discover, important things, in solitude and reclusion.
I see music, at its core, as a series of decisions that involve sound and silence. I wanted to create a situation where a performer is left alone to explore this. Isolated solitude is widely practiced among most faiths and philosophies by those who wish to attain knowledge beyond arm's reach. Soon, it was evident to me that ‘Hermitage’ had to be an endurance piece, performed for an extended duration of time. Within the extremes of isolation and endurance, I believe, lie intriguing findings; musically and otherwise.
So, Hermitage aims to practice and explore the act of performing in extreme circumstances. The performer is pushed to a realm far removed from the norm by having to perform from sunrise till sunset, continuously, for days on end. Performing, filming and recording this journey in its entirety blurs the lines between living and performing as well as between performance and ritual. Every gesture of the performer becomes significant as it potentially causes sound, or silence...
Ekrem Mülayim:
It is not a coincidence that the Hermit character is an archetype. We all, at one time or another in our lives, seek solitude and retreat to find answers. Hermit's journey is one that we all wish to take with varying intensities of desire, as we know there are things to discover, important things, in solitude and reclusion.
I see music, at its core, as a series of decisions that involve sound and silence. I wanted to create a situation where a performer is left alone to explore this. Isolated solitude is widely practiced among most faiths and philosophies by those who wish to attain knowledge beyond arm's reach. Soon, it was evident to me that ‘Hermitage’ had to be an endurance piece, performed for an extended duration of time. Within the extremes of isolation and endurance, I believe, lie intriguing findings; musically and otherwise.
So, Hermitage aims to practice and explore the act of performing in extreme circumstances. The performer is pushed to a realm far removed from the norm by having to perform from sunrise till sunset, continuously, for days on end. Performing, filming and recording this journey in its entirety blurs the lines between living and performing as well as between performance and ritual. Every gesture of the performer becomes significant as it potentially causes sound, or silence...
Director: James Wright
Cinematography: James Wright
Composer: Ekrem Mülayim
Editor: Ekrem Mülayim
Format: Blackmagic Cinema Camera, Canon 5DMKII
