Fri 24 Nov Pomona - qwerty

Posted on behalf of Linsey Pollak...

qwerty
Friday 24th November, 7.30pm
The Futures Centre
Pavilion St, Pomona
(past Pomona Showground).
admission: $10

qwerty is the amazing improvising wordsmith Peter Rowe
with facilitated communication and soaring vocals by Terri Delaney
and live looping of WX5 windsyth by Linsey Pollak
and, for the first time, including live camera projection and vision mix by Chris Peckham.

Enter an 'improvortex' with the enigmatic qwerty as they cross, divert and skip musical and verbal boundaries creating totally improvised songs and musical stories.

qwerty is the amazing improvising wordsmith Peter Rowe with facilitated communication and soaring vocals by Terri Delaney and live looping of WX5 windsyth by Linsey Pollak.

Listen to "The Lonely Ones" (mp3 format 1.49mb)

qwerty is unique.
The process that occurs between the three artists is a first in Australia and more than likely a first worldwide. It is performance and musical risk taking in the extreme.
The lyricist, Peter Rowe has minimal verbal communication skills and uses facilitated communication (FC) to communicate with others. FC is a mode of assisted communication using a board with letters, numbers and some words on it, very similar to the set up on a computer keyboard.

It is on this board that Peter writes the lyrics. He improvises completely new songs by pointing to letters on the board that are read by Terri. This is done at breakneck speed that takes considerable practice and rapport. The words that Peter taps out are read and then sung by Terri. (Think about it a bit…….Peter is totally improvising a complete concert of song text, and……as Terri sings the words that Peter writes she is simultaneously reading the next ones). Her melodies are totally improvised in response to the music that Linsey is creating by improvising and “live looping” (playing, recording and building up complex layers of various sounds) using his WX5 (a midi windsynth).

All three artists agree that this is one of the most extraordinary projects that any of them have worked on…..they describe it as a process where the sense of self becomes blurred. The ego is consumed by the necessity of absolute group focus. It is improvisation in its purist form, where each performer must let go of any expectations or preconceptions. There must be no fear when stepping off the edge. It is a process that is undeniably liberating for the three performers.

When qwerty walk on the stage they don’t know where the performance will go. They have no idea of the song content or the musical style, let alone such details as key or time signature. Audiences are certainly taken on quite a journey, sometimes emotional, sometimes funny, sometimes philosophical, often intense and always musically eclectic. It is difficult for some people to accept that it all is being totally created in this way before their eyes and ears. Some people particularly find it difficult to understand and believe the process of Facilitated Communication. However it’s real…….extraordinary, but real

In the words of some audience members:

“Sublime joy! qwerty inspires a sense of awe and gratitude and reminds us that we are all one. A triumph of the human spirit”.

“qwerty takes the term "tune in" to a whole other dimension”.

“qwerty takes us on a journey through improvised words, music and voice that reaches into the soul”

'Few experiences are as deserving of being labeled 'A MUST' in the entertainment world as Qwerty. With sublime aesthetic, playful dynamic and infinite imagination, this
ever-ready team of improvisers challenge the moment, themselves and their audience on the threshold between necessary thought provocation and pure raw emotion. They have been a catalyst for more tears, laughter, hope and inspiration than I've ever seen in an audience.
The reason is because their work is disarmingly real in every sense of our perception and its reflection on our existence. It is quite simply evolutionary art.'
Carl Pannuzzo