Live Review: The Monolith Trio, Philip Samartzis

Liquid Architecture and Tura New Music present this unique soundscape and specially-curated program based around the theme of Antarctica and the ramifications of the growing human population in the region. The live aspect of the Liquid Architecture Festival which took place on the first of two special nights at The West Australian Museum saw outstanding performers from Austria, America and Australia presenting their own sound and image scapes.

Melbourne's Philip Samartzis produced a 45-minute display of static and moving images accompanied by surround sound recordings of icebergs, glaciers, sea ice and frozen lakes from the eastern edge of Antarctica. The dichotomy of fluid and static was prevalent throughout the performance. Moving images appeared as photographs expressing the isolation of station life in Antarctica, and the eternal nature of the station was represented through images of the preservation of traditional study spaces and accommodation. The fluidity of nature was in direct contrast to this both in the imagery of melting snow and ice and the sound of atmospheric conditions and motions. It was far from the romantic aesthetic that many associate with the polar regions. One wonders 'Where is all the ice?' and 'Where did all those barrels come from?' in this realistic approach.

The Monolith Trio, consisting of co-curator Lawrence English along with Werner Dafeldecker of Austria and Scott Morrison of Melbourne presented a performance similar to Samartiz in form but, adding to the dichotomist theme of the night, images and sound were filmed in the western edge of Antarctica and consisted more of moving pictures and static sound shapes. The static white element of the area was made fluid by the movements of sky and water and intense colour changes. The sonic range of this landscape was portrayed as strong and eerie, almost to the point of threatening, and listeners may have found themselves cringing from a loud hum similar to bad feedback.

Sitting behind the performers as they worked their magic around their laptops, sound desks and mesmerizing software packages, the performance became more 'real' and the element of 'live' was much more appreciated.