Exploration of silent films to take centre stage at The Centre For Less Good Idea
By CityLife Arts Writer
The art of silent films goes back to the very beginning of the film industry as we know it today as then the art of sound was never part of the film experience. Therfore those who would like to go back in history and imagine themselves to be living in that era have an opportunity to do so soon at The Centre For Less good Idea in Maboneng in Johannesburg.
From 31 October to 2 November 2024, The Centre for the Less Good Idea hosts Sounding Pictures: Live Scores to Short Silent Films, the second iteration of its COLLATIONS project – a short, focused series of performance-based events around a central theme, method or point of interest – which focuses on the medium of Silent Films.
Conceptualised and led by The Centre’s Impresario, Neo Muyanga, this programme follows on from the hugely successful COLLATION 1 | Visual Radio Plays, and continues The Centre’s investigation into a dramaturgy of sound.
Sounding Pictures: Live Scores to Short Silent Films, asks the question: what happens when we look at a silent film collectively and collaboratively, responding with live, improvisational sound, performance and text, and how does this influence the narrative of the film?
“The opportunity is to watch a certain film with two or three different scores, and subsequently with two or three different narratives or interpretations,” says Muyanga. “We might discover a difference in the narrative of the film, and we’re trying to figure out what happens in that gap between intention and interpretation.”
Over three days, a series of contemporary, short silent films will become the provocation for musicians who, in many instances, will be encountering them for the first time, in front of a live audience. Muyanga explains that this requires deep listening on the part of the artists.
“So, they have to be listening deeply and responsively to what the visuals are suggesting as a narrative. They have to be creative, and collaborative, and they have to, in a sense, work telepathically with one another to create a live score.”
A performance programme in three parts, films will be projected and performances will take place in The Centre space, the Atrium, and in the Pepper’s Ghost mechanism, allowing performers to engage with and respond to the films in different ways.
Sounding Pictures features short films by William Kentridge, MilisuthandoBongela-Davis, Penny Siopis, Thania Petersen, Msaki, Victor Gama, Diek Grobler, Anthony Oseyemi, Naomi van Niekerk, Noah Cohen, Dana Walrath and Dylan Vally.
Musicians and performers include Billy Langa, Daphne Rudolph, Micca Manganye, Arnaud van Vliet, Shane Cooper, Reggie Teys, Aragorn Eloff, Pertunia Msani, Daniel StompieSelebi, TebogoSedumedi and Mareli Stolp. In addition to the live performances, Sounding Pictures will also feature a HOW | Showing the Making led by Neo Muyanga, and an In Conversation between Bronwyn Lace and Joni Brenner to mark the new collection of Marigold beads in collaboration with The Centre.
The full programme will be live soon on www.lessgoodidea.com