On Thursday evening, the pulsing tones of Phill Niblock’s recorded music will reverberate throughout Rollins Chapel as the audience watches images from Niblock’s “The Movement of People Working” series. Niblock’s layered soundscapes will combine with evocative visuals in a rare audiovisual experiment.
The upcoming concert will include two of about 20 films from “The Movement of People Working” series, both of which were filmed in China in 1986 and 1987. The two films have never been shown side by side in any concert before, Niblock said, because he rejects any set pairing between film and music.
“There is simply no set film for a concert and no set music for a film,” Niblock said.
Niblock is one of few artists who has worked as both a musician and a filmmaker, visiting film and media studies professor Carlos Casas said. Niblock’s works were “almost magical” for his unconventional and experimental use of film and music, Casas said.
Instead of in a typical auditorium, Niblock will unveil his piece at Rollins Chapel, since cavernous spaces can create reverberations and different sounds that enrich the experience, Casas said. The work would not have the same impact in a concert hall with fixed seating that soaks up noises, he said.
“The sound is a really interactive space,” said saxophonist Neil Leonard, who will perform live at the concert. “Hearing Phill’s music on headphones is nothing like hearing it in a church where the build-up of waves is much more complicated. The music has a different life and resonance in the church.”
Leonard will accompany Niblock’s recorded music during the concert with guest guitarists.
Casas said that a place where cultures and faiths cross over is an ideal location for the concert.
“Phill’s work is almost like a ritual,” Casas said. “It takes people to another place through its images and music. It’s a hypnotic, introspective experience. You get sort of lost watching these images of people working and listening to the music in the atmosphere of the chapel.”
Having no clear form or rhythm, Niblock’s musical experiment is quite unlike other works, Leonard said. The thick mass of tones changes depending on the room and the piece, he said. As a result, Leonard said he must meet the challenge of accurately presenting the “intricate turbulence” found in Niblock’s work.
Having performed in locations ranging from small rooms to large churches, Niblock has learned to persistently adjust his music and sounds for his audiences, Leonard said.
The two musicians have also visited Dartmouth classes, including a course on sonic landscapes taught by Casas and music professor Theodore Levin. A professor of 27 years, Niblock said that he never enjoyed teaching, but he said he likes exposing students to his work and answering their questions.
“Niblock is like a great godfather to a lot of generations of musicians and filmmakers who take him and his work as a guiding light,” Casas said.
The concert will take place on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Rollins Chapel.
