For Flowerpot Book events, Ferry and Cole work with the musicians to develop an improvisational language that strings together gestures, each one called a Bloom.

 

Each Bloom is a short improvised gesture (of flowerpot strikes) that involves every player. Ferry and Cole lead the group in replicating the same improvised sequence (e.g., repeat exactly) or adapting the Bloom together (e.g., repeat but louder, repeat but slower, repeat but some people don’t play to create an Echo, etc.).

 

Performances stage the musicians spread out in a large space around/among the audience, creating an immersive sonic grid to overlay the physical environment, and encouraging community members to connect with their spaces.

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The performers can be trained percussionists, non-percussionist musicians, or non-musicians.

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Duration:

A performance can be 25-60 minutes. Rehearsals take place in two sessions: a 1.5-2 hour workshop (indoors or in a small outdoor area) and a 1-2 hour staging rehearsal in the event space.

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Space:

Performances are best suited for a beautiful indoor or outdoor space with little or no background noise. No stage area, PA, or technology is needed.

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Materials:

This work uses a large collection of mallets and flowerpots, glazed with a wide range of random pitches.

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Stay tuned for a video release of Flowerpot Book.