It looks as if we have a London Venue for The Unspeakable Rooms in late
September. More details shortly. Other venues in October and November in
Leeds, Devon and Cornwall. Further venues sought.

I have just received the following review from Michael D. Basinski (poet,
critic, Rare Books/Poetry Librarian etc) of State University of New York
at Buffalo. The two previous reviews posted have been about the performance
in Cleveland, Ohio.

"I recently had occasion to watch and hear the work of sound poet Alaric
Sumner and performer Rory McDermott in my home town of Buffalo, New York
at the HallWalls Contemporary Art Center. The evening featured two works
by Sumner. The first, 'error studies and portraits', was a multi-voice,
conversation poem carried on between Sumner and McDermott. Certainly,
this was interesting because multi-voice presentation poetry looms a
major avant garde technique. Sumner's sound poems weave literally
philosophy with the aural. The form it manifests exists in a matrix of
poetics and sound. It was a pleasure to hear this burgeoning form worked
by a poet whose ear is well tuned and whose intellect can manipulate the
multi-voice tool to form poetry.
	"In retrospect, this first piece acted as a prolog and introduction to
the second piece of the evening, 'The Unspeakable Rooms'. This was a
more physical piece that featured McDermott strenuously and emotionally,
passionately moving in front of a screen on which was projected
McDermott passionately moving. The sound tract was McDermott's reading,
rendering of Sumner's text. Perfectly balanced it was strenuous,
riveting performance. McDermott miming himself on film ranged through a
host of emotions. As a poetic piece, as a poem, one was constantly aware
of the dual qualities of language. Language is both the material of
meaning and a veil surrounding meaning. The two McDermotts, one real and
one a real film, became a metaphor of this constant and irreconcilable
struggle. Beyond this, of course, as poem it was a tactile event,
therefore, much new in the realm of the poem.
	"Both pieces were extremely interesting and engaging and the evening
will stick long in my mind because of the challenge it posed to
contemporary poetry. That challenge was to become tactile yet
intellectually philosophical. The team of Sumner and McDermott seem to
be the best operating this day in this opening arena."

Enquires about bookings to:
[log in to unmask]
or phone 01803 867829

The piece's requirements are:
space: 12ft wide x 9ft tall white wall or screen (performance is end on, so
audience should not be too far to the sides of the 12 ft)
blackout
video projector (high quality single beam)
video player (SVHS ideally, VHS ok)
cd player
good sound system (for vocal range)

Some of the equipment can be brought to the venue if it is impossible to
provide certain items.

The piece has been designed with art galleries in mind and does not require
conventional performance spaces (though they accommodate it perfectly
well).

University venues particularly welcome (especially with educational
sessions (workshop/lecture) attached on the piece/performance
writing/collaboration, etc). A future issue of PAJ (Performing Arts
Journal, published by Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA) will
include the text of The Unspeakable Rooms in a section I have edited on
(live) Performance Writing. Their web site is at:
http://calliope.jhu.edu/journals/performing_arts_journal/





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