Music Film Premiere: DCCIII by Anil Sebastian
Local musician and producer Anil Sebastian will introduce DCCIII, created in response to a mysterious household god figurine held in The Guildhall Museum, Rochester. The figurine, which is nearly 2000 years old, was used as a sensing object to create the work - thus giving "voice" to its mystical, silent protection. The work contemplates the genie-like qualities of the Lar. DCCIII and began as a sound-based piece using Anil Sebastian's AI vocal app trAnSition, created in partnership Folkestone-based Producer Cherif Hashizume (Audio Engineer for Jon Hopkins). The music and film have been augmented, shaped and co-created by the object itself - exploring the mystical force of the object and how it is responds to the human voice. The title is a reference to the prime frequency at which natural harmonic resonances peaked when sound was channelled through this tiny metal artefact from AD 200 – DCCIII being the roman numerals for 703(Hz). Although appearances suggested the Lar figurine is silent and still, throughout its lifetime it has vibrated and resonated in complex ways in response to the voices of the people it has heard. This work explores narratives and forgotten/erased histories, setting the tone for other events during FolkeFest 2022.
Film [PLEASE DO NOT SHARE YET]: https://youtu.be/l0nMH1f8dXo (9 mins 29 secs)
Music Film Screening 2: Daffodil by Anil Sebastian
AI - erasing or extending Oral Tradition? Anil Sebastian's music film Daffodil raising numerous powerful questions as the world enters the AI and virtual age. A scientist uses AI to bring back the dead in this artful exploration of consciousness and loss. The film is a meditation on what it means to be human, pairing live-action and archival footage with cinematic animation. Directed by Thiing Studios and set in the near future, Anil Sebastian's debut film brings up existential questions about the nature of consciousness, memory, the future of technology and lore.
Daffodil was created with support from Momentum Funding by PRS Foundation, Arts Council England and National Lottery players.
Film: https://www.nowness.com/series/nowness-experiments/daffodil-anil-sebastian-artificial-intelligence [23 mins 05 seconds]
Folklore Now: Co-creation and Discussion
After the screenings, there will be a live reading of poetry based interpretations of Daffodil which have been created by the Artificial Intelligence Ai-Da, a collaborator in the making of Anil Sebastian's forthcoming film. As the new film is created, Ai-Da's performance within it will be filmed, making her both an artist and an artwork - and hence challenging the concept of The Other. Although Ai-Da herself cannot achieve self-reflection (yet!), can she certainly help provoke it among the human artists she will collaborate with and with the audiences who experience the work. During the discussion, the audience will co-create a short piece of poetry which will be used to form a text-to-video piece live in the moment. How does our perspective change when we view it through the lens of AI? What does this mean for Future Folklore?