Bob Dickinson

Bob Dickinson (b. 1955) is an English composer, writer and sound-artist. He studied music at Sheffield University and Keele University (1973-77). During the mid-1970s he worked on early realisations of The Sinking of the Titanic by Gavin Bryars for performances in Sheffield and Manchester and in addition worked on versions of Completely Sweet by Jean-Yves Bosseur. At this time he also collaborated with Sheffield-based electronic music pioneers Cabaret Voltaire and played keyboards with seminal new wave band Magazine, contributing the song "Motorcade" to the album Real Life.http://www.shotbybothsides.com

Related Topics:
English - Sheffield University - Keele University - Gavin Bryars - Sheffield - Manchester - Jean-Yves Bosseur - Cabaret Voltaire - Magazine

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During the 1980s he presented a number of systems-based pieces in gallery environments, and initiated projects with artists from other disciplines. During the 1990s an interest in "earth spirituality" resulted in a series of non-linear pieces of a ritualistic nature for performance in a variety of natural environments using a combination of natural and humanly-produced sound. These activities led to the publication in 2001 of his book Music and the Earth Spirit by Capall Bann. This was an investigation of the ways in which music and sound have been used in different cultures to connect with the "earth spirit". It also contains "sound workings" - short text-based pieces which can be used as guidelines for musical performances in the environment.http://www.indigogroup.co.uk/txtmusic/

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Of late Dickinson has returned to more "traditional" compositional methods, working in large resonant spaces in order to "magnify" the underlying tonal basis of the music. Recent projects have included collaborations with the artists Mary Barratt at Southwell Minster (Trinity) and Stephen Morley at The Haven Arts Centre in Boston in addition to large-scale installations such as Light into Dark. A recent CD of current work has been released on the Heartsounds label.

Related Topics:
Mary Barratt - Stephen Morley - Haven Arts Centre - Boston

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