Discontinued Space: The Cinema of Maya Deren

An Expanded Cinema Event

Live at The Rosny Barn 26/08/21

Dani Kirby Piano/Voice
Mat Ward Bass/Intonarumori/Percussion
Dylan Banks Intonarumori

The performance by Kirby, Ward and Banks showcases the 7 major short films Deren produced from 1943 to 1958. These are three of the seven soundtracks performned on the night.

A Witch's Cradle (1943 Maya Deren) - Kirby/Ward/Banks LIVE 2021 from mat ward on Vimeo.

At Land (1944 Maya Deren) Kirby/Ward/Banks LIVE from mat ward on Vimeo.

A Ritual in Transfigured Time (1946 Maya Deren) - Kirby/Ward/Banks LIVE from mat ward on Vimeo.

Maya Deren (1917 - 1961) is considered one of true pioneers of experimental film yet unlike many of the film makers she influenced ( Jean-Luc Godard, Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch) her work is rarely experienced outside of academic and film school environments. As part of Kirby and Ward’s continuing investigation into the important (and often overlooked) role of women in the history of Contemporary Art Discontinued Space: The Cinema of Maya Deren will present several of Deren’s short movies with original live scores written by Kirby, Ward and Banks.

Deren employed a vast array of cinematic devices (looping, reversing, overlaying and time manipulation) to create vignettes that focused on graphic and kinetic form rather than straightforward narrative. Conceptually the work examines rhythm, isolation, social constructs, movement and ritual, all of which is underpinned by the notion of the inner world and its disconnection from the space of everyday life.

It is the conceptual framework of Deren’s cinema that informs the scores produced for this project. Rather than compositions that ‘soundtrack’ the action and the visual imagery the music reflects and explores Deren’s philosophical beliefs and her desire to immerse her audience in a world that is barely hinted at in everyday life yet sits just under the skin of reality.