Danielle Kirby













For research and communications work, see daniellekirby.com.au 



danielle.l.kirby@gmail.com
KirbyWardMusic@gmail.com





Recent Creative Projects

(2017 - present)

A fulsome aquifer swells imperfectly over the...
The forty-eighth volume of Exquisite Corpse music from the sound art collective Little Songs Of The Mutilated. Created between October 11th - 16th 2021, released November 3, 2021. Created/composed by Kieran Ruffles, Sofie Loizou, Dan Mckinlay, Dani Kirby, Marcel Dorne, and Trevor Brown. Curated by Kieran Ruffles. Assembled/mastered by Justin Ashworth.

Nocturne: Sonic Migrations.
Curated work and performance, Constance ARI, 2021 Nocturne involves me as a vocalist, composer, and performer for a 1 hour experimental work with Sally-Ann McIntyre, Matt Warren, and Eliza Burke (curator), and is currently under development. The project will be performed live at Mawson’s Pavillion, Feburary 2022.

Crone, Exhibition by Sally Rees, MONA 2021
I authored the companion essay to the exhibition, available in the Island Magazine #162. I also led pathfinding on Kunanyi with Sally Rees in the research and development stages of the work.

UnTV, The Unconformity 2020
For UnTV, I composed and recorded expanded cinema work for the film ‘A Trip to the Moon’ piano and vocals, with Mat Ward (bass). Commissioned by Matt Warren.

‘La morte mi troverà vivo’, A Sound Installation by Mat Ward. Curated by Sarah Jones. Contemporary Art Tasmania, 2020
I authored a companion essay to Mat’s exhibition “Instrumental Logic and the Science of the Occult”. I also performed (vocals) in the closing performance with Mat Ward and Dylan Banks (intonarumori).

Kirby/Ward
Ongoing duo between myself (vocals and piano) and Mat Ward (bass). Extensive gallery performances, including MONA, MOFO, Dark MOFO, CAT, Visual Bulk, MAC, SAC, Percy Grainger Museum, and Small Black Box. Recordings include the 2019 album Joy as a Threat and Dissolute (2017).

Intonarumori Trio
Experimental trio led by Mat Ward with Dylan Banks and myself that explores the use of Russolo’s Intonarumori as both musical instruments and as occult tools for communicating with the supernatural. The events are usually long format improvised pieces that treat the venue as a fourth instrument. Most recently, we’ve ben focusing on an expanded cinema project soundtracking a series of Maya Deren short films, which was performed at the Rosny Barn on August 26th.

The Unforgetting of Mary K
The Unforgetting of Mary K was a project based around rescoring and adapting early unknown works of Mary Kiernan, a successful but now little-know Melbourne pianist from the mid 20th Century. Commissioned by Kieran Ruffles for Melbourne Music Week, I rescored and recorded works, which were distributed and adapted by a variety of musicians including myself and Mat Ward.

Encyclical
My ongoing solo recording project initiated in the early 2000’s exploring piano, vocals, in situ sound, and processing. A 2021 residency at Lisdillon Estate was undertaken for concept development for a new work. Three completed albums have been produced in this project to date. Studies in Attrition (2017) was originally composed for Radio 33, a micro broadcasting project by Tricky Walsh. It was also presented in installation for Hobiennale. The Mirrored City (2012) was predominantly an exploration of processed piano, and extracts have been performed at numerous venues. And her songs like bleeding...(2006) focused on more traditional song structures, and was recorded in collaboration with Lloyd Barrett.

Sisters Akousmatia Sound Camp
In 2017 I was one of seven female sound artists to participate in the Sound Camp residency, supported by funding from Arts Tasmania. Organised by Pip Stafford and Julia Drouhin, OI undertook the retreat with them alongside Camilla Hannan, Sally-Anne McIntyre, Sarah Mashman, and Georgia Lucy.