Kathy Hinde is an audio-visual artist inspired by behaviours and phenomena found in nature and the everyday – working with sound, light, image, sculpture, location.
I am a long term Erik Satie enthusiast.
I was first introduced to Satie’s music in my early teens by my piano teacher, the composer, Rosemary Duxbury. I was instantly captivated by his music.
I began by playing his Gymnopedies and Gnossiennes, already fascinated by these unusual words. Satie’s trio of Gymnopedies are often compared to observing a sculpture from different angles and this way of thinking about music very much appealed to me at the time, and still does. Another early favourite was Sonatine Bureaucratique, which gently mocks Clementi, and weaves a short story into the score. Alongside Satie’s music, I was equally taken by tales of his eccentric, quirky lifestyle, and his tendency to simply go against the grain. I instinctively became a Satie fan from the first moment I encountered him.
I can’t remember exactly when I first discovered Vexations, but I have a long relationship with this short-long work. Prior to instigating ‘Lockdown Vexations’, I took part in a performance of Vexations in 2011, as part of a celebration of John Cage’s 100th Birthday, with a team of pianists at St George’s Bristol. This was kicked off by Charles Hazlewood and included Will Gregory from Goldfrapp, and long term collaborator and friend of Cage himself, Margaret Leng Tan, well known for her performances with Toy Pianos. We played for 20 minutes each. I found myself being drawn into the strange timeless, qualities of the music, and would have liked to have continued for longer. One day, I will.
In 1997, I created a number of alternative representations of the piece as audio-visual installations, and in 1998, I put together a series of performances and installations at the Beehive Mill in Hebden Bridge, with composer Bryn Harrison and others. I will share more about these events, … when (if) I can find any documentation…
In 2009, I created a mechanised version of Vexations for my toy piano which is included in the VEXING RESPONSES page.
VEXATIONS 