Experimental sound-art collective, [UNIT] returned to Norwich late January (24/1/19), showcasing Phase II, a multi-sensory improvised performance that previously garnered critical acclaim when they offered their first instalment in the series at Norwich’s Shoe Factory in 2016/17. On this occasion, [UNIT} found a home at Norwich Arts Centre, utilising the beautiful acoustics of the auditorium for an absorbing series of performances over Thursday and Friday.
The performance took place within a cocoon of visual projections, whilst the artists stood in the centre, ready to begin. As we were led inside, the two musicians with their collection of clarinets, saxophones, cymbals and synths greeted us. A visual artist completed the trio, curating the sonic journey through light and colour.
For a minute or so, as they prepared to begin, static white noise filtered through the speakers as a gradually morphing landscape of what seemed like tar seemingly bubbled away around us. The saxophones became tools for creating emerging drones that looped and mutated, building and building before enveloping us all in its sound. Visually, it moved invariably between glacial and oceanic environs, somewhat reminiscent of the artwork for Bjork’s Biophilia. The slowly developing harmonies initially felt expansive. But as they reached increasingly higher-frequencies, it became more intrusive, more claustrophobic. This was emphasized by the use of bowed cymbals, which gave the effect of screeching metal, as if tectonic plates rubbing against each other.
This passage plateaued after around 20 minutes, easing into sparse reverberations. This was not a signal of the end. Instead, a bubbling, mechanical noise started to glitch around us that grew louder and increasingly textured. A digital force that crackled on the projection screens infiltrated the organic landscape that was previously enveloping us. The bowed cymbals returned but were suddenly crashed against, offering a startling contrast to the drifting harmonies delivered by the saxophone. The sonic claustrophobia grew again, driven on by a rhythmic energy that underscored the soaring horns above. The intensity continued until abruptly falling into silence. As much as the noise they were creating was encompassing my being, the silence was more startling; it left me full of nervous energy that slowly subsided.
Sound is not necessarily inherently political, but it is always affecting. [UNIT} managed to construct their own microcosm, within which audience members were participants. The sonic and visual evolutions experienced evoked metaphors of the metamorphosis of life on Earth. The organically evolving soundscape became infiltrated by the claustrophobic digital noise, making me consider parallels between the damaging effects of our industrialized, technological society upon our planetary system, our natural ecosystems attacked by the chaotic noise of the anthropocene.
This was an arresting performance that was at once beautiful and visceral but always immersive. It will take you on a journey, the narrative of which is formed through your own participation, with no performance the same. Be sure to look out for their future endeavours.
Noise Compendium 