score for a mineral landscape



An interdisciplinary collaboration with composer Heinz Riegler.

The genesis for score for a mineral landscape occurred in late 2011 when Reynolds and Riegler began a dialogue about a similarity within the approach to their works and practice, albeit in the differing disciplines of painting and sound.

Allyson Reynolds’ previous body of work, score for imagined sound and Heinz Riegler’s film and soundtrack Motion Portrait # 1 were the triggers for these discussions and out of this discourse grew the idea of integrating a visual artwork with a musical composition. The project also created an opportunity for both artists to extend the boundaries of their linear creative practice and the way in which their work is perceived.

The resulting installation combines two bodies of work; a 1.2 x 15 meter painting by Reynolds and a thirty-two minute, six channel audio composition by Riegler.  Installed in a darkened, black-walled gallery space, with dimmed light focused exclusively on the painting, this context brings initial focus upon Riegler’s score and then gradually, as one’s eyes adapt throughout the duration of the composition, the fine details of Reynolds’ painting are revealed. 

Each artist brings to the work their own personal language, developed within their respective practices over the past two decades. The interweaving of these two vocabularies, one visual, the other aural, creates an immersive and deeply sensory experience.

Although Riegler’s score and Reynolds’ painting may not represent a direct response to each other, the common thread is that these works, at least in part, respond to the environment and landscape of the Blackall Ranges where they were created. For Reynolds, who grew up in a similarly lush rainforest region of North Queensland, the environment is familiar and offers intuitive connections. For Riegler, from the Austrian Alps, the Australian landscape experience in turn has provided a stark contrast. Reynolds’ paintings call upon a lifetime of observation and familiarity, whereas it is this precise unfamiliarity that highlights and sharpens Riegler’s aural senses in the creation of his sound works. 

While each body of work highlights their individual talents, the triumph of this installation is measured by the way in which these works successfully fuse within the space; the sensory vitality of each work is reflected in the other, creating a unique and moving confluence. 

Scott Whitaker, June 2013