Solo

The People's Republic of
Chouzé-sur-Loire

An invented hybrid gamelan, a laboratory to explore the sonic properties of metal and alternative tunings, an intergenerational educational tool to inspire children and adults; this set of keyed metal instruments can adapt to indo-pop, new pieces, experimental work and reinterpretations of popular music from Indonesian islands. It has been used primarily for composition projects with children, often in conjunction with other art forms such as dance and shadow puppetry. Initially inspired by the idea of the "American Gamelan" and meetings with other inventors in the United States who very much encouraged the idea: Lou Harrison and Bill Colvig, Barbara Benary (Gamelan Son of Lion), Paul Dresher, Daniel Schmidt, and many other composer friends, this project was about putting into practice a "community music" open to all, regardless of the people's knowledge or prior musical training.

A series of metallophones were made with bronze bars, re-tuned aluminum keys recovered from a broken vibraphone, and thick brass plates, imitating two non-tempered scales of the Javanese gamelan: slendro (pentatonic) and pelog (heptatonic). The idea of escaping the hegemony of equal temperament was an important starting point: the parent scales of this gamelan were devized without reference to other gamelans. Aluminum discs of varying thicknesses and dimensions were made from discarded offcuts from sheet metal factories in Birmingham. As the typical circular shape of gongs and gong-chimes is impossible to replicate with the intermediate technology available, these gongs were made from cold-cut brass plates (pieces destined for recycling) and suspended over box-resonators. These musical experiments were carried out in Mark's workshop in Wirksworth - a former mining town in central England - and an ensemble of local musicians got together to play them. This evolved into the group "Metalworks" which presented concerts in the UK, produced two albums, and initiated numerous educational projects in English schools. Other instruments were gradually added: Sundanese kendhang (drums), other gongs from SE Asia, a re-tuned Dulcitone and other metal instruments from Java and Bali. The gamelan was housed for several years at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, and subsequently in a school in the south of England. Recently renovated and now installed in Chouzé-sur-Loire, The People's Republic is available for :

Initiation into gamelan music for families

Workshops for schools, music schools and conservatoires

Corporate training and team building sessions

Composition workshops with other instruments or technology

Projects involving dance and puppetry

Mark Lockett

Music Projects

The People's Republic of Chouzé-sur-Loire

Mark Lockett

The People's Republic of
Chouzé-sur-Loire