Birth Of A Leaf

Kourosh Ghamsari-Esfahani's MFA Defence
Wednesday November 17, 2021 | 10:00 AM | Zoom
RSVP sca_gpa@sfu.ca

Birth of a Leaf is a 22 minute video-collage of structured violin improvisations and gestures, centered around the concept of embodied technique. The violin solos are shown from different angles that each focus on a particular bodily mechanic necessary for playing the music. The gestural movements occur within the plane of the violin, unrestrained by the demands of an actual instrument. Each video clip has been cultivated over the course of a year – a core concept was enacted repeatedly, and allowed to grow and change as it would. Each iteration was filmed and analyzed in writing, which guided the direction of the next iteration. Birth of a Leaf is also inspired by my grandmother's story of watching a trembling leaf bud for hours, until it unfurled. It connects the concepts of that experience to the music; immersing oneself for an extended period in an alternate mode of perception – continuously maintaining a particular focus in order to notice the otherwise unnoticeable, and experience the beauty of an ever-unfolding process.