Local composer Luke Deane and his talented colleagues from the Birmingham Conservatoire graced Frome with a fabulous concert in the Silk Mill Gallery. They had studied the Hassel Smith paintings and researched his life then created an inspiring soundscape that reflected pictures as well as the 20th century. A large audience was very appreciative of the originality and musicality of the work, as well as the beautiful confident choreography of the many participants who moved in and around the audience throughout the second half. The picture below is of the ‘game’ that they created to determine the course of the piece and which generated short phrases about the artist that reminded us constantly of the starting point. The artist’s widow, Donna was in the audience and she was very moved by the piece. We are very excited by the way that pieces of art created many years ago have here been the stimulus to generate other kinds of art and this event is very much in keeping with what we are trying to achieve at the Silk Mill.
