In collaboration with the City of London, Nonclassical presents 66 Days – a digital multimedia project marking 400 years since the Mayflower sailed to America. Each of our Associate Composers are working with a collaborator to present audio-visual works exploring the themes of journeys, migration and cultural identities.
Nonclassical Associate Composer Blasio Kavuma and his chosen collaborator illustrator Jess Nash show us a glimpse of their creative process.
Jess and Blasio’s multimedia piece explores the journey of Blasio’s father from Uganda to England as a student against the backdrop of political violence and upheaval. They hope to illustrate how it was to be suddenly uprooted to a new country, fearing for those left behind and navigating a new and sometimes hostile environment.
Read more about their concept >>>
Kampala to Birmingham 1973
Blasio has created a playlist reflecting the journey his father took in 1973. Blasio will draw on themes and motifs from this music throughout his compositional process.
“It’s a selection of music that could have been heard on my Dad’s journey from Kampala to Birmingham in 1973. Traditional Buganda royal court music, Congolese Rhumba and Soul. The sounds and musical ideas from these tracks will feature heavily in the music for the animations.”
Illustrator Jess has shared some stills from her animation, exploring that same journey from Kampala to Birmingham.
About the artists
Blasio Kavuma
Associate Composer Blasio Kavuma is a composer, arranger and curator based in London. He is an active collaborator and curator over numerous platforms, including film, visual art and performance art. His work has been performed by ensembles and soloists in the U.K, U.S and Japan, and his music has featured on BBC Radio 3. Drawing equally from classical and popular musical traditions, Blasio has developed a sound-world full of rhythmic vitality and stylistic versatility, and is committed to championing forward-thinking music that is accessible to a wider audience.
Jess Nash
Jess is a freelance illustrator based in the South East. Inspired by culture, history and narrative, Jess had had the pleasure of drawing for clients such as gal-dem, The Good Journal and Penguin Random House.
The four 66 Days commissions will be premiered online on Wed 16 September via Nonclassical’s YouTube channel, marking the date that the Mayflower arrived in America.
Commissioned by the City of London Corporation and in partnership with Mayflower 400 UK and Our City Together.
Watch the works created by our Associate Composers with collaborators for the 66 Days project.