In collaboration with the City of London, Nonclassical presents 66 Days – a digital multimedia project marking 400 years since the Mayflower sailed to America. We spoke with Blasio Kavuma about his collaboration, creative process and how his piece will explore the themes of journeys, migration and cultural identities.
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.
What ideas are you hoping to explore in this project? How does it relate back to the themes of journeys, migration and cultural identities?
We are exploring the journey of my (Blasio’s) father from Uganda to England as a student, against the backdrop of political violence and upheaval. We 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.
What elements will you be using, and how do you envisage your project coming together?
Jess will be creating a short animation based on my father’s account of his journey over, and I’ll be providing the musical aspect. The aim of the music is to provide a bridge between the musical cultures of Uganda and England, whilst reflecting the emotional experience of my father. This will be paired with an animation that reflects the colours and landscapes of his journey.
How will you be working with your collaborator? Will their input affect your writing?
We’re planning to share initial ideas with each other, myself with musical ideas and Jess with story boards and illustrations. As we progress we’ll keep sharing our progress and feeding back to eachother.
How do you anticipate materialising your project? Are there any particular processes or methods you'll be using?
I like to leave the collaborative process quite open-ended in the initial stages, as it allows the project to be a true collaboration. So hopefully the project will evolve organically and adjust itself as necessary.
Watch the works created by our Associate Composers with collaborators for the 66 Days project.