UK first as Super Critical-ly acclaimed music project comes to Salford

University of Salford brass musicians take part in the Super Critical Mass project at Peel Park.

An innovative musical performance project that saw dozens of brass musicians from the University of Salford playing identical instruments without musical scores took place on Friday 18 November at the city’s Peel Park.

Entitled Super Critical Mass, the installation has been created by Australian sound artists Julian Day and Luke Jaaniste, who gave an artist talk followed by a special workshop for brass musicians from the University before the ‘flashmob’-style performance in the park next to the University’s main campus.

It was the first time Super Critical Mass had appeared in the UK, and the performance did not involve a conductor or written music, with the simplicity this involves allowing for unexpected and evolving interactions between the musicians and the sounds they produce.

The installation was intended as a precursor to a second Super Critical Mass project at Manchester’s FutureEverything Festival. FutureEverything Festival is an annual festival of cutting-edge art, music and ideas, taking place from 16-19 May 2012.

Stephen Davismoon, the University of Salford’s Director of Music, said: “The exciting new collaborations with Super Critical Mass and FutureEverything that began with Friday’s event promise to be fruitful for students and staff alike on many levels, with possible future opportunities including experimenting with new means of musical creativity, performance and international research projects.”