Robin Hayward and Diego Chamy at Dock11

Robin Hayward - tuba
Diego Chamy - dance, stage

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Robin Hayward and Diego Chamy’s work is based on an improvisation of non-reaction, in which the apparent discourse between the two artists turns out to be two separated series of events, each taking place in solitary confinement. This impracticable communication acts as a starting point for a kind of drama, where the stage becomes a diagonal line in which different kinds of events are thrown: concentrations and dispersions of the space-time provided by a percussive and noise-based approach to tuba playing, twisted and out-of-confusion actions and inactions, fake movements, forced displacements and invisible gestures.

Live performance at Dock11, Berlin. 13th & 14th of March 2008.

Camera: Bertram Dhellemmes, Farzad Farkhooi, Vered Nethe, Diego Chamy & Andrea Keiz (Mime Centrum Berlin).


Thomas Ankersmit commenting a Robin Hayward & Diego Chamy's duo performance at Ausland (Berlin), on the 16th of April 2006 (in "Interview: Thomas Ankersmit (2007)", www.addlimb.org)

- How do you evaluate an improvisation? What is it, according to you, that makes one improvisation better than another?

- Generally, whether with my own stuff or with other music I hear, I'm always looking for a kind of intensity, a focus, and the absence of boredom. It might be easier for me to say when I think something is unsuccessful: flat, predictable, without flow or tension. The good moments are all the other moments. As an example, I heard Robin Hayward do an improvised concert with Diego Chamy sometime last year. It was a rather tense, uncomfortable situation, a very incongruent set of events where nobody knew who had what role in the music or what was keeping it "up". I thought that was very beautiful.