Aaron Collier’s Frequencies creates a stunning combination of autobiography and techno music
“Imagine that I’m Your Thoughts”, invites Aaron Collier, star of HEIST’S latest genre-bending performance Frequencies.
With a blank screen and a voiceover, the audience is immediately immersed in Collier’s mind. While it may feel like Collier’s talking to an empty audience, he’s actually relaying his life story to scene partner, Sylvia Bell, who wears a VR headset. Directed by Ann-Marie Kerr , the immersivity and reflections on identity are experienced through Bell’s augmented perspective. Described as a part-techno concert and part autobiographical, the musical innovatively tells the entertaining and captivating story of Collier’s life, starting at the beginning of the universe.
The show follows the Milky Way and Cosmic Halo from the Big Bang to the Gamma Burst before narrowing into Collier’s own life. Psychedelic visuals appear where Collier is DJing as he recounts his history, which began on January 1st, 1981 in PEI. Collier had previously created techno music that was to be used in the show, largely based on the frequencies of nature. The music largely ended up dealing with time and perspective, or as Collier states “two things that most of us can agree have changed greatly in our lives”, especially this year. He then had a slew of podcast episodes reflecting on his childhood, which helped create the show. The eventual result was Frequencies, which was part techno music, and part podcast narration. This beautiful combination of poignant narration coupled with daring imagery allows Frequencies to present itself as what it truly is: a phenomenally innovative reflection of the self explored through emerging technologies.
Written by Collier, Stewart Legere and Francesca Ekwuyasi, Frequencies impressively weaves across many tones, at times philosophical with phrases such as “I Miss Someone I Never Met” and “The Story Is About How I Finally Found You”; other times are more humorous with “Mom and Dad are hoping for a girl this time.” He somberly touches on the loss of his older brother David, who was tragically killed when he was young, creating the most poignant moment in the show. He slowly built up the tension and emotion before delving into the story of David. This moment was a massive shift in the tone but allowed Frequencies to exist as much more than an experiment in digital technology, but rather an exploration of the self and the memories within it. While other moments felt witty and insightful, this moment of the show had a level of depth and emotion that didn’t occur elsewhere. With the help of dramaturg Richie Wilcox, Collier also delves into his relationship with music and reflects on how different combinations of notes produce different feelings. In his early 20s, he eventually finds himself in Halifax, (where the production originally premiered) joining the Jimmy Swift Band, which achieved success within the Atlantic Canada market.
Collier intended to “see the world differently” with his creation of Frequencies. His artistic vision is easily realized, through its daring visual approach and its wonderful tone throughout. It explored the possibilities of what digital performance can be, which as a result allowed viewers to experience the world of performance in a profoundly different way. The imagery and visuals help create the reflective state of the performance and the abstractness of Collier’s musings. The performance is an impressive remuneration of memory and identity. Themes around grief and time could not feel more relevant in today’s world, where frequent dealings around loss, death, and distortions around time are an increasing norm amidst today’s political and cultural climate.
With moments of poignancy, humor, and introspection, Frequencies felt daringly original and unlike anything I had ever seen. Through a thoroughly entertaining performance, audiences felt an incredibly intimate connection with Collier. I left the show wanting even more of Collier’s story or as he stunningly put it, “missing someone I never met”.
Created by HEIST, Frequencies ran on June 12 at the 2021 Festival of Live Digital Art. Read more information about the production and its team here.
Credits:
Writers: Aaron Collier with Stewart Legere and Francesca Ekwuyasi
Director: Ann-Marie Kerr
Starring: Aaron Collier
Performer / VR Driver: Sylvia Bell
Dramaturg: Richie Wilcox
Costume Designer: Emlyn Murray
Composer and Sound Designer: Aaron Collier
Software Designer: Aaron Collier
Digital Designers: Matthew Downey and MacKenzie Cornfield
Technical Assistant: Alex Sinclair