Alan M Jackson

I am a composer, performer and novel instrument builder living in Worthing, UK, between the South Downs and the sea. I enjoy facilitating communities and am an independent teacher of music technology. I play an active role in the Brighton improvisation community and am a composer and conductor for the Worthing Tape Orchestra - an accessible ensemble, that uses cassette players as instruments.

My compositional focus is on how we relate to our environment and how we relate to each other.

In my practice I use situated and dislocated sound to explore the relationship between the anthropogenic and the natural environment. I take incongruous technology (eg. self built electronic instruments) and audiences into the outdoors environment. Conversely, using ambisonics, I bring the outdoors to confront the audience inside.

Through my committment to participation and giving voice, I've been questioning the role of virtuosity in performance. I have developed a practice of multi-layered improvisation where I use modular electronics to rapidly create one-off instrument as a combination of sound creating modules and performance controllers. I perform by improvising on the improvised instrument which may only exist for a single performance. I explore themes of participation and authority in my pieces.

Feedback is an integral part of my instruments including feedback through the environment. This creates a coming together of the anthropogenic and natural rather than just a juxtapostion.

My current work is about our personal and societal relationship with water. This is the first part of a three phase project looking at water, land and air.

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