Alluvial Gold
Alluvial Gold presented a sonic exploration of the often-forgotten worlds beneath the surface of rivers in a performance installation by percussionist Louise Devenish and composer Stuart James, created in collaboration with visual artist Erin Coates.
Australian rivers such as the Derbarl Yerrigan (WA) had been heavily dredged and ground up for mortar, roads, and building materials at sites across the city during European settlement. Similar histories of dredging, altered estuarine ecologies, and the impacts of settler intervention occurred in river systems across southern Australia, particularly in areas used as ports or trading routes after colonisation.
Drawing on the histories, materials, and ecologies of metropolitan rivers in Australia, Alluvial Gold examined the transformed worlds beneath river surfaces shaped by colonisation and industrialisation.
The instruments were modelled on dolphin bones, native oyster shells, and marine ecologies, paired with electronics and arranged among curtains of shells that formed a shimmering field of harmonics, percussion, and sculpture, interwoven with sound recordings captured in the river.
By tracing the confluence of multiple riverine narratives, Alluvial Gold offered a sonic reflection of the unseen environments that lie below the surface.
Louise Devenish
Performer and Director
Stuart James
Composition and Sound Design
Erin Coates
Sculptural Instruments and Original Video Design
Mia Holten
AV Design
Peter Young
Lighting Design
Bruce McKinven
Set Design
Tristen Parr
General Manager
Reviews
"A fine example of Australian eco-artistry." — Australian Music Centre
"Devenish is hypnotic to watch and deliberate in her delivery, drawing out single notes on the xylophone and triangles into uncomfortable spaces that demand the world be experienced at a different pace." — Artshub
"A demonstration of beautifully integrated artistry from three thoughtful and immensely skilled creators." — Seesaw Magazine
"The whole experience was mesmerising." — Magazine6000
Articles
Performance Philosophy [2023] | ECHO [2023] | Music & Practice [2021] | Limelight Cutting Edge [2023]
Presented in partnership and with the support of Tura.
Dr Louise Devenish is the recipient of an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DE200100555) funded by the Australian Government.
Images by Edify Media.
