Outdoor Musicians: Spatial Structure
Concept
The church grounds are divided into areas (marked in red) which are active for a section of the piece. Each area will remain active until a method is completely finished and a new area is called.
A new area will be called by the conductor saying “all move to ******” e.g. “all move to side ridges”
Each area is divided into six rough sectors, which begin in the top right corner and move clockwise around the area. Each of these sectors should be treated as a different location for the purposes of the movement described in the Spatial Layer - changes page.
While playing in an area, the conductor will make calls such as “6 3 2 4” which indicate that the first player moves into the 6th sector, the second player moves into the 3rd sector, etc. (this system is explained in detail in the the Spatial Layer - changes page page). When an instruction is received to move to a new sector, each musician should walk there at their natural walking pace (or as close to it as is safe, given the terrain, how many people are around, and the fact you are holding your instrument). Whether to continue playing as you move is a matter of personal choice. After you move to a new sector, try to continue playing as you were before, unless the movement has brought that material to a natural conclusion. Allow the implications of your new position to sink in naturally.
The marked sectors should be treated as a rough guideline: it doesn’t matter if your sectors overlap slightly, or if they don’t line up perfectly with the interpretation of another performer.
The areas and their sectors are depicted on the following pages.
After the bells stop playing for the last time (around 8.30pm), we enter a "wild card" period, where you can gradually filter around the full church grounds and church until 9pm: essentially, the spatial structure breaks down without the influence of the bells!
An illustrated example of the movement can be found on Example of Outdoor Musician Movement.