Swell debuted in 2014 as an event for Melbourne Music Week, conceptualised by creative director Janenne Willis. Swell was a collaboration between Janenne Willis, New York-based architect Brooks Atwood, and music curator Edd Fisher.
The entire disused floor on the third level of The Carlton Club was transformed into a site for an experimental immersive music and art viewing experience. With five rooms dedicated to five different musical acts per weekend, each room was designed and decorated to reflect the style of music that was performed.
Featuring an interesting mix of genres including experimental acoustic guitar, ambient soundscapes, psychedelic funk, contemporary improvised jazz, electronic beats, vocal harmonies and Americana, the music of Swell was chosen to challenge and complement the architecture of the space and traditional notions of a music event.
Audience members were given the ability to navigate the space and choose their own order of which to rooms to explore, as each act played five 15 minute sets at intervals across the evening. This meant that no two visitors were guaranteed the same experience of the evening, as the choices they made at different points would influence how their evening unfolded.
Featured Acts:
Oliver Ellmers [Blunk] // Jay Bhattacharya [EMERSE] // Callum G’Froerer // Joe O’Connor [Fender rhodes Joe] // James Macaulay // Scott McConnachie // Scott Tinkler // Joe Talia // Jenny Barnes // Michael McNab // Scott McConnachie // Jon Heilbron // Broadway Sounds // Dylen Michél (Wooshie) // Jamil Zacharia // Costa Stefanou // Larissa Tandy [String Singers] and Ben Franz [The Waifs]
Producers:
Frances Fleetwood Wilkinson and Douglas Brooks
Media:
http://themoderncon.com/melbourne-music-week-swell/
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