Imagines (2015)

Imagines brings together four scores by composer Benjamin Dwyer, poems by Kimberly Campanello, commentary by NDP editor Jonathan Creasy and viola performance by Garth Knox.

Dwyer's score and Campanello's poems were written in response to the enigmatic sheela-na-gig carvings found in Ireland. They traveled the country documenting what they found, making field recordings and drawings. The score features 'extended techniques'mastered by Garth Knox, one of the finest violists in the world for whom the piece was specifically composed.

We designed an original musical typeface for Imagines. Dwyer’s score was re-created using this typeface giving the project a unique identity. Using strict typographic systems for laying out the score, poetry and commentary we arrived at a solution that gives each contributor a distinct visual presence within the piece.

Imagines was produced in a limited edition of 84 copies. When the complete edition is laid out in sequence it forms the full composition of scores intersected with Campenello’s poetry. The intention behind this feature was to imbue the edition with a function relative to its content. Each book in the edition was used for the premiere performance of Imagines by Knox and Campanello at the Barrow River Arts Festival, 2015.