18/02/2024
As both a music teacher and a Therapist whose niche is working with autistic persons, I have enjoyed reading about Frankie Dyson Reilly and Lexi Gorton who are part of the Harrigans Lane Autumn 2024 Artists-in-Residence program at The Piano Mill. Frankie and Lexi are both late diagnosed autistics.
It's not often we are given such in depth insight into the amazing differences in sensory perceptions of the autistic person and in this situation, the remarkable application of those differences applied in the context of musicality and creativity.
Wishing Frankie and Lexi all the best with their residency, studies and ongoing explorations.
Frankie Dyson Reilly and Lexi Gorton Artists-in-Residence Autumn 2024
Frankie and Lexi are both late-diagnosed Autistic musicians. As their work is, in part, about embracing their sensory differences, they increasingly find that sensory/aural exploration through touch, found sounds, and interaction with environment is an integral element of their improvisation practice. Frankie’s composition practice draws deeply on birdsong, colour, and natural environments, incorporating visual cues into her scores as a form of creative storytelling. Alexandra’s performance practice is similarly inspired, weaving together folk instruments, songs of nature, and an animistic attitude. Together, they see exciting potentials for place-based musicking in the Harrigans Lane residency, gathering field recordings, found sounds, imagery, and interacting with the Piano Mill and other available instrumentation with a spirit of curiosity and playful exploration. The intended product of this residency is the completion and on-site performance premiere/recording of a new score for prepared piano, kantele, violin, and found sounds. The recorded work will later be shared in Norway at the June 2024 InMusic Conference.
Bios
Alexandra Gorton and Frankie Dyson Reilly are Autistic Meanjin/Brisbane-based musicians and Doctoral research candidates at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. Fuelled by a mutual interest in experimental new music, the duo explores lived experiences of Autistic and disabled musicians and potentialities for alternative scoring and musicking towards building equitable performance practices. Using non-conventional instrumentation and scoring in collaborative improvisations, they seek to engage themselves and audiences in new ways of listening and sound-making. .dysonreilly
Photo credit (Frankie): Rani Tesiram
Photo credit (Lexi): Brodie McAllister
