Cosa Rara

‘a strange thing’

The Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts is part of the University of Sussex, occupying an impressive building within their Brighton campus. Originally opened in 1969, the architecture was the design of Basil Spence, facilities being housed within three red-brick rings which apparently represent the unity between the arts. Despite earning listed building status in recognition of its architectural significance, the space was closed in 2007 due to funding difficulties. It ultimately reopened for public use in 2016 following extensive refurbishment.

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Alphabet Angel

‘unconditional love’

At the peak of Japan’s popularity in 1982, David Sylvian was posed a question during an interview with The Face: ‘Do you like children?’ The 24-year old’s response was: ‘I hate children. Children in airplanes is my biggest hate, I just cannot stand having children in such close contact and not being able to get away from them.’ Whilst some might sympathise regarding experiences when flying, Sylvian’s outspokenness reminds me how young he and his fellow band-members were at the height of their success, and how they had existed within a relatively insular world to that point.

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Blackwater

‘the possibility of new life’

The story of the ‘reformation’ of Japan (or to be accurate, of the four members who created the band’s final studio album, Tin Drum) was something that I followed in real time through the pages of the fanzine Bamboo. The first hint of such momentous news was contained in the Summer 1989 edition and almost comically understated, undoubtedly because the situation developed whilst the print publication was being finalised.

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Showing the Wound (A Will to Health) – Steel Cathedrals

‘the first step in a new approach’

‘This short film was shot in two days of November 1984 in and around the outskirts of Tokyo, Japan. A large part of the music was completed during that same month and recorded over a period of three days. I later updated the material in London, in an attempt to elaborate on the theme started earlier in Japan, and to further improve the quality of the soundtrack.’
David Sylvian, August 1985

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Musique pour le Lever du Jour

‘a counterpoint of timbre, of colour’

My previous conversation with Melaine Dalibert came at the culmination of his four albums on Yuko Zama’s elsewhere label. From the opening disc, Musique pour le Lever du Jour (Music for the Break of Day), released in 2018, to Night Blossoms in 2021, each instalment had a connection with David Sylvian. The sleeve art for each cd was provided by Sylvian, who also proffered production advice and project titles, a track was dedicated to him, and he contributed electronic ‘sound work’ to the tracks ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’ on the final release in the series. (Read that interview with the full background to the elsewhere series here.)

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