Lichen - 300-WORD STATEMENT - Matthew Sergeant

Lichen (2016) was commissioned by ELISION Ensemble (Australia) with funds generously supplied by the RMIT Gallery, Melbourne. The piece was premiered at RMIT Storey Hall, Melbourne Australia on 21st September 2016 by Daryl Buckley (solo electric lap-steel guitar). The research content of the work explores philosopher Karen Barad's notion of 'intra-action' - [t]hat is, in contrast to the usual ‘interaction,’ which assumes that there are separate individual agencies that precede their interaction, the notion of intra-action recognizes that distinct agencies do not precede, but rather emerge through, their intra-action.’ (Barad 2007: 33) - as a compositional space of operation. This document presents the 300-WORD STATEMENT in support of the work.