At this year's WORD Festival Christchurch, author David Mitchell and Musician Hollie Fullbrook collaborate to bring us If I were a story and you were a song: a unique event where the two artists swap roles.
Hollie Fullbrook will be writing stories in response to David Mitchell's work, while David will be writing songs in response to hers.
David Mitchell is known for his lyrical writing. He's best known for Cloud Atlas, which showcases the 'other worldliness' of his approach to writing. Cloud Atlas was made into a movie starring Halle Berry and Tom Hanks. David's last book, Utopia Avenue, which I blogged about last year, was written like a concept album: each chapter is a song title following the rise and fall of a British band.
Utopia Avenue illustrates that David is more than capable of writing songs - the knowledge of the process of songwriting, woven into the story, is impressive.
There are complete songs composed by David in the text of Utopia Avenue, and other lines in the text that could easily be turned into lyrics. I'm really looking forward to seeing how he responds to Tiny Ruins' music at this event.
Tiny Ruins' have been performing in New Zealand and overseas for a decade.
Frontwoman Hollie Fullbrook writes songs that tell stories. I've been living and breathing Tiny Ruins' music in the last few weeks, and it's like a breath of fresh air: a slow walk on the beach. There's an 'other worldliness' to Tiny Ruins' sound too.
I love the rolling, relaxed beauty of Tiny Ruins' songs. Take Me at the Museum, You in the Wintergardens; how the lyric cleverly observes the swift passage of youth, the finite nature of life, against the backdrop of a museum and a winter garden, where time appears to stand still.
In their session at WORD, the two artists will show how great things can come from Lockdown. They have collaborated to respond to each others' work, across the globe. This idea is so original!
Looking at her WORD profile, Hollie Fullbrook appears to be the embodiment of Utopia Avenue's character Elf - 'explorative musicianship...delicate folk, lustrous dream pop and ebullient psychedelia' - with Elf's heavenly voice.
Her latest album, Olympic Girls, has been described as "Inspired by literature, science, nature and human experience, these mysteries lie waiting to be carefully unfolded…” (God Is In the TV)
Her voice reminds me of Joan Baez. Her lyrics of Patti Smith.
If I were a story and you were a song will be chaired by ex-WORD 'organiser' Rachael King, who has stepped down from her role with WORD to work on more books for her reading public.
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