Although Changed, I Arise the Same (The Spirituality of Spirals) by Calum Builder

Although Changed, I Arise the Same (The Spirituality of Spirals) is a personal artistic exploration into the artist’s shifting context & practice derived from the utilisation of spiral formations in the creative process. Originally conceived as an intervallic system based on spiral formations, this project evolved to encompass an investigation into the metaphorical and conceptual implications of spirals. This is a different form of a system — one not built on intervals but on swirling water & howling winds. It is a story about shifting from the concrete & practical to the abstract & conceptual. It explores how, where & why I utilise spiral formations. Yet, more pertinently, it discusses how working with spirals redefined my own artistic context. A spiral became a symbol that transcended inspiration. It became a form of spirituality.

Although Changed, I Arise the Same

 (The Spirituality of Spirals)

First testing the control

Whilst composing the work Renewal Manifestations I began to do a few of solo saxophone and organ concerts. These predominantly took the form of me setting up a drone on the organ with weights and then using various extended timbral techniques with my feet or freehand whilst playing saxophone.
At the same time, I began walking around during concerts whilst playing- experimenting with specialisations as an acoustic instrument that has the possibility to walk and play.

Around halfway into this research project I ordered some organ pipes from DBA because I thought they looked nice and I wanted a memento to remind myself of how much discovering the organ had changed me as a saxophonist.

Within 2-3 months I had 12 pipes.

By December I was using a mattress fan, a series of 3-way water taps and garden hosing to make a series of drones.

By Christmas 2021 I had 21 pipes.

By early February Ea Borre (a sound artist and organ builder) built me a below.

In late February an Organ Fan arrive from Poland.

In late February I did my first saxophone concert with my newly built organ.

By March I had a functioning mini Organ.

In April Jens Erik Larsen had built me a control/windchest.

In late April I had visited Frobenius and now had 30 pipes.

In late April I did my first full concert with 15 pipes and Saxophone.

By early May I had done a day trip to Thisted and bought 39 pipes.

Finally, I had built (with help) my own portable organ.

I explained it like this because the whole thing happened soo fast and organically, it was almost like I had no choice in it coming into existence.

From the very first meeting with organs, I felt they were akin to zoo animals — huge beasts, locked away in these empty churches.

My organ chose me. I was going to have my own organ whether I wanted it or not.

I now want to recontextualise the organ, I want to personify it, I want people to know more about this amazing 2000-year-old instrument. It is a little creature that I am caring for. When I play saxophone with it, I feel like I'm playing fetch — throwing it a ball in the park.

Experimenting with the kill switch

Again, testing out which pipes to buy

Part I: Practical Part II: Metaphorical Part III: Conceptual Th e Reconstructed Organ Appendix (PSSP)