Chapter 3: "Librettising" ecology to create Lipote: An Interconnected Journey
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Context of the Research and Influences
3.3 Synopsis
3.4 Developing the Script
3.4.a Communication: Influence from the Science
3.4.b Exploring Different Worlds: Panarchy and Adaptive
3.4.c Soil
3.4.d The Fungal Network
3.4.e The Narrator
3.4.f The Humans
3.4.g The Rainforest
i. A Framework for the Rainforest
iii. Exploring the Rainforest through Cycles of Collaboration
3.4.h The Palm Tree Plantation
3.4.i Lipote as the Loner Tree and the "Fiery Edge"
3.4.j The Strangler Fig
3.4.k The Forest Garden (or Taungya) and the Marriage
3.6 Future Steps and Conclusion
3.1 Introduction
This piece researches the anthropomorphism of ecology through opera, using as a starting point the life of trees underground, in the soil, and through their roots. It is also based around research into the impact of intensive agriculture on forests, as this has become a reason through which much of the scientific work related to soil quality has recently been carried out. This is represented by the relationships of trees in the soil. I focused particularly on representing them from this underground perspective, as an exploration of a world we would not have so much access to were it not for the recent developments in science. The opera tackles an important issue which has a direct impact on our lives today, in particular trying to uncover and explore the problems surrounding the creation of monoculture palm oil plantations.
The work for Lipote: An Interconnected Journey began in summer 2020 and was completed in August 2023. It was composed by Oliver Farrow. We collaborated with jewellery designer and PhD student Wanshu Li, and choreographer Jingya Peng during its development towards an open rehearsal in August 2021 and the first full showcase in December 2022. At the showcase we also began collaborating with mixed media artist Leon Trimble to create incidental music for scene changes with his modular synthesiser connected to a living plant. After being tested in front of an audience at the showcase in Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in December 2022 it was performed at Nozstock Festival in July 2023 and in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2023. The development of the piece and work of the collaborators was funded by Help Musicians UK, and the performances in Nozstock and Edinburgh were funded by the British Council’s Connections Through Culture fund. It is performed to a soundtrack recorded by myself and Oliver Farrow. The style of music is mixed with multiple genres from contemporary classical to jazz, pop and dance.
The process underwent 4 clear cycles of co-creation. The first cycle involved myself and the composer and consisted of a process of understanding and connecting with the topic through research, discussions with scientists, the creation of digital artefacts and workshops. During the second cycle we began exploring the work with the designer, making use of her materials in relation to the outcomes of the first stage. This culminated in a week-long exploration and rehearsal in August 2021 with choreographer Jingya Peng, finishing with the open rehearsal of scenes 1-5 at RoguePlay theatre. The next cycle made use of the feedback and knowledge collected from this open rehearsal towards the development of the full piece. During summer 2022 we spent two weeks developing staging and scenery at an in-person research and development workshop. We then began working with two singers to bring this work to an audience in the showcase at LAB Theatre (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire) in December 2022. The final cycle involved reworking and editing the work based on reflections and feedback from that performance and ended with a run of 5 performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, August 2023. For details of the work during these various stages please see appendix 2.
In order to make informed choices during the development of the libretto and story I spoke with Dr Leah Band (plant biologist), Dr Markus Eichhorn (forestry modeller and plant biologist) and Prof. Adrian Newton (professor of conservation ecology and experimental musician). In the creation of this work, just as I had used the Greimassian semiotic square to inform The Flowering Desert, I grounded the narrative in the panarchic cycle (see below). Towards the end of the creation of the work I attended a residency at, and began working with, the Nature, Art and Habitat Residency. This is an organisation whose mission is to find the intersections between nature and culture, and that is particularly interested in using art to explore embodied and participatory understandings of the environment. The residency for the year I attended, 2022, was focused entirely on soil.