Marsyas Trio
Since 2020, I have had the privilege of collaborating with the Marsyas Trio, a chamber ensemble known for their adventurous approach to classical music. Our partnership began when they commissioned me to direct a short film and visual accompaniment for Salutem, a project that challenged me to explore new creative territory. Having spent years working with rock, drone, and experimental musicians, adapting my visual storytelling to the precision and nuance of classically trained performers was both a fascinating and rewarding experience.
What began as a single commission evolved into a dynamic, ongoing collaboration. Together, we designed and conducted a series of educational workshops, blending music, film, and experimental techniques to inspire young artists. Working with the Marsyas Trio has not only deepened my appreciation for contemporary classical music but has also pushed the boundaries of how visual and auditory art forms can interact.
This page serves as a showcase of our work together over the past five years—a journey of artistic discovery, cross-disciplinary experimentation, and creative outreach.
Most recently, this collaboration expanded into Musical Waterways, an immersive live performance that explored the intersection of music, engineering, and history. As part of Smeaton 300, a celebration of civil engineer John Smeaton, we crafted a multimedia experience combining narration, live music, and projected visuals. The performance honoured the legacy of pioneering women engineers who shaped Britain's waterways, featuring compositions spanning three centuries, including newly commissioned works by James Creed and Alannah Halay. Through Musical Waterways, we continued our shared mission of pushing artistic boundaries, creating innovative performances that engage audiences through both sound and image.
2024 - Musical Waterways
Musical Waterways
With the Marsyas Trio and Julian Hand
Held in the stunning Howard Assembly Room in Leeds, the performance brought together live music, narration, and evocative visuals to weave a narrative of ingenuity, discovery, and the often-overlooked contributions of women engineers in Britain’s history.
The Marsyas Trio, in collaboration with filmmaker Julian Hand, guided audiences on a journey through the history of waterways, innovation, and the minds that shaped them. Narrated by Alannah Halay, the program featured music spanning three centuries, including works by Franz Joseph Haydn, Louise Farrenc, Eugene Goossens, Catherine Lamb, and George Crumb. Central to the evening were the world premieres of two specially commissioned works by Leeds-based composers James Creed and Alannah Halay, each offering a contemporary reflection on the theme.
Inspired by the legacy of John Smeaton—the Leeds-born "father of civil engineering"—the performance also paid tribute to the pioneering women who followed in his footsteps. Figures like Sarah Guppy and Katharine Parsons played a crucial role in Britain’s industrial and maritime advancements, contributing groundbreaking inventions centred around water and infrastructure.
Through a seamless fusion of music and film, Musical Waterways was an immersive experience, celebrating the power of artistic collaboration to illuminate history, science, and the enduring impact of innovation.
The recital of The Industrial Age, a movement from Laura Bowler’s Salutem, fit seamlessly into the setlist for Musical Waterways. While the Marsyas Trio has yet to perform Salutem in its entirety with the visuals I created, seeing them bring this section to life on stage was truly special. Watching Camille Krieg on screen in perfect harmony with the Trio’s live performance was a thrilling moment—solid proof that Salutem will be a powerful and immersive audio-visual experience. I eagerly anticipate the day we present the full piece together.
2021 - Experimental AV Workshop
Exploring Experimental Audio-Visual Production: A One-Day Workshop
Join the Marsyas Trio, acclaimed composer Laura Bowler, and experimental filmmaker Julian Hand for an immersive one-day workshop delving into the creative intersection of music and film. Inspired by their collaborative work on Salutem, this hands-on experience invites students to explore graphic scoring, experimental sound composition, and innovative camera-less filmmaking techniques.
Meet the Artists
The Marsyas Trio—flautist Helen Vidovich, cellist Valerie Welbanks, and pianist Olga Stezhko—is one of the UK’s foremost chamber ensembles, known for pushing the boundaries of contemporary classical music.
Julian Hand, a London-based experimental filmmaker, specialises in analogue and digital moving image, light projections, and site-specific installations. His work spans experimental films, music videos, and live visual performances.
Laura Bowler, described as a “triple-threat composer-performer provocatrice,” is internationally recognised for her work in contemporary music, theatre, and opera. Her compositions have been commissioned by leading ensembles and orchestras worldwide.
The Art of Experimentation: Highlights from Our AV Workshops
The sheer creativity and imagination displayed in the students' films speak for themselves—from the eclectic and inventive titles alone, it’s clear that each workshop was brimming with artistic energy. This selection represents just a fraction of the many incredible short films we’ve produced with students over the past two years as part of our outreach program.
A heartfelt thank you to all the students and staff who participated and supported our Experimental AV Workshop. Each session was a truly special experience, filled with collaboration, curiosity, and boundless creativity. The enthusiasm and dedication of everyone involved made these workshops an absolute joy to lead.
We hope to bring this workshop back in the future once additional funding is secured—watch this space for updates and news!
Here’s a selection of student films from our Experimental AV Workshop—a showcase of creativity and innovation from the talented students of Leyton Sixth Form College, Sacred Heart School, Newcastle Academy, Endon High School, and Kings Priory School. This showreel highlights their imaginative storytelling and bold experimentation in sound and visuals.
2020 - Salutem
SALUTEM: Music by Laura Bowler, performed by The Marsyas Trio
Embark on a mesmerising journey through the annals of human history with "Salutem," a captivating fusion of music and visuals crafted by acclaimed composer Laura J. Bowler and performed by the illustrious Marsyas Trio. Commissioned under the auspices of the Arts Council England, this visionary project transcends the boundaries of conventional filmmaking to offer a multi-sensory experience like no other.
At its core, "Salutem" is a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation. Laura Bowler's evocative musical score serves as the narrative thread weaving through epochs from the Stone Age to the Modern Age, guiding audiences on an emotional odyssey through time. The film, directed by Julian Hand, follows a female avatar as she traverses the landscapes of history, inviting viewers to connect with the profound themes and narratives embedded within the music.
Shot using a blend of analogue and digital techniques, "Salutem" pioneers a unique approach to storytelling. Each historical period is brought to life through a meticulous process of mark-making on celluloid film, forging a tangible link between the medium and its narrative. From the primal scratches and glyphs of the Stone Age to the intricate paintwork of the Middle Ages, every detail is meticulously crafted to immerse audiences in the essence of each era.
But "Salutem" is more than just a film—it's a catalyst for artistic exploration and education. Building upon its success, The Marsyas Trio offers a transformative workshop experience, empowering participants to explore non-traditional filmmaking, composition, and performance techniques. Through the creation of graphic scores, manipulation of traditional instruments (flute, cello and piano), and mark-making on film, students embark on their own creative journey, culminating in the production of unique audio-visual compositions.
Recorded in 2018 at the prestigious Royal Holloway University of London, "Salutem" features the stellar performances of Helen Vidovich on flute, Valerie Welbanks on cello, and Zubin Kanga on piano. Executive-produced by Olga Stezhko, Helen Vidovich, and Valerie Welbanks, and starring the talented Camille Krieg, this visionary project continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
Experience the magic of "Salutem" as it unfolds, weaving together music, history, and visual artistry into a tapestry of human experience.
Salutem: A Cinematic Journey Through Time
Salutem is a commissioned film project for the Marsyas Trio, created as a visual accompaniment to their evocative score. The music takes us on a sweeping journey through human history, seen through the eyes of a central female protagonist—an evolving portrait of women across the epochs of time.
The film was conceived to exist in two distinct realms: as a dynamic visual experience projected alongside a live performance by the trio, and as a standalone cinematic piece for screenings and digital platforms. Striking a balance between these formats was a unique creative challenge—crafting imagery that would not only complement the intricate layers of live music but also hold its own as a compelling film in its own right.
After immersing myself in the score and engaging in deep creative exploration, I envisioned a singular female figure as our guide through history. She would serve as a fourth performer—an ethereal presence on stage—bridging the emotional depth of the music with the audience’s visual imagination. This character would embody the resilience, struggles, and triumphs of women across time, weaving together the film’s historical movements into a cohesive and emotionally charged narrative.
On December 12th 2020, Salutem premiered as the closing feature of the Marsyas Trio’s online digital season, At Home with the Marsyas, marking the culmination of an artistic collaboration that fused music, history, and experimental filmmaking into a singular, immersive experience.
The Making of Salutem: Blending Time, Texture, and Technique
In Salutem, a single actress embodies different eras of history, transforming through meticulously researched costumes, makeup, and props to bring each period to life. Her performances rely on non-verbal gestures, capturing the essence of a woman’s existence in each time frame. For example, in the Neolithic era, she moves with a primal intensity—alert, commanding, always on the hunt. In the Industrial Age, she toils at a loom, her body strained by the relentless pace of factory work. Each sequence offers a glimpse into the daily realities of women across history.
To visually distinguish these epochs, we filmed each scene using both a modern digital camera and an analogue Super 8mm camera. The crisp, hyperreal digital footage presents our protagonist with striking clarity, while the grainy, textured Super 8mm film introduces an organic, tactile quality. This analogue footage became the canvas for a unique process of physical mark-making, allowing each historical period to be interpreted through direct interaction with the film itself.
For the Stone Age, I used a flint tool to scratch tiny glyphs onto each frame, creating rough, animated etchings—echoing the tools and storytelling methods of the time. Each era had its own distinct approach: different materials, textures, and techniques were employed to physically alter the film, embedding the essence of each age into the very fabric of the footage. These hand-treated sequences were then rescanned and merged with the pristine 4K digital footage, seamlessly blending past and present, texture and technology, history and imagination.
The result is a visually striking fusion of mediums—an interplay of hyperreal clarity and raw, tactile history that brings Salutem to life in a way that feels both ancient and immediate.
Salutem: A Journey Through Time
Modern Age: Empowerment & Identity
The modern era is defined by complexity—an ongoing evolution of womanhood shaped by empowerment, equality, and self-expression. In this sequence, our actress, Camille Krieg, embodies different facets of 21st-century womanhood. She dances freely in a club, lost in the moment, then transforms into a confident businesswoman, commanding and assertive. She is seen jogging, strong and full of energy, and finally, we break the fourth wall—she appears as herself, in everyday clothes, no makeup, unfiltered and real.
To reflect the electric energy of modernity, I applied chemical treatments such as bleach to the surface of the film. The bleach left flashes of blue, resembling streaks of electricity, a visual metaphor for the invisible forces that shape our world—technology, connectivity, power. Unexpectedly, flower-like patterns emerged, a reminder that even in an age of rapid progress, nature persists. The high-resolution scans by On8mil captured these intricate details beautifully, blending the hyperreal digital footage with the organic textures of analogue film.
Industrial Age: Toil & Resistance
The Industrial Revolution saw women enter the workforce in unprecedented numbers, driven by necessity rather than choice. They laboured in textile mills, worked as domestic servants, and even toiled in coal mines under brutal conditions. This sequence places Camille Krieg as a weary loom worker, her body moving in mechanical repetition, sweating under the relentless demands of factory life.
To emphasise the dehumanising nature of industrial labor, I manipulated the surface of the film by repeatedly punching holes with a metal tool—mimicking the ceaseless churning of machinery. The film was then unspooled and exposed to the grime of an industrial London street, trampled underfoot, even run over by bicycles and trucks. The result is a filmstrip scarred with grit, oil, and dirt—an embodiment of the harsh reality faced by working-class women of the 19th century. The marks of the industrial world are embedded into the very fabric of the footage, much like they were in the lives of the women who endured it.
