The Feels on the Bus

for two performers on a moving mini-bus

The Feels on the Bus (2019) explores the concept of collaboration between human, machine, and the natural environment. 15 bus travellers experience a route through uneven bush land, and as the moving mini bus traverses the jerky path the performers on board struggle to play instruments and objects. Disembarking the bus allows for a shift in perspective: the loud hum of the engine is switched off, and suddenly the natural world becomes possible to experience. What sounds emerge from the experience form a narrative of effective assemblage. Many elements combine to offer a multisensory musical experience.

The Feels on the Bus was premiered by the composer and Rebecca Lloyd-Jones in April 2018 at the Easter at the Piano Mill events in rural NSW, Australia, with video and audio captured by Tangible Media. Special thanks to Peter Head (Arboreal Folly, 2016; bus driver) and Bruce and Jocelyn Wolfe for their ongoing support.