This weekend, from 10th - 12th July, Brighton’s Loop Festival will be unveiling its charming mix of brilliant new music (including Fever Ray, The XX, Zomby, Telepathe and Squarepusher - not so new, but his bass licks are still killer) and cutting edge video art, audiovisual performance and screenings. Ahead of the annual onedotzero festival at the BFI in September, onedotzero are curating the video art at Loop, which includes the First Lady of Warp Records, Mira Calix. (Warp are currently celebrating their 20th anniversary with the Warp 20 events and releases.) Mira aka Chantal Passamonte will be performing Natures with the AV artist Quayola, a project that reinterprets motion-tracking data from the movement of plants...

Dazed Digital: Can you introduce Natures?
Mira Calix: Natures was originally commissioned by the Faster Than Sound Festival as a video installation piece. I created the music as one piece but with five movements, a slightly more classical approach. For Natures live - which is the show at Loop, I have reworked the five movements, taking elements from all of them, creating one seamless piece. I perform it with the cellist Oliver Coates, who I regularly collaborate with.

DD: How did you start working with Quayola?
Mira Calix: I met Quayola a couple of years ago. He had an idea for working with plants in HD, and I had just started composing elements of what would become the first movement. The fit seemed very natural. I initially created some graphic scores and we then worked by sending each other bits back and forth. He sent clips and stills and then edited to the tracks as I sent them back.

DD: How does it feel to celebrate Warp 20?
Mira Calix: Ahh, the champagne is in flow. Good to see the label growing after all this time.

DD: What would be your tracklist for the Warp 20 Chosen by Mira disc?
Boards Of Canada - Sixtyten
Autechre - Vletr Mx
Plaid - I Was Wrong
Chris Clark - Caveman Lament
LFO - Love Is The Message
Jimi Tenor - Caravan
Mike Ink - Paroles
Nightmares On Wax - Sal
Gak - Gak 2
Polygon Window - Quino-phec

DD: What's so special about onedotzero?
Mira Calix: The way they have so successfully promoted video art. They have discovered and supported young filmakers and given them worldwide exposure. They really started something that has now become the norm, whilst keeping a firm eye on quality and innovation. That’s something special.

DD: What else are you working on at the moment?
Mira Calix: I'm currently working with Malcolm Middleton (who used to be one half of Arab Strap) and writing new material, which will be broadcast on Radio 3 in August for a BBC session. I've been a fan of his for quite some time, and its been a lot of fun in the making. With a very different musical hat on I have just been awarded a rather large grant for the arts (incredible!) from the Arts Council, to write new pieces for classical instruments. The project called Exchange And Return will see me collaborate with the composers Larry Goves and Tansy Davies, will involve many musicians and will run for the next year.

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