Multi-modal mind

Multi-modal healing: An interview with Matt Ottley

Matt Ottley’s The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness is a groundbreaking, large-scale, multi-medium project that weaves literature, music and visual art together in the story of one boy’s journey into mental illness. This pioneering work, created by Northern Rivers-based Ottley, had its musical component recorded with one of Europe’s leading choirs and orchestras, giving this project a truly international scope. Ottley is an award-winning artist, writer and disorder and had been hospitalised after a psychotic episode. I was in recovery for several months and kept a journal in which I often wrote poetry. Five years later, I showed one of those poems to my friend and editor Margrete Lamond. She suggested the poem would work well as a picture book text for young adults and adults. Her publishing house, Dirt Lane Press, which is a not-for-profit publisher, agreed to publish the work. It was to be a large scale multi-modal book and

composer, with The Tree of Ecstasy representing a landmark moment in his illustrious career.

How did the idea for The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness first emerge, and how long was the process of bringing the project to fruition? The seed of the project came from a poem I wrote in 2010 during a period of recovery from a particularly serious episode of illness. I have type one bipolar

musical work giving audiences an aesthetic insight into the agonies and the ecstasy of bipolar disorder. The narrative itself is in the form of a fable. For the first two years of the project, I immersed myself in the writing of the music. I felt the score needed the depth and breadth of a full symphony orchestra, even though we knew it was going to be difficult to find funding for such a largescale work. Both Margrete and I were operating on blind faith at that point. My starting place for the music was a score I had begun in 2008, a completely unrelated work for a seventy-four-piece orchestra, which I felt was appropriate for this project because it had been written during a previous bipolar episode, so it genuinely reflected my unwell mind. Following this I spent three years producing the seventy-four large paintings that comprise the book component of the work. These works are a mixture of oils on canvas and digital works that have then been printed out and drawn or painted over with graphite, pen and ink, or acrylics. How does it build upon or depart from ideas or aesthetics explored in your previous books? This work is similar to an earlier multi-modal work of mine, Requiem for a Beast in that the music adds thematically to the text and images, but I’ve taken the concept further in that The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness can only be understood in its fullest by experiencing both the book and the music. This can happen either concurrently, or in any order. Can you describe how the musical component developed and how the Brno orchestra and choir got involved? About eight years ago I developed, with author/drama teacher Danny Parker and in partnership with The Literature Centre in WA, a performance initiative called The Sound of Picture Books in which I write music for each of the picture books I have illustrated, and the music is performed by members of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. Each one-hour show is a true multi-modal performance involving music, visual arts and physical theatre. The keyboard player who came on board right at the beginning, and has been a staple of the performance team ever since, was Alf Demasi. Alf and I became very good friends and I offered him a part in co-composing sections of the score for The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness. Because of Alf’s other commitments however, he was only able to contribute to about ten percent of the score. This he did with piano scores, which I then orchestrated. Alf did however, play a very important role in the whole work coming to fruition in that he introduced me to Sam Silipo, who, through the Gabby Arts Legacy Trust (GALT) funded the entire project. Alf was the godfather of Sam’s daughter Gabriella, who tragically lost her life several years ago and to whom the book and score are dedicated. Sam immediately felt a great simpatico with the project and without his incredible generosity and trust in me, the book and musical work would certainly not have been afforded the very high production values that it does. We were, for example, able to record the score with one of Europe’s leading orchestras – the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra – and Europe’s most highly acclaimed choir, the Czech Philharmonic Choir, Brno, all under the baton of extraordinary British conductor, Mikel Toms. The choir and orchestra agreed to recording the work after sighting the score. We were also able to fly local Northern Rivers singer, Ben Reynolds, to the Czech Republic to record with the orchestra and choir.

What have been the biggest challenges of getting the project off the ground? Finding funding was immensely difficult, but once I had the support of GALT, and with the extraordinary logistical support of my partner Tina Wilson, the rest was just sheer hard work. The process was, at times, emotionally challenging because it meant revisiting times and aspects of my life that have been extremely traumatic.

What are some of the most important things you hope the project imparts about mental health? Through the art and music, and through the film version I’ve also made of this project, I want to take audiences on a metaphorical journey into the mind of someone suffering psychosis. This may for some people be challenging, but I’ve tried to do it in a way that is beautiful and poignant and is imbued equally with light as it is with darkness. The most important thing for me, is that the project contributes to the ongoing discussion around mental illness in a way that leads to greater understanding (both socially and medically), to empathy and compassion. I want audiences to feel, to understand, through luminosity in art and music the ecstasy, the pain and bewilderment of an illness like bipolar disorder.

For more information visit: www.mattottley.com/multi-modal A flood fundraiser film screening and Q&A for The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness will take place Wednesday 30 March at The Regent Cinema, Murwillumbah. the-regent.com.au