Music & film fusion
He has just released a new album, Super Connected, a fusion of film, live music and theatre about the existential ticking time bomb of social media and big tech.
When he comes to Reading, he will perform tracks live, with the film playing in the background, a digital-age take on the original silent movie format of film with live music, with Arnold performing on stage and onscreen at once.
The film tells the story of one family addicted to tech.
It includes collaborations with people who worked on the Oscarwinning film Gravity and Monty Python and The Holy Grail, and a cameo from actor Stephen Fry.
Originated and developed at London’s Roundhouse in partnership with Help Musicians, the Super Connected live show is inspired by psychiatrist Ricardo Cavrioli’s work in the mental health field, assessing teenagers suffering with screen addiction.
Playfully addressing our dependency on tech screens, audience members at each show are invited to take part in a PhoneFreeze ritual by placing their phones into a lockable pouch to experience the freedom (or discomfort) of being completely free from the digital tug of constant connectivity.
After each show there is an optional Screenless Social, where the audience can meet the creative team.
Arnold said: “Super Connected focuses on how much our lives are dominated by tech and screens. Actress and theatre maker Kate Alderton fused the album and film into a live piece of ‘gig theatre’.
“The compassion for people suffering from screen addiction that I’d written the songs with is something I get to perform to those characters while I’m on stage. The audience hear the songs, watch the film and see me in relationship with the story.”
Director Kate added: “We learnt in rehearsals that it was impossible for an audience to simultaneously watch a live performer sing in ‘gig-style’ and pay attention to a film.
“It’s the epitome of attention distraction, which is exactly what the film and album are about. So thinking back to the old silent movie format, I asked Tim to perform it again, this time facing the film rather than the audience, so we could focus on the story.
“With Tim as the ‘watcher/ witness’, giving voice through song, a completely surprising relationship emerged between him and the on-screen version of him in the film; a past self, a memory becoming ‘live’.
“This shift in perspective was an igniting moment for the development of the piece. The creative conundrum – ‘where does our attention go/who is watching?’ – is at the heart of the album and the film. It became the question that informed our entire creative process.
“The result is a dialogue between Tim, the film and us as the audience, as we journey through the complex relationships we have with our screens, our desire to be watched, to hide, and to be seen.”
The show is at South Street on Thursday, May 30. Tickets cost £16.50 or £13.50 for concessions. ■ To book, call the box office on: 0118 960 6060, or log on to: https://whatsonreading.com/ venues/south-street/whats-on/ super-connected-tim-arnold