A live musical cinematic experience

Combining cutting edge technology with nostalgia, Past Lives features rarely seen amateur footage of Midlands life from the 1930s to the 1970s set to an atmospheric soundtrack performed live by ambient soundscape pioneers Cipher with guest musicians from Sinfonia ViVA.

Capturing moving images is now commonplace with mobile phones and pocket cameras, but before the digital age it wasn't so easy. Small format movie cameras were the liberating technology of the mid-20th Century, giving ordinary people the chance to record everyday events on their 8mm and 16mm cameras.

Cipher have collaborated with visual artist Anthony Hatton to produce a thought-provoking and engaging visual and live musical experience using little seen footage from the Media Archive for Central England, including local images of the areas they will visit.

The music is composed by renowned musicians Theo Travis (sax, flute) and Dave Sturt (fretless bass/sound design). They will perform with guest musicians Deirdre Benscik (cello) and Clare Bhabra (violin) from the renowned Sinfonia ViVA, based in the East Midlands.

There are also workshops on composing and performing music for films at many venues and Q&A sessions following most performances.

As Cipher Dave Sturt and Theo renowned for composing and performing soundtracks for silent films – having toured with Hitchcock’s The Lodger and Blackmail, Murnau’s The Last Laugh, Pabst’s Pandora’s Box, Lon Chaney’s The Phantom of the Opera and a very special Cabinet of Dr Caligari to celebrate the film’s 90th anniversary. They have developed a unique style of jazz electronica incorporating live looping and computer processing techniques.

‘An experience that is truly greater than the sum of its excellent parts’

Venue Magazine on Cipher’s Pandoras Box

Theo has released a series of solo albums, is a member of space-rock band Gong, is a regular collaborator with a wide range of musicians such as David Sylvian, King Crimson’s Robert Fripp, Japan’s Richard Barbieri and Soft Machine as well as running his own quartet.

Dave Sturt is a member of ambient experimentalists Jade Warrior and has performed with Pink Floyd’s David Gilmore, Bill Nelson, Michael Kamen, Steve Hillage, Gong and many others.

As Cipher their music is intense, relaxing, emotional, lyrical, often dark and spontaneous with a strong element of improvisation in their performances.

‘A wonderfully sensual score, truly excellent’ bbc.co.uk