Susan Rawcliffe - Performer, Instrument Builder & Ceramic Artist

Susan Rawcliffe - Performer, Instrument Builder & Ceramic Artist

Susan Rawcliffe is an explorer of primeval soundscapes. She is a master flute maker, player and researcher as well as a master didjeridu player. Her work evolves through a circular process of making acoustical copies of ancient and contemporary specimens, learning to play them, and investing new insights into the creation of more instruments to then learn to play. She delights in exotic and potent sounds, whether as a performer, a creator of musical instruments and sculptures or a researcher into ancient flutes and their music.

I listened to the sound samples of Rawcliffe's instruments and was fascinated by the primeval nature of their sounds. After my brief flirtation with experimental music with electronic devices (Triwave Picogenerator, Nord Micromodular, looping pedals, etc.) I've become more interested in experimental sounds with acoustic instruments. In the world of free improv, musicians have been creating experimental music on standard musical instruments for decades already, via extended playing techniques. However, I've become more intersted in acoustic instruments such as Rawcliffe's that have even greater inherent potential for experimental music.