[REACTIONS]

To mark their 25th year in 2022, Crash Ensemble presented a special anniversary programme that encapsulates all aspects of their current work - live performances, commissions, non-live formats of film and installation, and a limited-edition double album release titled [REACTIONS]. Amidst the onset of the global pandemic, Crash Ensemble commissioned Irish and international composers, from a range of musical backgrounds, to write new works for duos within the group. Building on existing collaborative partnerships and cultivating and nurturing new relationships, seventeen composers were invited to create a musical response to their experiences, the current state, and their thoughts for the future. The [REACTIONS] composers are Amy Rooney, Anna Mieke, Anna Murray, Anselm McDonnell, Bebhinn McDonnell, Bekah Simms, David Fennessy, Deirdre Gribbin, Diamanda La Berge Dramm, Éna Brennan, Jonathan Nangle, Rachael Lavelle, Rose Connolly, Seán Ó'Dálaigh, Sebastian Adams, Siobhán Cleary, and Stephen Shannon. Each piece was workshopped, rehearsed, and recorded in 2020/21/22. Each composer documented their creative process with text and imagery, offering a fly on the wall view of their studio spaces, visual imagery, and text, journaling during the creative process. Audio visual material was combined with these recordings to make these accompanying films by Crash’s resident filmmaker, Laura Sheeran.