User:NewbuildBlackCoffee/sandbox

Daniel Figgis is an Irish artist, composer, curator and record producer. He is best known for his solo compositions for theatre, as well as his past contributions to the post-punk band Virgin Prunes, and his later formation of the group Princess Tinymeat.

Life and career
Figgis was born on Sandford Road, Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland on 2 May 1961.

He made his first public appearance as a child actor, starring in Eugene McCabe's Swift at Dublin's Abbey Theatre (1969) at the age of 8. Thereafter, he continued to perform in various Irish theatre productions at the Abbey, such as Sean Cotter's adaptation of Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot (1969). Later, he starred in several film and TV projects, including George Schaefer’s A War of Children (1972), Sleepers On The Hill (1974), Joseph Strick’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1978) and The Last Campaign with Frank Finlay (1978). He was also cast in an unfinished film production alongside Debbie Harry as "The Rock Star".

Figgis attended Trinity College Dublin, obtaining a degree in philosophy. At university, he began his involvement with various post-punk outfits... (more not covered in bio Ben sent)

After his departure from the Virgin Prunes (when?), Figgis produced his first solo works, culminating in his acclaimed 'Skipper' album, released on Rough Trade, to critical acclaim. He also produced the unreleased album 'emptyeverything'. In this time, Figgis began experimenting with new approaches to musical composition - tracks from both albums reappeared on Spitroast Records' 'When It's Ajar: The Music Of Daniel Figgis', for which 34 commissioned musicians including Roger Doyle, Cathal Coughlan and Amoebazoid 're-composed' his music in their own styles.

In (when?), Figgis co-founded the concert promotions company eartheatere alongside artist Dierdre Behan, focusing on "the accessible face of contemporary composition". Premiering at Dublin's National Concert Hall in 2000, Figgis curated a series of while managing the project, including live performances by Vincent Doherty, Roger Doyle and his own Daniel Figgis Band.

Tiring of the traditional performance scenario, Figgis embarked on a series of site-specific events, and began to perform with a live ensemble. He toured various Irish cultural festivals and fringes, including the shows 'MOTOR' for the Kilkenny Arts Festival (2004), 'TAMPER' at the Dublin Fringe Festival, (2004) and 'THE BANQUET', an “opera for dancers” at the National Basketball Arena, Dublin, 2006.

In 2006, he commissioned and directed a short film, 'AWOL (givinguptheghost)', which introduced the idea of "auto re-composition", and featured a hypnotised dancer filmed underwater for DIVERSIONS, Temple Bar. (decode? sentence doesn't make sense to me)

As the 2004 Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown composer in-residence, Daniel explored his process of “imposition” with a new work for locally based brass quintet, the Ottoni Ensemble – compositional structure “imposed” upon preliminary improvisations within firmly defined and predetermined parameters, playing to the musicians’ strong suits. This piece was presented January 2005 at the People’s Park, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin as Daniel Figgis’ THE GATES – a quadrophonic tape piece for strings, woodwind, percussion and brass, dedicated to the late Timothy Keane. The Impositions series continued as a series of pre-recorded Ante-Room sequences within THE BANQUET opera event featuring internationally renowned musicians including John Martyn, Keith Tippett, Eva Alkula, Roger Doyle, David Jackson, Richard Sanderson, Kristen Vigard and Robin Guthrie.

Post-Production by Daniel FiggisHe presented SOUNDTRAP 1: Daniel Figgis’ DOPPLER for Beaconsfield Gallery, London in conjunction with Architecture Week, June 2006, and performed POST-PRODUCTION, a 23 section songs-without-words-cycle at New York’s Winter Gardens, World Financial Center in November 2006 – this was a WNYC New Sounds commission. Daniel was invited by the World Financial Center Arts Program to curate Snakes & Ladders 2008: a free festival of New Irish Music March 15-17 2008, New York, and was asked to compose and perform: Daniel Figgis’ PHOTO-FINISH (with shortcuts), an arts>World Financial Center 20th Birthday Commission, which received World Premiere performances at World Financial Center Winter Garden, March 16/17 2008. daniel_figgis_avatar_drums_&_musician_avatar_keyboard_at_snakes_event_dublinsl_2000x1500px_smallFor this event Daniel personally commissioned new work by 13 Irish composers and ensembles for live performance and sound installation with the support of Culture Ireland and Arts Council Ireland. A simulcast on Second Life added some virtual spice to proceedings. Snakes & Ladders - an Entertainment In January of 2009 Daniel returned as a Culture Ireland delegate to APAP in New York with a view to consolidating relationships and establishing new international contacts in order to further the development of the Snakes & Ladders festival on the world stage. He returned with ” to New York January 2010 at Peter Norton Symphony Space on Broadway, following on from shows at Dublin’s National Concert Hall and the Wexford Opera House in 2009, this time incorporating sound installations and new video and live performance commissions unique to the festival plus “Daniel Figgis’ AUDITORIUM” – a soundwork which, in something of a first, was a Wexford Opera House Commission. Daniel’s priority remains his steadily building career as an ever-innovative live performer both nationally and internationally, in which studio–originated and treated recorded material is a core manipulated component in live performance. In 2010 Daniel was appointed Artist in Residence at the Pearse Museum, Dublin and presented, as culmination of his residency, ASCENSION at the Pearse Museum Walled Garden, St. Enda’s Park, September 2010 – a work for pre-recorded surround-sound, four live performers and a spectacular light installation for the Walled Garden. Daniel completed his debut feature film score parts for All Good Children in February 2010 – it was selected for the highly prestigious Director’s Fortnight at Cannes film festival May 2010 and has since, to great acclaim, received both cinema and DVD releases. battle of speeds logoTHE BATTLE oF SPEEDS phase 1 – an intense and immersive six-way audio/visual experience – premiered at The Orangery, Regency Walled Garden, Marlay Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin, at any and every time between 10am and 4pm, 27 November 2011. THE BATTLE oF SPEEDS -phase 1 illustrated how evolving recording media formats have, over time, determined and informed recorded musical form and, to some extent, content. TBoS -phase 1 was presented as an entertaining and unique toddler-friendly phantasmagoria “for one night (afternoon!) only”. This event was supported by DLRCC Arts Office. 19 July 2012 Crash Ensemble presented the World Premiere of dimmerswitch -a work for 10 live performers and tape -at Galway Arts Festival. This event was supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. 1/2/3 February 2013 Daniel presented CITY HALL – an interactive site-specific musical work for and with his biggest ensemble to date: the general public – at Dublin’s City Hall. This event was supported by the Arts Council of Ireland and Dublin City Council. A site-neutral variant on this work will tour in 2014. 26 March 2013 Heresy Records/Naxos released On The Nature Of Electricity & Acoustics: an overview of electro-acoustic music in Ireland, curated by Daniel. The iTunes special edition features 35 composers/ensembles.

Solo

 * Skipper (1995)
 * When It's Ajar: The Music Of Daniel Figgis (Compilation) (2007)
 * Engine Detail (EP) (2020)
 * The Tin God (Cassette) (2020)
 * The Typing Pool (Cassette) (2021)

As part of Princess Tinymeat

 * Sloblands / The Fairest Of Them All (EP) (1984)
 * A Bun In The Oven (7" single) (1985)
 * Angels In Pain (EP) (1986)
 * Herstory (Compilation) (1987)