Laser Beak Man: A Unique Sonic Perspective
Anthony Brumpton, Jonathan O’Brien · QUT ePrints (Queensland University of Technology) · 2019
Laser Beak Man is a character created by Australian artist Tim Sharp in 1999, entering the international stage in 2004, and making its theatre debut in 2017. It is this theatre debut (prod. Dead Puppets Society, La Boite Theatre Company, and Brisbane Festival) with which this research project is concerned. The research project was concerned primarily with translating Sharp’s unique perspective, and involved close work with the artist and his manager to develop effective communication that accounted for Sharp’s autism and enabled the trans-dimensional expansion of his personal sonic world into a context accessible to large audiences. The devising process was therefore predominantly concerned with developing understandings of Sharp’s unique internal world, and translating those communications to the sonics of a live theatre context. The research project found that, through constant iterative processes underpinned by design thinking, it was possible to translate the previously unheard sonics of a silent world to a live context in a way that satisfied both the original artist and audiences alike, showing new possibilities for trans-dimensional creative processes. In early 2020, the most polished version of Laser Beak Man yet was performed at the Sydney Opera House, one of the most prestigious venues in the world, to positive reviews. This performance was the culmination of the collaboration undertaken with Sharp—a final indication of the process’s success.