A UNIQUE collaboration between a contemporary classical composer and a film-maker will place the spotlight on the social heritage of County Durham – with the focus on the role of brass music.

Organisers of Brass: Durham International Festival have commissioned Forma, one of Europe’s leading arts and media producers, to produce the audio-visual work for the 2010 event.

Forma has chosen American experimental film-maker Bill Morrison and Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson to spearhead the project.

Forma chief executive David Metcalfe said: “I grew up in Easington and when I left school was very tempted to join my friends going down the pit.

“Having the opportunity to be involved in this commission is particularly exciting for me.”

The commission reflects on the enduring appeal of brass music, its important historical role within the communities of North-East – and County Durham’s dedication to this genre through the ongoing development of the festival.

The 2010 work will weave together archive footage of local mining communities in a film by Morrison set to a sound score by Johannsson.

This will feature a specially-assembled group of regional and international musicians who will present the work live in Durham on July 15 and 16, 2010, before touring internationally.

The emotionally-resonant compositions of Johannsson are slow-building and bewitching. He combines minimalist, ambient and symphonic music to create stately scores that rise slowly out of silence to sonic heights.

Cinematic in its vision, his work draws from the past and the present, combining electronics and orchestral arrangements to create panoramic and romantic soundscapes.

ALTHOUGH mostly instrumental, Johannsson’s work often involves complex narratives, which involve man’s relationship with the world of machines and decaying and obsolete technology.

Johannsson is a prolific composer for film and theatre and has previously collaborated with artists including Marc Almond, Barry Adamson and Pan Sonic, among others.

Morrison is an award-winning film-maker whose works have been screened at festivals, museums and concert halls, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Sundance Film Festival, at Utah in the US, and at Tate Modern and the Royal Festival Hall, London.

His work includes documentary, fiction and found footage collages often accompanied by live music composed by some of today’s most acclaimed contemporary classical composers, such as John Adams, Gavin Bryars and Steve Reich.

Morrison is committed to working with communities in County Durham and beyond to fully reflect the visual history of the area and he would like to encourage anyone who has relevant historical film footage to participate.

Suitable subject matters include the Durham Miners’ Galas and other brass events or parades, picnics, sports matches, dances and simple everyday activities such as preparing and eating meals, going to school, work or church.

Mr Metcalfe said: “We are asking people to dig in their attics to see if they can find any interesting material.

“It can be in any format – video or Super 8mm film. And it doesn’t have to be in a pristine condition.

In fact, a degraded quality will add to the effect.”

Morrison has also been researching material in the Northern Region Film and Television Archive (NRFTA) in Middlesbrough.

Film footage should be submitted to the NRFTA for possible inclusion in the final film – see separate panel for details.

The 2010 Forma commission for Brass: Durham International Festival, developed in partnership with culture10, will form part of North-East England’s world-class programme of festivals and events during 2010.

IN the run-up to the collaboration, the artists will present a special performance of their established works at Durham’s Gala Theatre on Tuesday, July 14, as part of Brass: Durham International Festival 2009.

A screening of Morrison’s Decasia: The State of Decay and his short film, Light is Calling, will be followed by Johannsson’s arrangements performed by his ensemble of strings, piano, percussion and electronics, and some of the region’s finest brass musicians.

They will be led by Icelandic conductor Gudni Franzson.

Johannsson has arranged three brass pieces especially for this event.

Decasia (2002) is composed from deteriorated found footage culled from numerous film archives, and is a meditation on decay featuring an original soundtrack by Michael Gordon.

Light is Calling (2004) is a reflection on memory and time, the beauty of decay, and the role of an outdated romanticism in the present day through the story of a soldier who meets a mysterious woman in the woods.

The screening of Decasia: The State of Decay and Light is Calling begins at 7pm. This event is free, but tickets must be booked in advance. Johann Johannsson’s concert begins at 8.30pm and is a ticketed event (£8, £6 concessions).

■ All tickets can be purchased online at galadurham.co.uk or from the box office on 0191-332-4041.

How to submit film footage to the Northern Region Film and Television Archive

■ Initial inquiries should be directed to Steve McIntyre, Manager, Northern Region Film and Television Archive, Teesside University, on S.McIntyre@tees.ac.uk.

■ For all film/video deposited at the archive, depositors will be sent a dvd copy of their material.

■ The deadline for selecting material for the film is October 15, 2009, although contributors are advised that the NRFTA always accepts footage for its archives at any time.

■ Contributors whose footage has been used will be acknowledged in the credits.