Buzzcuts contributor Chloe Dallas sat down with Helen Bower to talk music and collaboration. 

What is the premise of your show?
My show, Lost in the Looping Glass, features solo violin and loop station. It will take its audience to four completely different sound worlds, and it’s all created live.

How did you become interested in working with a loop station?
My background is as a classical violinist, but I’ve also done some work with bands. I’ve wanted to use a loop station for a long time, so about 18 months ago I finally got one. When I first started using it I got a bit stuck! I could make the loops but I couldn’t get any further artistically.

To solve that problem I asked some composers to write three original pieces for me. I performed them concert-style at the 2014 Melbourne Fringe Festival in a show I called Through the Looping Glass. My show this year is a continuation of that work.

Do you enjoy the experience of working with composers?
Very much! This year I’ve worked with a wonderful composer called Charles MacInnes. He has all these great skills, such as knowing the best way to structure a piece. I can have general ideas like ‘oh, it would be great if we could get from point A to point B’ – and I can visualise it – but I don’t necessarily have the tools to achieve it. I’m a violinist and not a composer, so I really appreciate collaborating with Charles. It means that the loop station becomes a shared tool and we can get the most from its potential.

Helen Bower will perform Lost in the Looping Glass at Scratch Warehouse, Lounge Theatre in North Melbourne, 18-19 September and 1-3 October at 7.40 pm.