Galois Project 2010
The project started out as a small concert I gave in Wellington, NZ, 2008 in which I composed music and spoke narrative interludes concerning the life of 19th Century French mathematician Évariste Galois who invented Group theory and Galois theory - mathematical genius and door opener of modern physics who died in a duel at age 20.
Since then I have developed the scope and depth of the project and thanks to significant CNZ support and also that from NZFFF and others, I have been able to base myself in Paris since August 2009, where I am engaged in research. This research covers three main areas,
E. Galois Galois' life as he lived it, the family he grew up in, the friends he had, the general conditions and ambience of the time, the violently charged political scenario that was being played out in post Nepoleonic Paris and the underlying currents of revolution that flared every few months.
Galois' academic environment and his opposition to it. In general things were very strict for a student circa 1820's and even though Galois was admitted to perhaps what is still today one of the leading preparatory schools in the world - conditions there were rather brutal and not unlike a prison. Punishments were handed out every day for the most unbelievable things - singing, talking too loud at recreation, being alone, many things that today are laughable. Considering that a third of Galois' life was spent (or perhaps I should say "confined") to this institution - it plays a major role in his life although one he rejected and was rejected by. The life in prison where he spent 9 months.
Galois' development of his own ideas, his mathematical work, his political views and actions, his personal and emotional universe and ultimately what he chose to do with all of this - how he transcended his obstacles and how the world received his work.

Four Paris institutions play a major role in this research, le Mairie de Bourg-le-Reine, Lycée Louis le Grand, l'Ecole Normale Superieur and l'Institut de France. So far I have had extremely helpful support from the first two and this takes my work to the end of 2009. I resume in February 2010 to continue at the remaining institutions - the last housing all of Galois' original papers including the last few scraps that he wrote and in which he divulged what was to become as significant as Newton's Gravity to modern physics.
As a foundation - this research is very important and should be as thorough as possible. I cannot make an informative work on Galois based on information from books, internet and other 2nd hand media - I have to go to the source and along the way I discover many people who have direct or only marginally indirect association with this special and relatively unknown subject and as well uncover new information. That is why I am spending so much time on the research - something I had initially underestimated in terms of how long it would take.

The end result
Obviously this is the point and here are my options:
A musical work accompanied by a small book that tells the story of Galois' life and work with pictures. Embedded in the music are elements of Galois' own mathematical constructions therefore there is an integrity that transposes scientific/mathematical structures into art/music. It is for this reason that I am studying Galois' mathematics - which is extremely complicated but I have the assistance or Marston Conder of University of Auckland and Paul Neumann of Oxford University, England. This is normaly a 3 year course.
Or - if my budget doesn't allow the publication of a cd/book - I will publish online making the work downloadable for the buyer. The content is the same.
What to aim for
Well 2011 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Évariste Galois and I want this work to feature prominently in anything that marks this occasion around the world. The main host will be (I imagine considering they were for the 150th) l'Institut de France as well as l'Alliance Française (whom I have has great help from). I want l'Institut to contribute to this project - they are a big organisation and have a lot of money they can put into projects - usually of a scientific nature but they do have a program for arts. I will be employing the services of someone who can arrange a meeting between myself and l'Institut early in 2010 and have someone who can help in that. I am also approaching other organizations and if I am successful in securing significant aid - I will embark on the production of a film on the same subject. [There are of course two benefits to this - 1, I believe far more people will be touched by the story and 2, the research I am doing can inform a film - 2 birds with 1 stone]. But that is only if I am successful in securing significant funding. I am committed to deliver the project I have been so far assisted to create.
Contributors to date:
  CNZ - $25,000 (Edwin Carr)
NZFFF - $5,000 ($10,000 asked for)
l'Alliance Franaise - $1500 worth of French lessons/advice
Embassy of France, Wellington - a 3-6 year work permit
Marston Conder - coaching in Group and Galois theories
Glenda Lewis (of Royal Society NZ) - she connected me with Marston
Simone Audissou (French Film Journalist) - free accommodation in Paris
Lycée Louis le Grand - unlimited access to their archives
le Mairie de Bourg-la-Reine - unlimited access to their archives
Applications turned down to date:
  Les Récollets - studio accom in Paris (8,000 Euro value) application unsuccessful
My time in Paris has also been spent with the musical aim of acquainting myself with the right musicians here and playing on the scene in order to meet musicians, producers, venue operators and the French public. I have been a guest performer on several major stages including - Elysée Mont Martre (with Kico Cowan) and Ba'ta,Clan (with Fat Freddies), Comedy Club (with Linley Marthe) and made appearances at Duc du Lombard, Club Neuf, le Baiser Sale and New Morning (all prominent Paris jazz clubs). I have also been a guest of the Latin American Film Festival in Havana, Cuba and a guest performer with Bobby Carcassés - a prominent Cuban singer/multi-instrumentalist in Havana. The film and musical connection in Cuba will become relevant - I cannot say everything just yet.