Josef Albers & Walrus at CCINQ

 

Josef Albers & Walrus at CCINQ

Words by Patrick Carpentier

—
“Because I do not see that there is, in any visual articulation, one final solution.” 

In 1959, Charles E. Murphy, the artistic director of Command Records, asked Josef Albers (1888 – 1976) to produce a drawing for the sleeve notes of the first record released on the label, ‘Persuasive Percussion’. It was the start of a collaboration that lasted until 1961, during which time Albers produced a total of seven drawings. Characterised by their simple style, they have remained resolutely modern and graphic.

Command Records was founded by Enoch Light, a classical violinist and conductor who was particularly fascinated by sound and recordings. Julie Light, his daughter, along with Charles Murphy, the label’s artistic director, had both studied at Black Mountain College where they had been taught by Josef Albers.

Albers was one of the most influential artists and teachers of the 20th century. He was born in the industrial Ruhr Valley in north-eastern Germany and was trained at Bauhaus, where he later became a teacher. This legendary teaching institution transformed art and design by drawing links between artists from various disciplines. Its revolutionary pedagogical philosophy was radical for its time, embracing the ideas of modernism. It recommended a return to basics, to simple materials and to the basic rules of design.

In 1933, Albers was one of the faculty members who decided to close the school rather than comply with the Nazi regime’s restrictions on artistic production.

Walrus (Michiel Claus, 1987) is a DJ, producer and music archaeologist with a passion for 90s dance music. Having studied jazz percussion at La Haye Royal Conservatory, he now unearths unreleased tracks. He creates an unexpected future for them, ‘breathing new life into disregarded things’ by releasing forgotten tracks on vinyl through his Basic Moves label.

For this show, CCINQ asked Walrus to create a performance based on the modern gestures Albers produced sixty years earlier, gestures that transcribed percussions and melodies into shapes and patterns.

Over three days, Walrus will experiment with the possibilities offered by the ARP2600 synthesiser (an American instrument he has never played before) and will imagine a sound drawing, freely inspired by Albers’ squares and grid points. Each evening, Walrus will present a different performance, in which art will be transformed by the links between artists.

Through his research, Walrus will capture different ambiences, sequences and sounds, which will be uploaded to the internet in the form of open-source samples, available on the CCINQ website.

 “Why do I paint squares since 1949, in the same design, in the same arrangement; because I do not see that there is, in any visual articulation, one final solution.” 

Josef Albers

In the same year, Josef and his wife Anni were invited to direct the painting programme at the recently founded Black Mountain College in North Carolina. From 1933 to 1957 this free, experimental university was a hub of creati- vity in the United States, much as Bauhaus had been in Germany. John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Willem De Koo- ning, Walter Gropius and many others taught there. Robert Rauschenberg, Arthur Penn, Cy Twombly were among its students.

Squares, circles (uncommon in Albers’ work) and visual interactions seem to describe the precision, the subtlety and the nuance of Command recordings. The label was known for the quality of its ‘ping pong’ stereophonic effects, which made use of the right-left channels made possible by recent developments in amplification equipment. Al- bers’ drawing is a visual metaphor of the instruments’ tempos and rhythms. It is more complex than it would sug- gest, inviting us to perceive according to the relationship between what we see and what our brain judges to be true at a given moment.

After these three evening performances, the ‘3 pieces for synthesiser (black, white, blue)’ will be exhibited until 17th October via a sound device on our premises. In the absence of the makers, this device will emphasise the ephemeral nature of music production and recall the key role played by club culture in contemporary creation. Following on from our previous exhibition, we wanted to express solidarity with a sector that has faced significant difficulties this year.

Josef Albers &
Walrus at CCINQ

Performance on September 10, 11 and 12 at 8pm

Exhibition closes 17th October
116 Rue Marché aux Herbes/Grasmarkt Straat
1000 Brussels (Central Station)

Open on Saturday 3pm-6pm or by appointment
Contact : Mail & Web

Bouquet by Nick Dohet
Herbal Tea by Charlotte Staber
Special Thanks to Matthieu Pozi Caillard
Photos by Miguel Rozpide

CCINQ is a non profit space initiated by C12, directed by Patrick Carpentier and co-curated by Manon Ceyssel. Supported by Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, The Walk, Atelier 365 and S’Jongers.

Links: Josef Albers / Walrus

PLUIES — A musical dialogue with plants

Pluies: A Music Dialogue with Plants
—

Pauline Miko talks about her peculiar craft, her sixteen plant choirs, electrical connections through electrodes and green feelings.

Pauline Mikó is an artist, but not an artist like the others. A photographer by profession, she aspired to the musical dimension, which she imagined associating with plants. The ‘Pluies’ project was born. The artist is today “translator of the music of plants” with his group of sixteen “choristers” around her.

I knew it was possible to make music with plants. I started to research, I carried out tests, I made cables to connect electrodes to the leaves, to the ground, and to my body. When I touch the plant, we establish an electrical circuit by exchanging a weak electrical current, which is then translated into frequency and sent to a computer. It is, therefore, a trio between the plant, me and the computer.


I use a computer program, “Sound Plant 47”, which translates electrical data into frequencies via an Arduino. Each plant has its own identity: when it comes to a strong frequency, for example, I translate it into a more acute sound. And when it is weak, into a low sound. I can thus create a harmony between the different frequencies of plants. This is what I do when performing live, a concert with my “group” – a set of sixteen plants.
 

“Each plant has its own identity”


Similar programs already existed, but I added my own sensitivity to them. I notably brought a touch of softness to it by using electrodes that I put on plants, and not pliers, which can traumatize the plant. Plants sometimes have very little energy: in such a scenario, I need to reshape their electrical frequency to be able to listen to them. There is a peculiar decisional part between the section of the plant I choose to use and the creative direction I take for the translation of its vibrations into sounds. 

 

Plants can sometimes have their own mood swings. Some species are more dynamic than others, especially plants with very green and perennial leaves, with more veins. Aloe vera, on the other hand, is curiously not very cooperative. But she already gives us so much through her gel… Maybe she can’t be in the oven and in the mill at the same time.

“At the time of entering the scene, no plants were responding, although they were dynamic an hour before.”


Once during a concert at the Botanique the connection “broke down”. At the time of entering the scene, no plants were responding, although they were dynamic an hour before. It can be related to their emotions, a certain shyness, the fact of being turned upside down, or even exhaustion.To test my system, I went to find a plant in an office, and it worked perfectly. After about twenty minutes, the others started to “sing” again. 

 

Plants that are used to performing concerts grow better! When the room allows it, I also suggest that the spectators touch the plants. We can see that some people are receptive to the vibrations of plants, and others not at all. This is perhaps the whole secret of the famous “green hands.”

 

Intention and benevolence are paramount. Moreover, houseplants considered as objects, which are not solicited, tend to fall asleep. Words and love are essential for plants to give the best of themselves!

 

— Pauline Miko

 

Directly translated from a French language interview at Biovif.com

Interview with Pit Spector

“sometimes sweet, groovy, sexy – sometimes raw and funky”

Pit Spector has been working for the underground electronic scene for ages and shines on “made in France” House . He had already released a number of EPs and maxis on Minibar or on his label Prospector but never an LP strictly speaking. It’s now done and Pit Spector  presents us this Thursday his very first album “Mindoor“ , released on Logistic Records and which will be available on September 25 on vinyl.

An explosive album, “sometimes sweet, groove, sexy – sometimes raw and funky”, catchy, and technically really clean. An album in the form of an initiatory journey in electronic music thanks to the various collaborations with  Tin Man, San Proper, Dandy Jack, Dave Aju, Ben Vedren, Cuthead, Ark, The Mole, Ernesto Ferreyra.

Pit Spector:

Since 2013 I have released close to 20 EPs especially in collaboration with Ark , Ben Vedren , Antislash and via my label Prospector which is at the origin of this album. During this decade I favoured EPs because that allowed me to ensure regular releases in an economic context where labels favour ‘singles’. It also made it possible to see my music broadcast more quickly because the creation of an album is a long-term job!

I have been fortunate enough to be a father since 2018 and it has changed my lifestyle and my approach to time. I had to slow down production but it allowed me to have another look at my work. With the help of Logistic Records I was able to take the time to revisit and magnify several years of work on this album.

This album is the result of my Prospector project which combined artistic residency, parties and label. With my partner Matthieu Bellaiche , we listed the artists who made us vibrate and with whom it was possible to work. All the artists spent a week in my studio in Montreuil and each time it was very enriching and creative encounters. I knew some artists like Ark , Ben Vedren and San Proper but I met most of the musicians through Prospector.

It was a big job to choose from over 40 songs with sessions spread over three years! I would say the common thread is my studio. I wanted the album to reflect the openness and freedom I can find there. I love working in collaboration with other artists and allowing them to take over my space. My touch is found in the arrangement and mixing as well as in the choice of songs.

It was our bet on this album to present songs touching different styles of electronic music without being a compilation so we worked a lot on the order of the songs. The album has a part more intended for listening and a part more dance floor which reflects my vision of electronic music.

Joe Delon performs in Dança Sem Vergonha

Dança sem Vergonha

—
“Shameless Dance”

Joe Delon will perform in the contemporary dance piece “Dança Sem Vergonha” by choreographer David Marques, as part of the Materiais Diversos festival in Rome. After a sold-out premiere on the opening weekend of Festival Cumplicidades at Lisbon’s Rua das Gaivotas 6, the piece will now be shown at La Pelanda at 22h15 on 10 September. Joe‘s live DJ set features released and unreleased music by artists including Evano, Lerosa, Gwenan, Hiroma Keo, Raw Forest and Joe (Hessle Audio/Cómeme).

David Marques in his Dança Sem Vergonha explores the motor and cultural imaginaries linked to dance but from an intimate position, specifically that of his own room, in which “without shame” he indulges in dance and self-expression, confusing the plane of time and of space, public and private.

“Over the last few years I have been looking for ways and reasons to dance. I found the same pleasure both in dancing at home, in the studio and in the clubs, which pushed me to keep going. In front of few or no witnesses, this pleasure-motivated dance seemed to arise amidst unrestricted musical formalism and emotional expressiveness. Perhaps my ‘shameless dance’ exists exclusively in the theater and is only possible by crossing different spaces, times and motivations: the bedroom that I associate with childhood, the club of adolescence and the study of adulthood. Finally, the theater that I associate with the present, during a performance, by both spectators and other performers. This sensation / dance is immediate and meditated, simple and complex, referential and naive, abstract and symbolic, serious and fun.”

Perhaps my ‘shameless dance’ exists exclusively in the theater and is only possible by crossing different spaces, times and motivations

AUDIO TRANSCRIPTION:

 

Danca Sem Vergonha also talks about the possibility that choreography has to change over the course of the piece: through the dance of our bodies, mine and those of the audience – which can be seen and felt for an hour. Anything that viewers take with them will be part of what the play is about, or maybe it has always been part of what the play has always been about. Surely the piece also speaks of the unmentionable things that viewers brought with them when the piece was staged in March in Lisbon.

Who or what – real or imaginary, present, past or future – do you think contributed to the birth of this work?

I think Joe (Joe Delon, the DJ on stage with me) contributed on many levels to the creation of this work, and not just because he was involved in the process from the very beginning. As a friend of mine he already followed my work, and ideas discussed with him ended up being the source of Danca Sem Vergonha . His approach to music and his shy nature and presence have been and still are a source of inspiration for me and for this dance. The object I choose is a vinyl by Lena D’Água (the singer we hear at one point in the play) that Joe gave me a couple of years ago.

What do you imagine will you say about this job in fifteen years? And fifteen years ago, would you ever have imagined doing it?

I have no idea what I will say about this work in fifteen years, but if I look into my crystal ball I see that I will say that I was a bit too polite in my approach to  Danca Sem Vergonha and that I was not aware of the melancholy of the piece as it I wore on stage. And yes, I think I actually started imagining this piece fifteen years ago, a little at a time… maybe I really have divinatory powers!

David Marques (Portugal, 1985) is a performer and choreographer. His work questions the issues of gaze and time, trying to create spaces for unlikely relationships on stage. He trained at the Escola Superior de Dança – IPL in Lisbon and at the Center Chorégraphique National de Montpellier . His individual works are Motor de Busca , KIN , Conquest , a choreographic adaptation of a score by Deborah Hay and Dança Sem Vergonha . With Ido Feder he developed the trilogy Bête de Scène / Images de Bêtes / THE POWERS That B and with Tiago Cadete Apagão. He runs seminars and occasionally teaches at institutions such as the Escola Superior de Dança – IPL, the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and Danslab Brussels. He is the founder of PARCA.

— davidmarques.org

creation and dance David Marques
DJ live set Joe Delon
space Tiago Cadete
video Diogo Brito
costumes Tiago Loureiro
external eye Patrícia Milheiro
technical direction Gonçalo Alegria Estúdios
residences Victor Córdon and EIRA / Teatro da Voz

Organization and administration Vítor Alves Brotas
Production PARCA together with AGÊNCIA 25
Co-production PARCA and EIRA / Festival Cumplicidades
Support Curtas de Danca 2019 – DDD Festival Dias de Danca (for video development), Self-Mistake – Experimentation Scholarship 
— as part of More Than This © Alipio Padilha

Basic Moves’s 13th record by Signal Kommt is out now.

Signal Kommt
—
"Basic Move 13"
[BM13]

Basic Move‘s 13th release is out now, and features six original works from the Uruguayan talent Signal Kommt, aka Z@P. The 2xLP is the humble result of a love for sharing, patience and pure dedication to underground club culture. 

“In Uruguay the public is very ​open and curious about all sounds​“ 

“I see myself more as a guide than a teacher. I’ve been around since the beginning and I love sharing my knowledge to help others. When it comes to technique, many years of experience have taught me one critical lesson: each DJ has ​to discover their own path​ as much as possible. This is especially true in South America where it’s hard to get hold of music. We really have to be creative so we don’t all sound the same!”

DJ Koolt introduces Basic Moves 13:

“I met Nando ​(Signal Kommt)​ in 2003 or so. I was resident at the fabled Milenio Club in Montevideo – the birthplace for a generation of friends and DJs. I’d see Nando there at the weekends, then during the week we would hang out at a local record shop, and over time we
forged a beautiful friendship. That era was amazing! We were crazy about UK tech house and breakbeat and we also dug a lot of US and French sounds: Siesta, Tango, Robsoul, Brett Johnson, David Duriez… But you would always hear different styles. Even with the minimal explosion there were other places where you could hear deep house through to drum n bass. In Uruguay the public is very ​open and curious about all sounds​, old and new, and they do their research.”