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.

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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-BruxellesThe WalkAtelier 365 and S’Jongers.

Links: Josef Albers Walrus

PLUIES — A musical dialogue with plants

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