Dive into a series of scores from the Michel Waisvisz archive – a pioneering artist of electronic music.
Hosted by an artist and composer, Tarek Atoui, this masterclass invites participants to engage with a series of Michel Waisvisz’s musical scores. Each score shows a different approach to music, from small notes, drawings, and diagrams, to simpler instructional pieces and software codes, and each speaks of its time, author and era in its own way.
In collaboration with Kristina Andersen and Sonic Acts, Atoui explores the archive of pioneering artist, performer and instrument maker Michel Waisvisz as a catalyst for new forms of experimentation. Atoui approaches the archival materials through the concept of ‘orality’ – the tradition of passing down knowledge through spoken communication. Created through spontaneous collective situations – moments of congregating together, improvisation, and adaptation – Waisvisz’s musical scores represent an ever-changing vocabulary.
The masterclass centres on ‘reading’ of those scores and understanding how they can be reactivated through exhibitions and performative environments today. Collaboratively, you will delve into the history of scoring, with each document stemming from a different time – from the 1960’s until 2010. You will research together the scores as forms of representation of how Michel Waisvisz responded within his artistic practice of performing and instrument making to the perception of music and explore ways of introducing the archival materials into new situations today.
This masterclass is part of New Perspectives for Action. A project by Re-Imagine Europe, a collaboration between Paradiso and Sonic Acts (NL), Elevate Festival (AT), A4 (SK), INA GRM (FR), Borealis (NO), KONTEJNER (HR), RUPERT (LT), Semibreve (PT), Parco d’Arte Vivente (IT), Disruption Network Lab (DE), BEK (NO), Kontrapunkt (MK) and Radio Web MACBA (ES). Co-funded by the European Union.
The workshop will take place at Rijksakademie on Monday 4 March, 18:00 – 22:00. Studio space to be confirmed.
The masterclass is open for up to 10 participants. The course is oriented towards artists, curators, and researchers with an interest in archives within cultural and artistic contexts. The participation fee is €20 – €15 for students. If the participation fee poses a barrier to access, please indicate this in your application form.
Transportation is not included in the workshop fee and should be organised by participants. To join the workshop, submit your application by 1 February. We will contact the accepted participants in February.
The workshop will take place in English without sign language assistance. The site of the workshop, Rijksakademie, is wheelchair accessible with accessible toilets.
For any questions please email us at workshop@sonicacts.com
Michel Waisvisz (1949–2008) was a pioneer in the international world of technological art, electronic sound art, and performance. Based on his experiences of playing with short wave radio as a child, he developed electronic and (later) digital instruments and software that transform bodily movements into sound. Works including the 'Crackle Box' (1974) and 'Crackle Synth' (1974), both pressure-sensitive, touchable devices, and 'The Hands' (1984), twin MIDI controllers that can be attached to the player's palms, garnered him international acclaim His influence only increased after becoming the artistic director of STEIM, the Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music in Amsterdam from the 1980s onwards.
Tarek Atoui's work investigates how sound can be perceived as a trans-sensory experience acting as a catalyst for human interaction. His technical research is often extensively anthropological, ethnological and musicological—resulting in the creation of instruments, listening rooms, performances, and workshops. Atoui has presented his work internationally at S.M.A.K., Ghent (forthcoming 2024); Art Sonje Center, Seoul; MCA, Sydney; IAC-Institut d'Art Contemporain, Villeurbanne; Fondation Serralves, Porto; Tate Modern, London; Serpentine Gallery, London; Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE, Palazzo Grassi - Pinault Foundation and Para Site, Hong Kong. He has also participated in important group exhibitions, including the 13th Taipei Biennial, 17th Istanbul Biennial, 58th International Art Exhibition, Venice Biennial and dOCUMENTA 13. In 2007, he was appointed co-artistic director of STEIM studios and of the Bergen Assembly, a triennial for contemporary art in Norway in 2016. In 2020, he received the Suzanne Deal Booth / FLAG Art Foundation Prize.
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