The research is dedicated to Gilbert Blin’s work in staging operas of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Nourished by a decade of productions for the Boston Early Music Festival, the first... Show moreThe research is dedicated to Gilbert Blin’s work in staging operas of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Nourished by a decade of productions for the Boston Early Music Festival, the first objective of his dissertation is to enable a better understanding of both his creative and interpretive processes in the operatic field. The main research question he attempts to answer in his dissertation can be phrased as follows: how can a post-modern stage director use historical research for creative purposes? The title of this dissertation, The Reflections of Memory, is the appellation Gilbert Blin has been giving to his current approach as an artist and constitutes a conceptual answer to this question Show less
In Luganda, the widest spoken minority language in Uganda, the word for photographs is 'ebifananyi'. However, 'ebifananyi' does not, contrary to the etymology of the word photographs, relate to... Show moreIn Luganda, the widest spoken minority language in Uganda, the word for photographs is 'ebifananyi'. However, 'ebifananyi' does not, contrary to the etymology of the word photographs, relate to light writings. 'Ebifananyi' instead means things that look like something else. 'Ebifananyi' are likenesses. My research project explores the historical context of this particular conceptualisation of photographs and its consequences for present day visual culture in Uganda. It also discusses my artistic practice as research method, which led to the digitisation of numerous historical collections of photographs. This resulted in eight books and in exhibitions that took place in Uganda and in Europe. The research was conducted in collaboration with both human and non-human actors. These actors included photographs, their owners, Ugandan picture makers and visitors to the exhibitions that were organised in Uganda and Western Europe. This methodology led to insights into differences in the production and uses of, and into meanings given to, photographs in both Ugandan and Dutch contexts. Understanding differences between ebifananyi and photographs shapes the communication about photographs between Luganda and English speakers. Reflection on the conceptualisations languages offer for objects and for sensible aspects of the surrounding world helps prevent misunderstandings in communication in general. Show less
De positie van kunst en kunstenaars in de westerse samenleving is de afgelopen decennia sterk veranderd. Veel kunstenaars voelen zich maatschappelijk betrokken en zoeken naar aansluiting bij de... Show moreDe positie van kunst en kunstenaars in de westerse samenleving is de afgelopen decennia sterk veranderd. Veel kunstenaars voelen zich maatschappelijk betrokken en zoeken naar aansluiting bij de samenleving. Participatieve kunstpraktijken zijn daarvan een goed voorbeeld. Bij deze kunstvorm werken kunstenaars samen met burgers in hun eigen leefomgeving. De kunstpraktijken zijn gericht op maatschappelijke vraagstukken. Burgers worden met inzet van verbeeldingskracht geactiveerd om te reflecteren op hun eigen situatie en zo tot een andere visie te komen. Het werkterrein van de participatieve kunstenaar wordt daarmee van atelier, theater of concertzaal naar de samenleving verplaatst. Participatieve kunstpraktijken zijn zowel sociaal-maatschappelijk als kunst gericht. Door deze nieuwe manier van werken komt de kunstwereld en de kunstenaar in een ander daglicht te staan. Om deze veranderingen nader te kunnen vaststellen, zijn vijf participatieve kunstpraktijken in de Randstad onderzocht. Uit het onderzoek blijkt dat ook de artistieke identiteit van de kunstenaar van invloed is op de inhoud en vorm van de kunstpraktijk. Sommige kunstenaars zijn gericht op het kunstwerk als eindresultaat. Anderen vinden het sociale proces van de deelnemers belangrijker. Ook de invulling van de deelnemersparticipatie blijkt daarmee samen te hangen. Participatieve kunstenaars vervullen een nieuwe rol in de samenleving,namelijk die van netwerkkunstenaar. Show less
The existing literature only partly acknowledges the microtonal possibilities of the bass clarinet, restricting the options mainly to quartertones. When measured, the results of the proposed... Show moreThe existing literature only partly acknowledges the microtonal possibilities of the bass clarinet, restricting the options mainly to quartertones. When measured, the results of the proposed fingering patterns are often approximative. This PhD proposes a new microtonal approach of the bass clarinet, further developing the instrument’s capability to produce not only exact quartertones, but also smaller units: eighth-tones and 31-tones. The ‘root-overtone’ microtonality of the bass clarinet is explored as well, using the natural overtones which can be generated on top of roots, as a means to create more microtonal variants, often in the form of nano tones. The numerous fingering patterns that are the outcome of this research have been documented in the appendices. All these fingering patterns are shown in combined audio/video recordings. Instruction and demonstration videos clarify the different subjects of this research. Audio recordings illustrate the use of the microtonal bass clarinet playing in the pieces which were the result of the collaboration with several interested composers. The findings are also applied in a number of compositions of my own. The extension of the bass clarinet’s microtonal possibilities presented here will allow bass clarinettists, composers and other instrumentalists to inform and enrich their creative processes. Show less
“La Cetra Cornuta : the Horned Lyre of the Christian World ”A musical instrument of substantial importance in the history of Christianity, specifically during the Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance... Show more“La Cetra Cornuta : the Horned Lyre of the Christian World ”A musical instrument of substantial importance in the history of Christianity, specifically during the Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance periods in Italy, the cetra was the forerunner of the stringed instrument known in English since the 16th-c. as “cittern”.This study presents a detailed examination of the chordophone,featuring an iconographical catalog assembled from the visual artsc. 1100 - c. 1540. The field of iconographical data presented in the catalog is then analyzed, together with relevant literary and musictheory sources from the same period, to give a definitive account ofthe instrument’s morphology, evolution, construction, culturalidentity, musical function and repertories. Art historians as well as music historians and players of mediëval and Renaissance instruments will find answers to questions raisedabout this uniquely Italian ancestor of the High Renaissance and Baroque cittern, as will anyone seeking to gain a more focused view of musical instrument history in Italy during the centuries that shaped Western culture; for here is a stringed instrument recalling Classical Antiquity, and one of quintessential importance to both Christians and Humanists: made in Italy Show less
In 20e-eeuwse naslagwerken is niet veel geschreven over de cello in de Lage Landen in de 17e en 18e eeuw, wat doet denken dat het instrument in die tijd hier niet of amper gebruikt werd. Echter,... Show moreIn 20e-eeuwse naslagwerken is niet veel geschreven over de cello in de Lage Landen in de 17e en 18e eeuw, wat doet denken dat het instrument in die tijd hier niet of amper gebruikt werd. Echter, geschreven en pictoriale bronnen alsmede instrumenten en bladmuziek uit deze twee eeuwen geven wel informatie. Op basis hiervan kan gesteld worden dat de cello in de Nederlanden veel meer gebruikt werd dan gedacht. Er werden hier instrumenten gebouwd, er werden zeer veel afbeeldingen geproduceerd (schilderijen, maar ook bijvoorbeeld gebruiksartikelen zoals tegels, drinkglazen en zilver) en er is ook een substantiële collectie muziek voor cello gecomponeerd, zowel voor cello solo als cello continuo. De meest verrassende uitkomst van het onderzoek is wel dat er door veel cellisten in de 17e eeuw een andere streektechniek (n.l. onderhands) werd gebruikt dan in de 18e eeuw. Deze uitkomst wordt ondersteund door een overweldigende collectie afbeeldingen. Deze andere streektechniek resulteert in een andere klank en articulatie wat een ander karakter aan een muziekstuk geeft. Daarnaast is er uitgebreid onderzoek gedaan naar Alexis Magito, lid van een beroemde 18e-eeuwse Rotterdamse familie van voornamelijk kermisklanten maar ook van enkele musici. Alexis was cellist, componist en graveur. Tijdens dit onderzoek is veel informatie over zijn levensloop boven water gekomen. Twee van zijn cellosonates zijn door de promovenda op cd gezet. Conclusie: het onderzoek laat zien dat de cello ook in de Lage Landen wijdverbreid was en dat er vele verschijningsvormen en speelwijzen waren. Show less
Applying French philosopher Gilbert Simondon’s concept of image to the domain of the sonorous, this article aims to tackle how imagination is constitutional in our grasp of sound, and how this... Show moreApplying French philosopher Gilbert Simondon’s concept of image to the domain of the sonorous, this article aims to tackle how imagination is constitutional in our grasp of sound, and how this grasp is informed by the protocols and affordances of technological tools of sound reproduction and manipulation. Simondon proposes a notion of imagination that, rather than referring to the capacity of a subjective consciousness, designates a series of processes within which the image emerges. The image is conceived as the product of an activity, a node in a circuit of processes of anticipation, reception, recollection, and invention which articulate the interaction of an agent and its medium. Conceiving the sound image through this model emphasizes how perceptual instances of sound take shape within modes of engagement, articulated through the affordances of technologies of audio manipulation that we use on a daily basis. By applying this notion, this article aims to address technology within the realm of artistic practice not as a tool to expand the palette of possibilities of our imagination, but as inherent in the conditions of our grasp of the sonorous. By elaborating on my sound installation Focus, I aim to outline a practice that exposes the way imagination is entwined with imprints of technologies and particular circumstances of sound mediation. Show less
Imagined Voices deals with a form of composition, music with on-screen text, in which the dynamic between sound, words and visuals is explored. The research explores the ideas around these 'music... Show moreImagined Voices deals with a form of composition, music with on-screen text, in which the dynamic between sound, words and visuals is explored. The research explores the ideas around these 'music-text-films', and attempts to explain how meaning is constructed in the interplay between the different layers of media. Issues that initially arose out of the research, were directly related to the question of 'voice': Who is narrating? And where is the voice located? These questions became more pertinent after noticing a phenomenon occurring during performances of these works: that when we read text synchronised to music, we become very aware of an inner voice silently reading along. This effect of hearing one's own voice in the music, was a discovery that had many consequences for the ways in which the ideas about listening and the role of multimedia could function within music. In the creative work of the research, that has resulted in over thirty works of 'music-text-film' the media are set up to highlight ways of listening that puts emphasis on the role of the listener/spectator. A state of limbo is created between the narrative voice of the text and the implied voice of the music, due to the absence of a conventional focal point to pin it on - an actor or a singer. The thesis suggests that because of this vacancy and the way the projected word takes the place of the sung or spoken voice, the inner voice of the audience becomes activated. This then becomes a vital immersive dimension in the performance, as the inner voices of the audience find their place within the fabric of the music. Show less
In this on-line dissertation, jazz saxophonist Dick de Graaf investigates a variety of compositional and improvisational models and techniques in contemporary jazz and Western art music, and... Show moreIn this on-line dissertation, jazz saxophonist Dick de Graaf investigates a variety of compositional and improvisational models and techniques in contemporary jazz and Western art music, and discusses possible applications of these materials in current jazz practices. The study includes examinations of educational publications by five selected jazz artists (Dave Liebman, Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, Walt Weiskopf, and John O’Gallagher), and the analysis of compositional techniques by two composers of the 20th century: Peter Schat's Tone Clock and Olivier Messiaen's modes of limited transposition. In addition, these theories and techniques are illustrated by selected examples (transcriptions and audio excerpts) and by examples of applications by various musicians, including the author. All examples are thoroughly analyzed and evaluated in order to determine their potential use in contemporary jazz practices. The research results provide comprehensive insights into compositional and improvisational processes in jazz, and offer materials that can be useful for the personal artistic development of jazz practitioners, including musicians, composers, and educators. Show less
Playing a musical instrument is generally considered to be a complex human behaviour involving the integration and coordination of a broad range of human functions such as perception, imagination,... Show morePlaying a musical instrument is generally considered to be a complex human behaviour involving the integration and coordination of a broad range of human functions such as perception, imagination, memory, information processing, emotion, communication, and dexterity. From this perspective, it seems only reasonable to assume that, in an age of informational and communicational abundance, this intrinsic multifacetedness manifests itself in numerous informational contact-points between musical practice and a variety of academic and para-academic fields which zoom in on these specific elements of musical activity. Joost Vanmaele’s dissertation is directed at carefully and systematically evaluating the position of musicianship in an age of informative abundance and connectedness, to consider ways of re-balancing and broadening its epistemic grounds and attuning its information systems, with a view to artistic development, enrichment and/or liberation. By proposing a Bio-Culturally informed Performers’ Practice of Western Art Music [BCiPP], an information- and dialogue-friendly, transdisciplinary space is created where musical activities are not considered as phenomena sui generis but rather as informable cultural instances or personal particularisations of the human capacity to meaningfully generate and react to temporally patterned sounds. The potential impact of BCiPP is put to the test in two case-studies. Show less
In 2013 I had the chance to listen to a performance of Italian composer Luigi Nono’s work No hay caminos . . . a Andrei Tarkowskij (1987), for seven instrumental groups distributed around the... Show moreIn 2013 I had the chance to listen to a performance of Italian composer Luigi Nono’s work No hay caminos . . . a Andrei Tarkowskij (1987), for seven instrumental groups distributed around the audience, at the main hall of the Cité de la Musique, in Paris. I recall being startled about three-quarters through this piece, which lasted approximately twenty-five minutes, by a substantial transformation in the way I experienced some of its sound components. This transformation was not the result of the manipulation of any of the sound elements of the work but of a displacement of my listening focus. It revealed sound as an essentially manifold instance, susceptible of acquiring diverse statuses.In this chapter I would like to use Deleuze’s notion of the “time-image,” developed in his investigation of the role of the image in cinema, to explore what was significant about this experience. Along with this, I sketch a proposal to use the concept of “time-image” as a tool to reassess aspects of how we conceive sound and its role within artistic practices. Show less
In art history, performance is categorized as performance art and defined as live-act. However, performance is no longer conceived of by artists as live-act only. Rather, the art of producing... Show moreIn art history, performance is categorized as performance art and defined as live-act. However, performance is no longer conceived of by artists as live-act only. Rather, the art of producing performances, according to artists, also includes considerations of their documentation and mediatization. In these contexts a paratextual perspective would enable considering documentation practices as part of performance art, which would also mean to acknowledge that performance is a practice associated with other practices that go beyond the enactment or staging which precedes or follows it. It is my claim that the potential of performance in visual art lies exactly in this ability to divest itself of a stable medial identity. This is to say that performance does not only have the practical need, but also the general potential to connect itself with other media, such as texts and audiovisual records. I think that contemporary performances in visual art cannot be viewed as distinct from the intermedial and paratextual issues with which they are connected. They engage, intermingle and enter into reciprocal relationships with these issues. So, I propose to understand performances in and through their relations to texts. Show less
Ambient sound is a standard term used by sound practitioners to denote the site-specific background sound component that provides a characteristic atmosphere and spatial information in a sound... Show moreAmbient sound is a standard term used by sound practitioners to denote the site-specific background sound component that provides a characteristic atmosphere and spatial information in a sound work. In this project I set out to examine how ambient sound is used as a site-specific element to create spatial awareness in sound production. Taking a critical attitude towards the notions of diegetic sound, mimesis, presence, artistic transformations of soundscapes, and technological innovations, the project highlights the inherent similarities and differences between the ways ambient sounds are used in film and sound art; the aim has been to investigate how the latter practice informs the former and vice versa. The dissertation cites examples from a substantial number of representative Indian films and focuses on three of my recent sound artworks. These case studies are examined via critical listening, historical mapping, and thorough analyses of the sound production processes. The project also draws inputs from prominent sound practitioners in the form of semi-structured interviews. Show less
