INSTRUMENTATION: bass clarinet/Bb clarinet, guitar, piano, 2 cellos, 4 object players, electronics
DURATION: 15:00
YEAR OF COMPOSITION: 2014
PREMIERE: January 24th, 2014 at the Ultraschall Festival in Berlin, Germany, by Curious Chamber Players
COMMISSION: DAAD Berliner Künstlerprogramm
ABOUT: during 2013 I gave myself the task to walk around in Berlin and find a few locations that are going through a major transformation at the moment. These spots should also be able to provide me with interesting acoustic objects that can both act as symbols of these places and be performed with in various ways. The history and present events at these locations started to reveal the gentrification of Berlin – large investments are pushing away art, parks and citizens to the outskirts of the city. One question remains; how long does the character and function of place stay active in people’s minds even if the exterior changes completely?
These are my found objects and places:
The swing: among the new, neat rows of apartment houses in sleepy suburban Rummelsburg, just behind the memorial of the “Penal Institution Berlin 1” you can hear the most joyful laughter and excited screams from the heart of the neighbourhood – the playground of the kindergarten with it’s popular swings.
The mannequins: in Mauerpark the commerce is fully blossoming during the weekend’s flea market, as the most vital revenge of the past. Hundreds of mannequins are gathered in a tent, clinging to each other, some without heads and other without an arm or a leg.
The metal sculpture: art institution Tacheles is closed. In April 2013 the Metallwerkstatt in the garden was still bursting with activity and production. Just the day before the sculpture park gets its final eviction I receive a rusty metal sculpture from one of the artists.
The kites: Tempelhofer Feld is the large park area at the former airport, where the annual Kite Festival takes place. At the moment there are plans of diminishing the park completely to build apartment houses. Strong and so far successful demonstrations against these activities are going on at the moment.
PUBLISHER: Malin Bång