perceptual geography
© Quentin Chevrier
perceptual geography
jeudi 2 mai
20h
Perceptual Geography est un solo d’Ankersmit pour le synthétiseur Serge Modular, basé sur la recherche de la légendaire artiste sonore américaine Maryanne Amacher (1938-2009) et qui lui est dédié. Le projet a été présenté début 2019 pour la première fois à CTM à Berlin et à Sonic Acts à Amsterdam.
Maryanne Amacher est une figure emblématique du monde de la musique expérimentale. Elle a étudié avec Stockhausen et a collaboré avec Cage. Son travail transcende les frontières entre la science, la musique et l’art ; elle a été chercheuse au MIT et ses expositions vont de Woodstock au Whitney Museum.
Ses recherches sur la perception, les phénomènes psycho-acoustiques, la spatialisation du son et l’élargissement du rôle de l’auditeur sont à la base du nouveau projet d’Ankersmit. La « géographie perceptuelle » du titre est un concept d’Amacher, se référant à une chorégraphie tridimensionnelle de phénomènes sonores et de leur expérience. En explorant l’architecture et l’acoustique de chaque lieu, l’œuvre ne se ressemblera jamais deux fois. C’est une performance qui ne peut être vécue que dans le moment présent et dans l’espace physique réel. Le résultat est une expérience sonore intégrale.
Thomas Ankersmit vit et travaille à Berlin. Il joue du synthétiseur Serge Modular et collabore avec des artistes comme Phill Niblock et Valerio Tricoli. Sa musique est publiée sur les labels PAN, Touch et Shelter Press. Il se produit dans des salles allant du Berghain à la Tate Modern en passant par des festivals de musique expérimentale et électronique du monde entier. Il a également enseigné dans des universités comme Harvard, Stanford, CalArts et Goldsmiths.
Perceptual Geography is a new solo live project by Thomas Ankersmit for Serge Modular synthesizer, based on the pioneering research of – and dedicated to – legendary American sound artist Maryanne Amacher (1938-2009). The project premiered at CTM in Berlin and Sonic Acts in Amsterdam, early 2019.
Perceptual Geography is a concept of Amacher’s, referring to a three-dimensional choreography of sonic phenomena and their experience. It is also the starting point for this new project. Exploring the architectural and acoustic personality of each performance space anew, the work will never sound the same twice.
Maryanne Amacher is an iconic figure in the experimental music world. She studied with Stockhausen and collaborated with Cage, but is mostly known for a body of work that is uniquely her own. She was drawn to extremes; from a whisper to a hurricane of sound. Her work crossed boundaries between science, music, and art; she was a researcher at MIT and her shows ranged from Woodstock to the Whitney Museum. In 2005 she received Ars Electronica’s “Golden Nica”, their highest honor.
Amacher’s research on perception, psychoacoustic phenomena, sound spatialization, and expanding the role of the listener, form the basis of Ankersmit’s new project. The material ranges from tiny sounds dancing around the listener’s head like a firefly, to room-shaking vibrations that feel like a distant thunderstorm. In a time when seemingly everything is consumed via screens and headphones, this is a performance that can only be experienced in the present moment and actual, physical space. Ultimately, the result is a full-body sonic experience combining several different “modes” of listening – including material generated by the listener’s ears themselves; an extremely intimate and unique form of listening.
Amacher and Ankersmit first met in New York in 2000 and became friends in her later years. He considers her one of his greatest influences. Ankersmit’s instrument, the Serge Modular synthesizer, was developed by Amacher’s partner Serge Tcherepnin, who also designed instruments for her.
2019 marks the 10th anniversary of Amacher’s death. She left behind a unique body of music and research, that – so far – surprisingly few artists have taken the time to develop further.
Thomas Ankersmit is a musician and sound artist based in Berlin. He plays the Serge Modular synthesizer, both live and in the studio, and collaborates with artists like Phill Niblock and Valerio Tricoli.
His music is released on the PAN, Touch, and Shelter Press labels. Ankersmit performs at venues ranging from Berghain to Tate Modern to experimental and electronic music festivals worldwide. He’s also lectured at universities like Harvard, Stanford, CalArts, and Goldsmiths.
His music combines intricate sonic detail and raw electric power, with an extremely physical and spatial experience of sound. Acoustic phenomena such as infrasound and otoacoustic emissions (sounds emanating from inside the head, generated by the ears themselves) play a central role in his work, as does a deliberate, creative misuse of the equipment.
ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE D’ARTS ET MÉDIAS DE CAEN/CHERBOURG (1)