SONGS OF DESPAIR, RAGE, AND HOPE

for clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and electronics

This piece was presented at the first concert of my research project at Studio LOOS, Making Time Together. Collective Experiences of Time in Continuous Ensemble Practice, in which I explored collective experiences of time in music through my continuous collaboration with Kali Ensemble.

Is time an emergent property of human consciousness or an objective physical phenomenon? While there isn’t a definitive answer, there are political consequences for various interpretations of this question. The most common understanding of time is founded on the premise of it being entirely external to us, which leads to its commodification and invites the attitude of scarcity – labour, art, and even personal relationships seem like ‘time-consuming’ activities. If, conversely, we approach time as a product of our conscious effort, it becomes possible to affect each other’s time experiences through collective listening practices. Then, in playing music together, we are making and giving each other time rather than spending whatever time is already there. That leads to considering time as a gift rather than a commodity. These two approaches to time – as a gift or a commodity – are mutually exclusive, and this has consequences for the way we see time in our everyday life.

Showcasing the results of the first of the two workshops with Kali, this instalment focused on different modes of listening and exploring their potential to influence the musicians’ and listeners’ temporal experiences. In preparing the concert, we paid special attention to the dynamic relationship between space and our experiences of time.

This concert and the research project were made possible with a subsidy from Makersregeling Gemeente Den Haag.