Augenmusik, 2016
performance (site-specific)
Paris
2016
curated by Azad Asifovich
June 20, 2016
AUGENMUSIK
Ritual concerning the search for the inner life of the external
Re-arrangement of Art of Fugue by J.S. Bach
Action: a person carry in hands a blue police emergency light. A siren in his backpack is transmitting a bi-tonal sound with a broken rhythm.
Number of walkers: 24
Departure points: 24 gates of Paris, along the Parisian orbital highway (outer side).
Simultaneous departure of 24 walkers from 24 gates
Converging point: Les Halles, geographical center of the Paris, former main market place
("the belly of Paris")
Each walker comes alone, from one of the 24 gates of Paris to the converging point, the former market place. He puts his emergency light together with his siren on the floor and goes away. Progressively, as far as the walkers arrive one by one to the center, siren sounds are completing each other, and finally one can hear a fugue orchestered by 24 bitonal sirens.
Fugue: J.S. Bach, Art of Fugue, cycle of 14 fugues (incomplete work)
Duration: 02 : 50 : 00 (duration of Art of Fugue),
Date / Time: summer solstice (20.06.2016) / blue hour (9 p.m. - 00 p.m.)
Context: terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, installation of the emergency state in France in December 2015, social movement Nuit Debout occupying Place de le République between March and July 2016, numerous attempts and new terrorist attacks in France in 2016