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Gegen den Strom (Against the stream)

VIDEO: Audio Art Festival, Krakow (2011)

Description

In September 2011 a great event took place at the Vistula river. A concert for 2 ships and 112 ship horns (Gegen der Storm - Against the stream) by Christof Schläger: an original composition performed by 112 ship horns installed on two ships sailing on the Vistula river bend by Wawel Castle, between the D?bnicki and Grunwaldzki bridges. A special choreography for the ships was conceptualized by the dramatic adviser Marjon Smit.

The instruments installed on the ships created a moving sound installation, playing sounds from old music to incredibly energetic rhythmical structures, producing an attractive firework of aural textures, with melodies and rhythms reflecting off the water's surface and resonating in the open space of the main river current. The ships came closer and moved away, creating figures on water that was a very important spatial element of the gradually developing composition that lasts over an hour.

Choreography for the ships

The shiftiness of the ships allowed a "dance on the water". The choreography for this dance was created by Marjon Smit. At the beginning the two vessels had at a distance of approximately one half kilometer. The blue barge (with the name "Tur") started with a "call and response" piece and the red barge (with the name "Zubr") answered with the next piece. While they are playing the ships started the dance on the water with many movements and rotations. Half the way, both ships made a chaining maneuver and moved away like one ship, creating more than16 "figures" on water. That was a very important spatial element of the gradually developing composition.

The project was sponsered by the City of Krakow in cooperation with the Krakow Festival Office, the Muzyka Centrum, the German federal state NRW and the Goethe Institute Krakow, Radio RMF Classic.

Images

Soundmachines

more info

Copper-Horns (2010) PDF A horn group consists of 64 horns, small, modified ship’s horns. 32 horns have copper bells whose sound color is reminiscent of trumpets. Each wind machine is powered by a portable air compressor of the type used in road construction with a minimum pressure of 7 bar or 100 psi (pounds per square inch) and an air flow capacity of 1.000 to 2000 CFM (cubic feet per minute), These units have an operating dBA as low as 64 db which significantly reduces the incidence of unwanted noise. The ship’s horns are tuned diatonically and are controlled by a computer. Materials: steel, copper Weight: Dimensions: length 220cm [=7.2 feet] x width 80cm [=2.6 feet] x height 140cm [=4.6 feet]

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EPX-Horns (2007) PDF A horn group consists of 64 horns, small, modified ship’s horns. 32 horns have glass fiber and synthetic resin bells whose sound color is reminiscent of English horns. The ship’s horns are tuned diatonically and are controlled by a computer. Materials: steel, copper, glass fiber synthetic Weight: 150 kg Dimensions: height 400cm [=13.1 ft.] x width 200cm [=6.6 ft.]

more info

D-Pfeifen (2010) PDF There are two groups, consisting of sixteen rectangular pipes, each of which are served by a valve-block. The compressed air is released through a nozzle into the open pipe. The overtones can be achieved by subtle variations in air pressure and direction. A compressor serves as a wind machine. Materials: rectangular pipes, nozzles, valve island Weight: 30 kg Dimensions: height 220cm [=7.2 ft.] x width 40cm [=1.3 ft.]