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Wij maakten nooit fotoos
omdat we dachten
wat wij zien
zien we samen
en is er altijd.
Waar zijn nu die fotoos
die wij zagen ?
Wat zie jij ?
Wat zie ik ?
Die foto die wij
nooit maakten ?
Bert Schierbeek
If I say standard, who would say standardization?
And who thinks of ritual when you say: habit?
Indeed, what else is it but sequenced repetition?
Inevitable daily reiteration?
It will be a music in which a lot of time is spent waiting.
Slow and scraping rotations that grind into the mind.
A piece like a crab, slowly crawling into the auditorium,
a man like a crab with shears for legs.
adjustment – filtering – transposition – alienation – accumulation – recapitulation – transformation,
that’s the trajectory.
The source material is called ‘adem’, breath.
It’s an organic piece of material of 3.784 seconds, a blend of white noise and trombone.
First, this material is introduced, proposed.
After that, the substance starts to slide; initially through different degrees of filtering,
then through the use of transposition, and finally by alienating the material from its origins.
This is achieved by allowing additions, transpositions and filters onto the material, so that in the end, length, pitch, tone and identity have altered completely.
Ultimately, after a number of these procedures (cumulations) the sound will rust,
wrinkle and bleach to such an extent, that a new phase sets in.
The beginning of a new, translucent and fragile appearance.
And all those symbols are dominated by the hands and face of time,
like the clock in the Antwerp-station restaurant, the one Sebald writes about in his book ‘Austerlitz’.
About the poorer than poor, the inhabitants of Angel Alley in the 1850’s, who were not even remembered during their lifetime and who were cleared away with their alley in the name of progress, so a prestigious station could be built instead.
About the passengers of this London station, about the passing of time, about forgetting,
and being forgotten.
There are 2 versions of ‘Angel Alley’.
These days I prefer the version for 4 loudspeakers, subwoofer and film.
The incredibly beautiful film is by Petra van der Schoot.
‘Angel Alley’ was made in close collaboration.
