Extended Moholy Nagy´s Modulator project
EXTENDED MODULATOR PROJECT
Premiered at Bauhaus Archive, Berlin. 24th of october 2007
Lucio Capece ( Soprano saxophone, Bass clarinet, Composition, Project)
Axel Dörner (Trumpet, Composition)
Robin Hayward (Tuba, Composition)
Ana Maria Rodriguez (Sound Difussion)
Michael Vorfeld ( Lights installation and Performance)
Steffi Weismann (Camera, Video edition, Projection)
"Licht- Raum Modulator"- (1922- 1930) László Moholy- Nagy.
László Moholy- Nagy built the “Light- Space Modulator” between 1922 and 1930, assisted by a team consisting of an architect and a mechanic, with additional support from the German electrical company AEG .
It is a mechanic asssemblage, made up of an electrical structure of synthetic material and metal grills, together with mirrors and lamps. Three articulated movements take place simultaneously in three sectors of the kinetic sculpure.
The three sectors move at different velocities in a 2 minutes cycle, producing endless combinations each time the Modulator is turned on.
Moholy Nagy apparently built the “Light- Space Modulator” with the intention of using it
in the sixth part of his experimental film «‹Lichtspiel, schwarz-weiß-grau.”
The first five parts were supposed to show and work with different forms of light.
But only the sixth part was filmed , consisting of carefully composed combinations of lights, shadows, reflections, movement and filming techniques based on edited shots of the sculpture in action.
The kinetic sculpture , also called “ Light Prop for an electric stage” was therefore built for the sole purpose of this film. Over the years it has however become an imporant work of art in its own right, of primary influence as one of the great pioneering kinetic sculptures of the last century.
Moholy Nagy used the sculpture in different ways through the years, even planning to use it as part of an avant-garde theatrical performance.
This should come as no surprise bearing in mind his ideas about art :
“Art educates the receptive faculties and it revitalizes the creative abilities”
(“Vision in Motion” p. 28).
“ We must therefore replace the static principle of classical art with the dynamic principle of universal life, Stated practically: instead of static material construction (material and form relations), dynamic construction (vital constructivism and force relations) must evolve, in which the material is employed only as the carrier of forces”.
(“ Vision in Motion” p. 238)
It is not the intention of this project to make music “for” Moholy Nagy’s work, but to work with the creative potential of the object he created, adding the dimension of sound, using the possibilities offered by recent technologies, along with recent musical developments. This involves rethinking the approach towards sound performance, relating it to movement, light and the space through and together with the “Light Space Modulator”.
PROGRAM
1- Ein Lichtspiel Schwarz- Weiss- Grau” (7 Minutes)
Video Projection of ‘ Ein Lichtspiel Schwarz- Weiss- Grau’. 16 mm film created by László Moholy Nagy in 1932.
Acoustic Version with sound diffusion.
“ The film demonstrates the refined values of the black- white- gray gradations of the photogram (the camera less photography ) in continuous motion. At the same time it uses all possible means of the film technique such us superimpositions, at places seven times, prisms, mirroring and moving light. Through systematic use of light and shadow in motion it tries to conquer the peculiar dimension of the film, the dimension of space-time. The ‘Space Light Modulator’ kinetic sculpture is used as a subject’
(Laszlo Moholy Nagy “‘Vision in Motion’ p. 288)
Film Script by Láslo Moholy- Nagy (Vision in Motion p. 289)
The shadow of the rotating Light Prop
The superimposition of metal details with the shadows.; The
shadow revolving ,slowly the shadow of a ball surrounded by
strong light, moving up and down over the original shadow.
The light Prop turns; it is seen from above, below, frontwards,
backwards, in normal, accelerated, retarded, reversed motion.
Close-up of details-
A big black shinny ball rolls from left to right. From right to
left. Over again.
Positive, negative pictures, fades, prisms; dissolving.
Movements, queerly shifting grills.
“Drunken” screen, lattices.
Views through small openings; through automatically changing
diaphragms.
Distortion of reflections. Pendulum.
Blinding moving light flashes. Revolving spiral, reappearing,,
again and again. Rotation increases; all concrete shapes dissolve in light.
2- Kinetic Sound Sculpture (16 Minutes)
Artists perform together with the kinetic sculpture which also functions as a musical score.The musicians play their instruments choosing one or more elements from the sculpture, following its movements carefully. Pitched or non-pitched sounds (‘”noises’’) are played, depending on the characteristics of the chosen element.
Each musician choses elements from one of the three axes of the sculpture.
Specific extended instrumental techniques, created and developed by the musicians themselves, make it possible to follow one or several elements at the same time.
3- Ein Lichtspiel Schwarz- Weiss- Grau” (7 Minutes)
Video Projection of ‘ Ein Lichtspiel Schwarz- Weiss- Grau’. 16 mm film created by László Moholy Nagy in 1932.
Electronic version composed by Axel Dörner.
4- Colour-Pitch-Intensity-Time (20 Minutes)
“The “Light Prop” was exhibited at the exposition of the Werkbund in Paris in 1930.
It was driven by motor and equipped with 128 electric bulbs in different colors operated by a drum switch “
(László Moholy Nagy ‘’ Vision in Motion’’)
Colour-Pitch-Instensity-Time is a microtonal piece that uses the Moholy Nagy’s lighting instructions as a music score, relating light and sound to each other following precise and mathematical criteria.
A reduced creative version of the light installation designed by Moholy Nagy has been built by lights artist and musician Michael Vorfeld. This uses 13 bulbs ( 10 times less than the original version). The musicians play a 20 minutes sound version of the lights score created by Moholy-Nagy (10 times longer than the original version.)
The amount of bulbs specified by Moholy Nagy are used to determine levels of intensity, according to techniques reminscent of the total serialist composition school. (10 bulbs as a maximum, 1 bulb as a minimum)
Fades in and out, as well as intensities, are performed manually by the artist.
The sounds are pitched according to a special tuning, related to the colors used by Moholy Nagy in the sculpture’s installation. The spectral frequencies of the colours red, yellow, green and blue have been transposed down, bringing them in to the audible frequency range of 430 to 670 Htz. These frequencies are played on the 3 instruments in various octave transpositions. The “colour” white is represented through imitating white noise on the instruments.
PROJECT SUPPORTED BY INM
Thanks to Hattula Moholy- Nagy, INM, Conny Maiwald and Bauhaus Archive, especially to Mr Klaus Weber and Mrs Bärbel Mees.
Premiered at Bauhaus Archive, Berlin. 24th of october 2007
Lucio Capece ( Soprano saxophone, Bass clarinet, Composition, Project)
Axel Dörner (Trumpet, Composition)
Robin Hayward (Tuba, Composition)
Ana Maria Rodriguez (Sound Difussion)
Michael Vorfeld ( Lights installation and Performance)
Steffi Weismann (Camera, Video edition, Projection)
"Licht- Raum Modulator"- (1922- 1930) László Moholy- Nagy. László Moholy- Nagy built the “Light- Space Modulator” between 1922 and 1930, assisted by a team consisting of an architect and a mechanic, with additional support from the German electrical company AEG .
It is a mechanic asssemblage, made up of an electrical structure of synthetic material and metal grills, together with mirrors and lamps. Three articulated movements take place simultaneously in three sectors of the kinetic sculpure.
The three sectors move at different velocities in a 2 minutes cycle, producing endless combinations each time the Modulator is turned on.
Moholy Nagy apparently built the “Light- Space Modulator” with the intention of using it
in the sixth part of his experimental film «‹Lichtspiel, schwarz-weiß-grau.”
The first five parts were supposed to show and work with different forms of light.
But only the sixth part was filmed , consisting of carefully composed combinations of lights, shadows, reflections, movement and filming techniques based on edited shots of the sculpture in action.
The kinetic sculpture , also called “ Light Prop for an electric stage” was therefore built for the sole purpose of this film. Over the years it has however become an imporant work of art in its own right, of primary influence as one of the great pioneering kinetic sculptures of the last century.
Moholy Nagy used the sculpture in different ways through the years, even planning to use it as part of an avant-garde theatrical performance.
This should come as no surprise bearing in mind his ideas about art :
“Art educates the receptive faculties and it revitalizes the creative abilities”
(“Vision in Motion” p. 28).
“ We must therefore replace the static principle of classical art with the dynamic principle of universal life, Stated practically: instead of static material construction (material and form relations), dynamic construction (vital constructivism and force relations) must evolve, in which the material is employed only as the carrier of forces”.
(“ Vision in Motion” p. 238)
It is not the intention of this project to make music “for” Moholy Nagy’s work, but to work with the creative potential of the object he created, adding the dimension of sound, using the possibilities offered by recent technologies, along with recent musical developments. This involves rethinking the approach towards sound performance, relating it to movement, light and the space through and together with the “Light Space Modulator”.
PROGRAM
1- Ein Lichtspiel Schwarz- Weiss- Grau” (7 Minutes)
Video Projection of ‘ Ein Lichtspiel Schwarz- Weiss- Grau’. 16 mm film created by László Moholy Nagy in 1932.
Acoustic Version with sound diffusion.
“ The film demonstrates the refined values of the black- white- gray gradations of the photogram (the camera less photography ) in continuous motion. At the same time it uses all possible means of the film technique such us superimpositions, at places seven times, prisms, mirroring and moving light. Through systematic use of light and shadow in motion it tries to conquer the peculiar dimension of the film, the dimension of space-time. The ‘Space Light Modulator’ kinetic sculpture is used as a subject’
(Laszlo Moholy Nagy “‘Vision in Motion’ p. 288)
Film Script by Láslo Moholy- Nagy (Vision in Motion p. 289)
The shadow of the rotating Light Prop
The superimposition of metal details with the shadows.; The
shadow revolving ,slowly the shadow of a ball surrounded by
strong light, moving up and down over the original shadow.
The light Prop turns; it is seen from above, below, frontwards,
backwards, in normal, accelerated, retarded, reversed motion.
Close-up of details-
A big black shinny ball rolls from left to right. From right to
left. Over again.
Positive, negative pictures, fades, prisms; dissolving.
Movements, queerly shifting grills.
“Drunken” screen, lattices.
Views through small openings; through automatically changing
diaphragms.
Distortion of reflections. Pendulum.
Blinding moving light flashes. Revolving spiral, reappearing,,
again and again. Rotation increases; all concrete shapes dissolve in light.
2- Kinetic Sound Sculpture (16 Minutes)
Artists perform together with the kinetic sculpture which also functions as a musical score.The musicians play their instruments choosing one or more elements from the sculpture, following its movements carefully. Pitched or non-pitched sounds (‘”noises’’) are played, depending on the characteristics of the chosen element.
Each musician choses elements from one of the three axes of the sculpture.
Specific extended instrumental techniques, created and developed by the musicians themselves, make it possible to follow one or several elements at the same time.
3- Ein Lichtspiel Schwarz- Weiss- Grau” (7 Minutes)
Video Projection of ‘ Ein Lichtspiel Schwarz- Weiss- Grau’. 16 mm film created by László Moholy Nagy in 1932.
Electronic version composed by Axel Dörner.
4- Colour-Pitch-Intensity-Time (20 Minutes)
“The “Light Prop” was exhibited at the exposition of the Werkbund in Paris in 1930.
It was driven by motor and equipped with 128 electric bulbs in different colors operated by a drum switch “
(László Moholy Nagy ‘’ Vision in Motion’’)
Colour-Pitch-Instensity-Time is a microtonal piece that uses the Moholy Nagy’s lighting instructions as a music score, relating light and sound to each other following precise and mathematical criteria.
A reduced creative version of the light installation designed by Moholy Nagy has been built by lights artist and musician Michael Vorfeld. This uses 13 bulbs ( 10 times less than the original version). The musicians play a 20 minutes sound version of the lights score created by Moholy-Nagy (10 times longer than the original version.)
The amount of bulbs specified by Moholy Nagy are used to determine levels of intensity, according to techniques reminscent of the total serialist composition school. (10 bulbs as a maximum, 1 bulb as a minimum)
Fades in and out, as well as intensities, are performed manually by the artist.
The sounds are pitched according to a special tuning, related to the colors used by Moholy Nagy in the sculpture’s installation. The spectral frequencies of the colours red, yellow, green and blue have been transposed down, bringing them in to the audible frequency range of 430 to 670 Htz. These frequencies are played on the 3 instruments in various octave transpositions. The “colour” white is represented through imitating white noise on the instruments.
PROJECT SUPPORTED BY INM
Thanks to Hattula Moholy- Nagy, INM, Conny Maiwald and Bauhaus Archive, especially to Mr Klaus Weber and Mrs Bärbel Mees.
posted by electrobatimento at 9:00 PM
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