Research Catalogue

Documentación sobre la investigación artística de ConCuerpos en el 2023 en torno a la Accesibilidad Universal en Danza, llamada Cancionero para la Ausencia.

Die Idee des Projekts war es, mit den Gegebenheiten vor Ort zu arbeiten und diesen als Inspirationsquelle sowohl inhaltlich als auch materiell zu nutzen. Was die Materialauswahl &-organisation betrifft nutzten wir Gebrauchtes aus lokalen Quellen und integrierten die Geschichten in Bezug auf die vorherige Nutzung der Materialien in das Stück. Neben den Darsteller*innen, die aus der Näheren Umgebung stammten, bekamen auch die Materialien eine „Stimme“. Ein wesentlicher inhaltlicher & materieller Bestandteil der Inszenierung war Erde, die als nicht-menschliche Akteur*in auf der Bühne behandelt wurde. Den Dialog zwischen Mensch und Hummus haben wir verfolgt, indem im Probenprozess Bewegungs-Material durch die Interaktion mit der Erde entwickelt wurde. Die dabei entstandenen Fragen müssen zukünftig sowohl vor als auch hinter der Bühne verhandelt werden: Wie können wir für unsere Umgebung Sorge tragen? Wie können wir neue Rituale in alten und vertrauten, gesellschaftlich konstruierten Lebensrealitäten finden, die für zukunftsfähiges Denken und Handeln nützlich sind? Franziska Wenning, Anja Gast, Rémy Bocquillon

Development of Curatorial Guidelines for the Transart Residency Exhibition at London's Borough Road Gallery in July 2025. The Anthologies Assembly, London 2025, extends a call for proposals for a vibrant, student-guided convergence of research inquiry and creative exploration. Building upon the inaugural assembly, participants are encouraged to embrace "research-based creative practice" as a means of knowledge generation where diverse disciplines intersect and boundaries blur. We welcome proposals that illuminate PhD research, including nascent "works-in-progress," emphasizing the value of ongoing inquiry. Guided by student feedback expressing both a desire for grounding in practice and community as well as exceptional moments that inspire, we aim to create spaces for genuine encounters and shared learning, where participants leave with lasting impressions on research and creative endeavors that continue to spark curiosity throughout the year. Our curatorial framework centers on the concept of investigation, as both a rigorous pursuit and an introspective exploration. Drawing from its etymological roots, we conceive of investigation as a tracing towards something no longer present—a turning-towards truths hidden or lost in time; and a nuanced examination of practices, be they social, political, or personal.

One of the aspects Jimmie Blanton (1918–42), best known as Duke Ellington’s bassist between 1939 and 1941, has been most praised for is his tone, particularly its loudness, which has been characterised as “outsized,” “resonant,” “roaring,” and “huge.” While Brian Priestley (2009, 85) observed that tone is often “thought of as god-given,” I wanted to understand why and how Blanton’s tone was (perceived as being) different from that of his peers. I examined several possible impact factors, such as his performance technique and instrument, but found none differed significantly from those of his fellow bassists. Eventually, I (partially) found the answer by recreating Blanton’s music. In this exposition, I examine an experimental recording session by the Brussels Jazz Orchestra and myself on bass in which we recreated the circumstances of a 1930s–1940s Ellington performance, both live and in the studio, in a historically informed way, for example, by using historically appropriate instrumentation, repertoire, location, recording set-up, and performance practice. The outcome revealed that specific changes in the orchestra’s seating plan were key to Blanton’s perceived superior tone. Using media samples, I review the preparation, recording process, and results, drawing on a combination of visual analysis of historical photographs, complete participant observation, comparative auditory analysis, and formal and informal (semi-structured) interviews with participants.

With this exposition, we share the creative process that led to the composition and performance of Stretch, a piece by a jazz quartet led by pianist Piergiorgio Pirro. We will show that introducing theoretical models and paradigms from spectralism as a “foreign body” into the workings of a small jazz band illuminates a complex network of factors at play in the band’s music making, leading to a thorough reconfiguration in which new instruments get built and played, old habits need to be unlearnt, uncommon interactions emerge and theoretical frameworks clash in practice.

This chapter will detail the evolution of a set of improvised performances that explored Empathic Speculation in both live and studio settings. As a means to elevate musical attunement in live performance based on an atmosphere of musical trust that ‘allows for creative risk-taking, which can result in the production of spontaneous musical utterances’ (Seddon, 2005: 58), Empathic Speculation (Bain, 2021) describes a further level of interaction that attempts to encourage another member of the ensemble beyond their perceived musical boundaries; or ‘comfort zones’.