Question: What do you think might be the future of your project?
Answer: My reflections on this question follow in two directions:
- academic direction
- artistic direction
Scientific research and artistic research traditionally have followed different paths and had different expectations regarding outcome, methodological work, the place of theory, the weight placed on earlier research, and the positioning within specific research fields. After completing this PhD on artistic research, I hope that future research will open up to a greater extent in terms of crossing the borders between these two traditions. It seems to me that it would be beneficial for scientific research and artistic research to develop more profound and constructive dialogues and questioning, for example in relation to terms, research tools, formats, and the basic thinking about outcomes, results, and quality in and of the research. This topic goes beyond the project Eastern Rebellion, but my reflections on it have emerged throughout my present work. However, even though I see the importance of the interrelationship between the two traditions of research, I will reflect in this chapter on my future work by following the two presented axes separately.
Academic direction
My research project Eastern Rebellion has given me a broader knowledge of several aspects, such as art, composition, and music history, especially in relation to how we in the West have used non-Western cultures as inspiration. My work with this artistic research has also provided me valuable insight into in-depth conceptual (the research idea) focus and development. Through this focus, I am cultivating the essence of what I want to achieve. The “core” of the project is how I have responded to my inspiration from gamelan, and how this has encouraged me to create new music.
An important part of my artistic research in this project is to describe in words the processes and work behind each artistic product. These processes are my methods, as presented in part 2, and are more or less the same as I have used earlier to create music. These methods are based on artistic trial and error. However, in Eastern Rebellion, the methods are strengthened through in-depth examination and articulation. I hope that my research and the discussions therein can contribute to more general reflections on how musical artists (composers and musicians) create their artistic products.
The academic future of Eastern Rebellion is connected to my work within a non-Western culture, in terms of both my artistic results and several reflections concerning the ethical aspects of my work. My artistic products are related to other artistic research projects/artistic products in which a non-Western culture is involved, such as Mattis Kleppen’s “Bassgriotism”—combining the old tradition of griots in West Africa with the bass guitar (Kleppen, 2015) and Per Zanussi’s “Natural Patterns”—involving thoughts on and elements from Korean traditional music (Zanussi, 2017).
Both Kleppen’s and Zanussi’s projects are, as this one, presented within the Norwegian Artistic Research Programme. However, unlike these two projects, in which the focus lies in the researcher’s use of a Western instrument, a key element in Eastern Rebellion is the use of instruments from a non-Western tradition, namely the musical instruments and tradition(s) of gamelan. Through working with gamelan, I interact directly with elements that do not belong to my natural environment as a Western musician. My awareness of this led me to embark on a process of thorough critical and ethical reflection, in which I sought to frame my research in relation to concepts such as orientalism, cultural appropriation versus cultural recognition, and the more general term of exoticism in music and art. These reflections are articulated in chapters 1.3 and 3.2 on this website.
Through examining the field of Western artists working within a non-Western environment, I found limited research related to how Western musicians treat diverse non-Western elements. One of the rare examples I found is the project “Cross cultural meetings: Traditional music from Setesdal and world musicians” (CCM – my abbreviation). This project states the following in relation to cultural appropriation:
Furthermore, musical appropriation (Felt 1994, 2004) raises ethical dilemmas with regard to missing the crediting of copyrights and credits to artists and musicians from non-Western cultures participating in, and contributing to, phonograms in Europe and USA.However, we do draw from our extensive international network of musicians we already know and have a relation to, which makes it less problematic in terms of miscommunication and (a lack of) trust. We strive for a hermeneutic approach in meeting with other cultures and people. How far is it possible to see into the world of the significant other with whom you communicate? Gadamer (1960, 2010) presents this as a horizon of understanding and experience. This is an evolving, learning process, and even though music is a language of its own, the context provided is not without meaning. (CCM,* 2017)
The CCM project’s research strategy is a kind of call and response in which different traditional musicians around the world create a musical response to diverse Norwegian folk music, with a follow-up response from the Norwegian musicians in the new music that is produced. By pointing to musicians from other countries, including musicians from several non-Western cultures, the view presented in the CCM project’s quote above somewhat disclaims the responsibility regarding cultural appropriation. One might say that pointing to the non-Western artists who were cooperated with in this project is part of the legitimization for employing a non-cultural-appropriation strategy to create artistic products. An important part of recognizing and trying to avoid cultural appropriation is, however, to display a deeper understanding and a transparent examination of the non-Western cultures involved, and how concerns about this are taken care of in the work. However, the CCM project, as described in the research catalogue, shows no in-depth examination of these aspects, and I also do not observe deeper problematizations on how the Western musicians in the project present the different non-Western musical forms. This is a concern even though their artistic presentation is done in a respectful way. For example, the presentation lacks a discussion as to whether there are any similar research projects, approaches, and/or artistic results done by both natives and non-natives. In addition, one might also anticipate a deeper reflection concerning the artistic outcomes for non-Western cultures. In phase 4 of the presentation about the CCM project’s research, CCM have recorded a Javanese gamelan orchestra (the SambaSunda orchestra led by Ismet Ruchimat), but leave out any explanation of the background of this gamelan tradition, as well as the choice to use this specific orchestra (which is from the Sundanese gamelan tradition, my comment). As a reader, I would also have enjoyed a Norwegian musicians’ response to this non-Western music tradition, with a follow-up response from a musician from that specific culture. Such ideas would turn the CCM research strategy upside down, however, and they were probably not a part of the project’s original idea. As a complementary view, though, I think this would be beneficial to make the CCM project even more relevant to the world music tradition, to which it explicitly states it belongs.
I have chosen to comment on CCM because it is the only project I could find in the research catalogue that has a chapter related to ethical issues and cultural appropriation. Based on the reflections above, I ask myself: (1) Why are the ethical concerns related to the integration of non-Western cultures not discussed to a greater extent within artistic research? and (2) Is the Western artistic research community afraid of working within or with a non-Western culture? One of the reasons to “be afraid” of this is the negativism around cultural appropriation, which is a negative term that points to unethical forms of stealing, violating or misusing something that belongs to someone else, and it can sometimes be misused to devaluate the work done by Western artists in non-Western contexts. To be suspected of appropriating others’ knowledge/culture/art is downgrading and can undermine and destroy the work done. In some cases, the ‘cultural appropriation’ tag is appropriate, while in other cases, it relies on misunderstandings, a lack of transparency, or even incorrect criticism. In the end, it is up to artists to articulate their awareness and argumentation to prove the quality of their art in relation to ethical questions. Initially, I was intimidated and overwhelmed by the task of discussing cultural appropriation, as related to my research in the project Eastern Rebellion. However, I believe that reading, learning, and thinking through this perspective has strengthened my trust in my work, as well as fostered the necessary awareness and respect.
I have searched the data-bases ORIA and ERIC, as well as the Internet generally, to find articles or other texts that focus on ethical questions in artistic research/music that relate to non-Western cultures. These searches gave few hits, but I found some relevant literature in research portfolios related to music pedagogy, Western versus non-Western political subjects or history, and general art research or product-related ethical issues. I hope that my reflections related to musical art products and issues that occurred in the work with a non-Western culture can be academically interesting and relevant to other artistic researchers. These reflections are both verbally and theoretically, in the parts about cultural appropriation and orientalism, and also sonic and performative in my artistic results. I also hope that further investigation of questions such as those I have examined in this project will contribute to the work of other Western researchers operating within non-Western cultures. These questions include:
1. What does this (non-Western) culture mean to you, and why is working with this culture essential to your art?
2. By working with this culture, how can you bring something new to yourself and, from a larger perspective, to the world?
3. What ethical challenges might occur in working within a non-Western culture?
4. Through reflection on ethical challenges in your art, how do you pay respect to this culture?
Artistic directions
Artistic research is product-oriented, with a reflection on artistic product(s). Therefore, it is important to assess if my artistic results, in the future, can be reused, transformed, or seen as steps toward something new.
The first project, the “The Bali Tapes,” has been musically concluded. This project was this group’s (Basement sessions) fourth release, and we are now developing a fifth recording with a broader multicultural approach. Each member of this group has collected instruments from different parts of the world, and together, we have a broad collection of string, percussion, and wind instruments from every continent. The plan is to make a recording inspired by Keith Jarrett’s music from the seventies and Don Cherry’s music from the sixties, with as many different instruments as possible. This is a development of the Basement session group’s expression, whose foundation lies in the work we did with “The Bali Tapes.”
The second project, “Mantra,” on which I worked extensively in 2016, had a musical conclusion with the following “Mantra”(BIS) recording in 2017. However, Ellen Lindquist has started preparing for new concerts with “Mantra.” I would, of course, be excited if more performances are possible. Hopefully, it will be performed with other ensembles during the 2022/2023 seasons. I recently received an inquiry from the Indonesian Embassy of Norway regarding its cooperation. The embassy has a Javanese gamelan, and Ellen Lindquist and I are hoping to rework “Mantra” to blend this gamelan instrumentarium together with the Western instruments of the Trondheim Sinfonietta.
The most important thing I have learned from my cooperation with Ellen Lindquist is the power of improvisation as a source of creative work between composer and performer. As I pointed out in the “Mantra” reflection (part 2.3), the preparatory improvisation session was important for the finished composed material. I believe that the use of improvisation as a working method between composer and performer allows for a more personal expression from the performer. I could feel that much of the phrasing and style of playing written in the score suited my way of performing. The creative and artistic cooperation I explored in the work with “Mantra” has inspired me, and I will continue this form of work in later collaborations with composers, regardless of the kind of percussion instruments I may play in those groups.
The third project, “Own compositions,” wasfirst performed in public at my PhD presentation concert on 12th October, 2020. Hopefully, there will be more concerts featuring this music. My colleague, Lars Sitter, and I are discussing the possibility of making a release with this piece.
The fourth project, “Espen Aalberg/En En En,” was for me the highlight of my research. Maybe this is colored by the fact that it was the last thing I did in my project. Still, as mentioned earlier, I felt that several elements of the whole PhD project came together in the work with “En En En”—for example, combining the idea of composition with improvisation. Working with other cultural instruments the way we did in this project seemed to encourage creating new and exciting concepts and sonic expressions.
For the first, third, and fourth projects, I composed much of the music. These three projects differ in character and concept, and it has been rewarding for me to create and work with the varied forms of music featured in these projects— from the mood of modal jazz in “The Bali Tapes,” to the more open conceptual piece for improvisation in “Espen Aalberg/En En En,” to the notated score in which the intention is to perform the music as written in “Duo for Vibraphone and Marimba.” Working on such concepts in these projects has given me insight into several ways of composing. For example, due to the considerable space between the concepts, there can be a great variation in sound and ways of working. In later works, in would be interesting to explore and develop compositions somewhere in the middle of all these variations.
When the work on this PhD is completed, I will return to my previous work as a professional musician in jazz and in contemporary music. In the contemporary field, I will continue as a percussionist in Trondheim Sinfonietta, among other projects. In this ensemble, we regularly commissionnew works by different composers. The positive experience I had collaborating with Ellen is something I will suggest that this ensemble follow up on in later work with other composers. Since 2020, I have held a 40% position as a producer/concert developer at Trondheim Sinfonietta, and I will continue working also with concert production after this PhD.
As a jazz musician, several of my groups have been put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The timing for this break was suitable since we had been touring a lot, the development of new material had stagnated, and I was working on this PhD. One of my colleagues in The Core, Kjetil Møster, is also working on his PhD in artistic research. The Core will restart again in 2021 with its 20th anniversary, and I am confident that the work with the Eastern Rebellion project will color both our ways to collaborate and make new music, as well as my new composition for the Core.
However, future artistic and research work depends on having the time to plan. For now, I am focusing on making this research project as good as possible. When all the work on this PhD is over, hopefully, the project Eastern Rebellion can contribute to new and exciting artistic and research projects for me, and perhaps also be of value for other artistic researchers.
Question: Looking back at your project, do you feel you have achieved what you wanted to explore with your research?
Answer: Yes and no. When I applied for this artistic research project, I had no inner sonic image of how the music I created would sound. The dominant idea behind the application was to explore my new knowledge of gamelan in the framework of my previous musical background. In the context of my application, I would say that I have achieved my initial goals. I have united gamelan with my prior musical experience in a way I can defend, both artistically, theoretically and emotionally, in the context of working with other cultures’ music. Through critical reflection related to orientalism, cultural appropriation, exotism, and multicultural music, I have gained a deeper critical awareness of this kind of work and a strengthened trust in what I do.
I have experienced some problems related to artistic direction and musical outcomes. In the beginning of the project, I was trying too hard to transfer gamelan music into Western instruments, or to merge Western and gamelan instruments, with gamelan music as the navigation point. My navigation points were, in the beginning, the scales pelog and slendro, the kotekan rhythm concept, and the element of duality. However, I was striving too hard to merge everything. My improvisation with Ellen Lindquist and her composition, “Mantra,” prompted new ways of thinking sonically. I realized that I did not need to do everything all at once, but instead could open myself up to new questions: Why not focus on just instruments? Or just kotekan? Or just dualism? These reflections revealed to me new directions, and, in the end, I am thankful for this journey and satisfied with the projects and the order of these. For me, the sequence of the four artistic works tells the story of a “struggle” to make something musically unique and new—one that unleashed a positive and creative force.
Like the famous line by Duke Ellington: “It don’t mean a thing if it ain´t got that swing,” there is a right way, and there is a wrong way (even if there are many ways that are right and wrong, as there are several ways to swing). To do something right, though, I have experienced that I also have needed to do something wrong, and to develop ways to solve the problems and dilemmas that occurred as a result. In the end, the right way, for me, is the sum of all these experiences.