ON KLÄNGE - SPACE, TIME AND BODY
This artistic research project entitled "Variations'' by Erika Matsunami was started to explore a multi-layered open score, "Corona" (1962) for pianist(s) by Toru Takemitsu in 2020, which became a starting point of Takemitsu oeuvres. Thereby, I developed the different ideas of three variations from the aspect of the 21st century. The research question is: "Is music rather phenomenal than to express?"
The starting point of this artistic research is a new interpretation "Corona-STEMS-GALAXYOMEGA" (May 2020) by Lukas Huisman who is a pianist and holds a PhD in the performing arts/piano in classic-modern music. (It is the same as the artistic master in the classical sense for teaching. He is not a performer, he can practically study the piano (artistic material) techniques at the academic level, and he can teach his techniques as his original in Toru Takemitsu. He is the PhD master of classic modern in piano for education.) He started to embody "Corona" (1962) by Takemitsu together with the composer and sound artist Patrick Housen. Huisman and Housen are called Graphology duo. (Graphology duo is a musical performative duo formed by Patrick Housen with live electronics and Lukas Huisman on piano.)
With "Variations", I attempt to address the question of immateriality in the arts and the academic meaning (Sinne) on immateriality in artistic research. I question the context from the critical aspect of neuroscience, and ask whether "immateriality" – the aesthetic value in the arts – is or is not in today’s technology? How can "immateriality" in the arts be judged today with the technology in aesthetics? (The approach of Kant in today's aesthetics as well as philosophy, without the study of neuroscience, this subject could not be researched.)
Takemitsu's aim of the study in his multi-layered open score "Corona" (1962) is not only for the general piano piece, it was also started in his musical composition study under Cage.
In "Variations", I have been working and researching the origin of Toru Takemitsu's ideas.
I collaborate(d) with Housen as a visual artist for a sound installation in this artistic project. This resulted in the artistic research project "Variation I", which relates to this artistic research on "Klänge - Space, Time and Body". I, as a visual artist, have been exploring the subject of time and space in "Corona" (1962) for pianist(s) by Toru Takemitsu for the exploration of a new interpretation; it was the starting point of "Variations" which consists of three parts of artistic research.
My practical contribution is a performance in the site-specific installation for "Variation I" - ("Corona without Pianist for 4-ch discrete sound installation - an invisible sense ‘who is left to drift in the loneliness of the remaining scent’" in 2020. Thus, the theoretical exploration is in terms of ongoing artistic research in the philosophy of sound. The aim of this artistic research "On Klänge - Space, Time and Body" is toward the new multi-layered open score "Variation I, II and III". In 2020, it was simultaneously the subject of "Corona-STEMS-GALAXYOMEGA" by the Patrick Housen and Lukas Huisman duo, and "Corona without Pianist for 4-ch discrete sound installation - an invisible sense ‘who is left to drift in the loneliness of the remaining scent’" by Erika Matsunami.
Variation II consists of a collaboration with the composer Valerio Sannicandro (PhD in Musicology) and deals with the subject of the spontaneous within the topic of DNA from the biological aspect. Therefore, joint artistic research will explore the philosophy of sound from the aspect of musicology and aesthetics in 2021.
(In the works)