Het Huis Utrecht – Koepelzaal
14 :00 – 16 :00
What kind of imaginative sounds and interesting musical landscapes can you produce from a sheet of paper measuring 100 square metres? For example, by bendingit? Folding it? Rolling it up? After a brief demonstration by the Paper Ensemble, you can have a go yourself in this concentrated workshop, in which the participants learn to play the various instruments made of paper. The workshop will be rounded off with a small presentation.
The performances of the Paper Ensemble bridge the division between the Sculptor and the Musician, resulting in a new vocabulary of movement. The written notation of their sound art is also explored as part of the workshop. The Paper Ensemble has developed special methods of graphic notation, generating scores that look like drawings rather than traditional sheet music. Their scores offer instructions, but they leave ample room for interpretation and improvisation. Performers don’t simply read the scores; they must decide how to interpret the compositions’ visual cues. Participants interested in performance (theater, music etc.) will learn key elements of improvisation and composition using only paper as an instrument, and techniques developed by the Paper Ensemble.
The Paper Ensemble was founded by Jochem van Tol in 2007 and developed with Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti. Their artistic research on sound, listening, seeing, and composition, enabled them to develop a series of sculptural paper instruments and installations.
Photo © Jochem van Tol