The project is situated in the framework of my PhD in the Arts at UAntwerp and the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp, my doctoral research, ‘Different Tubes’, exploring the expressive possibilities of clarinet and bass clarinet preparation and the consequent evolution of the performer’s role and practice. Building upon the preceding two-year project, Digital Tubes, which focused on the prepared instrument itself, this project will delve deeper into the role of the instrumentalist.
The project will study the evolution observed in the specialised contemporary performer’s activity, which has led to the emergence of a new figure that I have termed the “instrument(alist) maker.” In addition to the foundational skills shared with a broader community of performers (the ability to comprehend the instrument’s functioning, control, and shape its sound within its inherent limits and possibilities), this type of performer structurally engages in instrument modification (the instrument making) as a way to operate (sonically, gesturally, interdisciplinarily) beyond traditional boundaries.
Whether the objective is to shape the instrument’s timbre, integrate its mechanics into a broader technological setup, or defamiliarize the ordinary, performers are asked today to make an extra effort of formation. Research on this emerging figure will involve artistic collaborations, auto-ethnography and interviews. Outcomes will include original compositions, a series of lecture-performances, a collection of writings, and a digital portfolio.
image: (c) Tania Gheerbrant
