Vernissage with concert: William Engelen: »Falten for percussion«

About the production

In William Engelen’s installation, we see cryptic musical scores: sheets of paper folded in various ways on music stands placed throughout the room. These folds are sculptural compressions of musical events and result in differing phases of silence and sound. The sheets of paper contain the notation for a percussion piece but also exist simply as material objects. The music is conceived for instruments such as triangle and drums as well as washboards and oil canisters. The artist first drew on each piece of paper a durational chart, parts of which were then concealed in the process of folding the paper. He next put musical notation on the areas that remained visible. These mark the periods of time when sounds should be heard. The scores are nearly indecipherable for outsiders, but are turned into sound in the course of the concert. The musicians also react to the performance space and to changing elements such as light and shadow. The interaction of rules, notation, and chance creates an intriguing composition.