Reni Hofmüller, Nicole Pruckermayr - "Inside PALTIM"
Nicole Pruckermayr, Reni Hofmüller - "Inside PALTIM"
Nicole Pruckermayr, Reni Hofmüller - "The Corridor"
Nicole Pruckermayr, Reni Hofmüller - "The Corridor"
"Inside PALTIM" and "The Corridor"
At this stage I use quite simple technological tools - I record on my laptop via an external soundcard, where 2 piezos (piezo-electric microphones, also known as contact microphones) can be connected directly. With a cello or violin bow I play on wires and stringlike objects, and I use all inspiring material I find on the spot.For Timisoara, I asked my friend and artist Nicole Pruckermayr to come with me to film what I am doing and then edit the materials together that would emerge.
PALTIM - Playing the Building Timisoara
"Inside Paltim" and "The Corridor"
came out of that. The pictures you can see on the left are taken by members of h.arta during the recordings.
In these two videos, the sound is a mixture of my realtime composing and the sound(s) the camera picks up, daily life sounds. So there is a disolution of inside and outside, it is all merging together. They will be online here soon.
About one year ago, in spring 2008, I had spent a week in an improvised one-week residency at the Velvet Factory in Rimini, Italy, invited by Roberto Paci Dalo.
I was there with friends, experimenting among other things with piezos; I use them from time to time, nothing new, technologically speaking.
One working space there had a many many windows, and their sockets were made of metal. It seemed logical to fix the piezos on that structure and listen, bring it to vibration and expand the space by listening to its metal vibrants.
After a while I started walking around in the whole building, looking for more and integral parts of this and other buildings.
Since then I have been looking for interesting buildings - from their sounding and acoustic point of view. Everything can be an instrument, all sorts of composition of sound and noise are possible; it is a matter of looking at places in a different way. It is a way of listening differently.
Last year before summer, the artists group h.arta, based in Timisoara, invited me to join their project feminisme. We have been working together in many different ways. So, when they spoke out this really open invitation to come, be part of their project feminisme.ro and realize a new piece in the way that I want it, I asked myself, how we could combine our ways, methods and possibilities to deal with space.
It is the political, cultural and artistic space that we are constantly modelling by the things we do. The space that we life in is influenced by the actions that we take or do not take. So, the research for an abandoned industrial space (like PALTIM) in a city becomes a question of access. Using such a space as a place for artistic production means to widen its functionality. And to realize this without time pressure, like for a public showing right after production, means to be able to focus on the piece, on the work, and not on its representation.
PALTIM - Playing the Building Timisoara
"Inside PALTIM" and "The Corridor"
Concept and Sound: Reni Hofmüller
Camera: Nicole Pruckermayr
huge thanks to h.arta