essential knowledge
documentary expedition
concept
record
native stuff
educate
share
On all continents, musicians will be recorded.
It is not about the work as such, but about the thoughts about its meaning.
The goal is to show how mankind all over the world can communicate through music, to show that cultures are different but also have a lot in common. Music, in particular, is able to unite across political, social and cultural boundaries by the feeling that it transmits.
First, music styles, mainly traditional ones, will be recorded and be reproduced as authentically as possible through sound and movie recordings. Secondly, contemporary varieties will be included too, especially those that developed directly from the original form of cultural manifestation. Thirdly, different works from different countries and by musicians who have never met shall be composed and mixed to new works. The sequential and separate recordings of people in different countries via mobile recording techniques and the fact that the co-created work will only appear in the processing afterwards are meant to show that the language of music is understandable worldwide.
The idea is not absolutely new. Similar projects are e.g. “Playing for Change” from the USA and Eric Whitacres virtual choir “Lux Aurumque” or the Sailing Conductors. The common point of these examples is the interpretation of existing songs from musicians across the world.
The concept takes steps into other directions. E.g. it is not the mere reproduction of existing compositions that will be played by different musicians. The actual work will be created and developed by them altogether. Without having met, different musicians shall compose a song while being separated in time and space.
It is also about giving local artists the opportunity to work together within projects that are specially initiated.
Additionally, we want to emphasize documentation of traditional cultural manifestations, instruments and customs. This defines a style – music and singing of indigene traditional and also modern cult-rituals, be it from folklore, religion, rites of healing or modern use of these traditions.
Sound and pictures will be recorded and the creation of the result shall occur in tight collaboration with the artists.
It’s also about working with groups and artists who are neither very well-known nor have a producer already.
The goal of the documentation is to create a virtual archive from these sounds and singings from rites and traditions, an archive that could also be used to mix new songs.
The expedition aims at documenting (in picture and sound) and at remixing new versions of old traditions that belong to our world heritage but to which only few people have the privilege of access. Within the representation it shall be tried to the best to be respectful and mindful of the meaning and the backgrounds of ethnic manifestations. The conception and realization of the representation shall ideally be done in tight collaboration with the guardians and practitioners. The stile can, but does not have to be realistic, and can be object to creative freedom and artistic “denaturation”.
The result will be an artwork with traditional foundations and diverse modern versions and contemporary add-ons.
Indeed, beyond old traditions of cultural manifestations, the quest for modern versions and realizations of these traditions is an important aspect of the concept. It’s about groups or individual persons who do not just maintain a code of practice passed on from one generation to the next, but who also have created their own style based upon theses roots, freely and according to their generation. This is the frame of the concept that reaches out for the old traditions of cultural manifestations and their modern varieties.
production
The production shall take place in collaboration with the groups and artists who will learn from this experience and who will then carry on by themselves with the newly gained possibilities.
write projects
In particular cases workshops shall be given in order to show to the groups how projects are written, how to get the information of tenders and how the execution and finalization of projects happens.
make instruments
The building of instruments taking part in the recording will be researched on and be documented in a parallel series. In these movies the instruments will be presented and be explained by the instrument builders (Luthiers). The construction of the instruments itself shall be presented (in excerpts) and the profession as well as the interviewed person.
workshops
Under ideal circumstances, the project will be able to organize workshops about instrument building in certain spots. This will not happen more than twice a year and only when the needed conditions can be met, as the realization of these are more demanding in terms of time and organization. Nonetheless, these workshops are part of the primary goals of the expedition.
All parts of the project can occur in parallel and at the same time. The principles described hereby are the guidelines and inspirations. The topics are an orientation.
The quest for artists and the exact roadmap have to happen in the flow, flexibly and freely. Only then the right persons can be found who will collaborate to this project.
The different elements will influence each other.
nearly all online
Samples of the recordings will be uploaded to Website, Soundcloud, Vimeo and Youtube. Participants and artists will be receive the material and can work on it freely and publish the result.
Sustainability
In order to keep this project alive as long as possible, an economical concept is designed and structured right from the start.
A sample of each recording will be published online. Those can be accessed via the according links that will be given out to the audience that can download the material completely. Additional products will be offered such as pictures, T-Shirts, tapes, CDs etc. The profit will be shared 50/50 with the artists.
MAKING OF
The things going on behind the camera are interesting, such as every day’s situation of the crew and artists as well as the meetings. Impressions of living conditions in the different locations and of the people will be captured through pictures, reports, videos, songs, interviews etc. Topics will be the traditional cultures, music styles, instruments and personal stories of the musicians and music groups.
These articles and reports will also be published under the “blog”-section of the website.
