In Unboxing Music, four artists present four productions with audiovisual elements - with music by Martin Hirsti-Kvam, Alwynne Pritchard, Cathy van Eck, Sarah Saviet, Jack Sheen, Oliver Leith and Johan Paul von Westhof.
Cathy van Eck Trio: Wings (2007–2008)
Dutch artist Cathy van Eck’s works often exist at the intersection of installation and performance. In Wings, a speaker and three microphones are placed opposite each other, forming a technical framework for the performers' actions. As the volume increases, acoustic feedback emerges between the microphones and the speaker. The three performers manipulate this feedback by moving construction panels, shaping new spaces with each movement. In this way, the room in which the feedback resonates changes, creating new loops between the speaker, space, and microphones. Depending on the placement of the panels and the tones in the feedback, the sound is processed differently through van Eck’s digital audio processing.
David Cariano Timme & Martin Hirsti-Kvam: Memory Box #1: Sommermorgen (2023)
Martin Hirsti-Kvam is a composer who explores diverse musical expressions, from acoustic concert music to conceptually driven works incorporating electronics and visual elements. Memory Box #1 exemplifies the latter, as the piece seemingly spills out of a box filled with everyday objects, sounds, and old music: bicycle bells, a worn-out cassette of Schoenberg’s Farben, a half-full bottle of liquor, and other items. All are combined and composed in an attempt to evoke the fleeting sensation of remembering specific places and events.
Sarah Saviet
Berlin-based Sarah Saviet is establishing herself as one of Europe’s leading violinists in contemporary music. As a soloist, chamber musician, and co-creative performer, she appears on stages across the continent. For Only Connect, she presents a solo programme for violin and electronics featuring works by Jack Sheen, Oliver Leith, Johann Paul von Westhof, and Saviet herself.
Owen Weaver
Alwynne Pritchard: Unwriting: Part 1 (departure) (2023)
The composer describes Unwriting as both a literal and metaphorical "clearing of the decks"—a performative tabula rasa where the performer distances themselves from the conventions of their percussive practice. Instead, the work represents a transformation of performance traditions within institutionalised contemporary music, pushing towards a new and unknown performative paradigm. The collaboration between Weaver and Pritchard began as part of nyMusikk’s 7x7x7 project and is set to evolve into a larger format by 2026.