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CURRENT PROJECTS > Josep-Maria Balanyà - Peter Jacquemyn - Sofia Kakouri

The body makes a movement, the movement leaves a trace, a sign or a sound, it makes almost no difference, the movement is the origin…
Piano - Double bass - Movement - Pocket trumpet - Chant

The Catalan Josep-Maria Balanyà and the Belgian Peter Jacquemyn have known each other and played together for many years. Peter and Sofia have also been working as a duet for years. The project presented here is the nexus that unites the three artists.
The performance showcases two powerful instruments, played with orthodox and extended techniques, plus the chant of Peter and Josep-Maria, plus Sofia Kakouri, exploring and developing her personal approach of performing and sharing in combining body movement and sound (pocket trumpet and more). The three artists integrate themselves into a musical and performing world in an atmosphere of tension and strong vital energy, creating a captivating drama together.

Video

  • The career of the Catalan pianist Josep-Maria Balanyà, born in Barcelona, with more than 40 years on stage, 27 albums recorded and more than 140 works, has taken him from classical music and jazz to his specialisation into the field of improvisation and new contemporary music, experimental music and performance. Internationally recognised, Balanyà is also composer, conductor of improvising orchestras, sound artist, painter and photographer.

    Josep-Maria Balanyà explores the limits of music in his compositions and performances. He is particularly interested in the combination of different arts and the transfer of art into music. In order to expand and deepen his preoccupation with the fine arts and also with the craft material, he attended courses in painting and etching at the European Academy of Fine Arts in Trier (Europäische Kunstakademie Trier) / Germany.

    Under the auspices and organization of the head of the Academy, Dr. Gabriele Lohberg, Balanyà performed for many years a series of interactive concert-performances in the Kunsthalle of the Academy, where fine arts were combined with music and performance. Here he experimented with the interaction between the sounds that arise when working on copper etching plates and the artistic result. He worked with the metal workshop that made or provided sculptures for musical performances. The works are now in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in Tarragona. In a teaching assignment for the students of the European Art Academy, he devoted himself to the music images of contemporary compositions and suggested using them as a basis for further musically interpretable drawings. In performative concerts, he not only made musical instruments sound, but - with electronic amplification and alienation - sculptures (Pierre Wéber), paintings (class Joe Allen), bodies (models from the art academy) and objets trouvés as well.

    As part of these projects, Balanyà even gave a concert of bells in the cathedral of Trier.

    Mainly, his own art production focuses on abstract paintings in which he uses mixed media, but especially acrylic on canvas. His work can be seen in his private gallery in Brussels and in buyers' homes. In addition, he has studied photography and practiced this art since adolescence. His work has followed a process ranging from pictorialism, to direct photography, street photography, macro technique and the study of the human body. He is currently preparing several exhibitions in which he presents a series of impressionist-style photos with movement; this technique gives an abstract pictorial result.

    As for his main field, music, Balanyà studied in Barcelona and Switzerland (Swiss Jazz School and Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Bern), he attended composition workshops, led by Helmut Lachenmann, Walter Zimmermann and Ivan Fedele, and improvisation workshops by Borah Bergman in New York. He carried out intensive research into the sounds of nature in Mexico, working with oceanographers and biologists, including mammalogist Bernardo Villa.

    Most of his works have a significant amount of improvisation. His work as a solo pianist combines the pure sound of the instrument with prepared or manipulated piano techniques. He has presented various multimedia projects for piano, voice, live electronics, video, Butoh dance, as well as percussion pieces on sculptures, sound objects and fine arts tools. He has created sculptures and sound installations that can be played by the public. He has developed his most imaginative actions at the boundary between music and performance, such as a recital in complete darkness at the Sendesaal of Bremen (Germany).

    He has played with first-rate musicians including Claudio Pontiggia, Hans Koch, Joachim Kühn, Franz Hautzinger, Carlos Zingaro, Michiel Borstlap, Walter Quintus, Ksenija Lukic, Hannah Marshall, Das Neue Ensemble Hannover, Americo Rodrigues, Ramón López, Paul Rogers, Mark Sanders, Hannah Ma (dance), Mimi Barthélemy, among others.

    Balanyà has played in festivals and radio programs in many countries in Europe and America. He has received several grants in Germany (Worpswede, Eckernförde, Düsseldorf) and Switzerland (Fondazione Arp). He is currently based in Brussels and in Barcelona.

    The concerts by Balanyà are powerful ​rituals –​ it could be said that he plays the piano with his whole body – during which ​we can perceive the presence of music change into matter.

  • 1963 Schaarbeek BelgiumSculpture, drawing, double bass, voice, performanceLives and works in BelgiumExhibitions, sound installations, in situ Projects, o.a.:Hans Memling museum Brugge, exhibition, concertKongsberg (Noorwegen) Jazz festival, walldrawing, concert'Ört' Wuppertal (G), walldrawing, concertKlankbos Dommelhof Neerpeld, soundinstallationMonumental Hamme, scuplture-project, soundinstallationIJzertoren Diksmuide, walldrawingcc Strombeek, walldrawing, multimedial PerformanceConcertgebouw Brugge, sculptur-project, soundinstallationGroeninge museum Brugge, sculptur-projectPotsdam Festspiele (G), sound installationMozg festival Bydgoszcz (P) walldrawing, concertRuhr Triënnale Essen (G), multimedia performanceParkmusik Bad Kreuznach (G), performance, sound installation

    He tries to combine music and fine arts on equal level, music is more than accompaniment, the visual aspect is more than decor. He developes a dialogue, musicians behave like visual artists, visual artists collaborate like musicians usually do. Also movement, dance became a part of his interdisciplinary work. This research resulted in a number of performances and sound installations 

    He worked with

    Dancers: Sofia Kakouri (Gr), Geraldo Si (Brasil, ex Pina Bauch Wuppertal tanztheater), Jean-Laurent Sasportes (Fr, ook ex Pina Bausch), I Fen Lin (Taiwan), Frank van de Ven (Nl),... 

    Musicians:

    Gunda Gottschalk (G, viool), Carl Ludwich Hübsch (tuba, voice), Lazara Rossell (pocket trumpet, perc), Josep-Maria Balanyà (piano), Jean Michel Zaleski (voice), Lê Quan Ninh (Fr, percussie), Mauro Pawlowski (B, gitaar), Michel Doneda (Fr, sax), Arne Deforce (B, cello), André Goudbeek (B, sax), Jan Pillaert (tuba, B), Bart Maris (trumpet)

    Visual artists:

    Brody Neuenschwander, Klaas Verpoest, Sigrid Tanghe, ...

    Discography (choice)

    'As it happend'

    André Goudbeek kwartet (Bart Maris, Dirk Wauters, André Goudbeek, Peter Jacquemyn)+ Phil Minton

    'E pericoloso sporgersi' 

    Gunda Gottschalk (violin, D), Peter Jacquemyn (bass)

    'DubbelDuo'

    Peter Kowald (bass, D), Jeffrey Morgan (USA, sax), André Goudbeek (sax), Peter Jacquemyn (bass)

    Contrabass solo Peter Jacquemyn (bass) 

    'Transparency wolk' 

    Han Bennink  (perc, Nl), Terrie Ex (e-gitaar, Nl), Rik van Iersel (perc, Nl), Bart Maris (trumpet), Peter Jacquemyn (bass)

  • 1986, Crete, Greece

    Dance and classical ballet from the age of 3. 

    In 2002 &'03 prizes for the contemporary dance category by the National Contest: Terpsixoris Erga. 

    In 2010 graduated from the Hellenic State School of Dance KSOT. Based in Brussels (Be) since 2012.

    She works as freelance performance artiste, dance-choreography and sound maker. 

    She explores and develops her personal approach of composing and performing.

    Combining movement and sound using pocket-trumpet, voice and objects as elongation of her body moves is her main focus.

    She is searching for equal relationship between the polymorphic and diverse expressions of her own body and the other (partners - co creators, space/time). 

    Sofia is involved in collective - DIY, avant-garde, improvisation movement, music, organisations.

    Authentic tribal traditions, rituals, martial arts, action-physical theatre and somatic practices -inspire her practice, research and creations. 

    She participated in a.o.

    ”Treffen Total" research in K3 Hamburg -Ge (2016+2018)

    "Total 2017" Seoul Dance center + 

    Opening performance of the Nam June Paik Art center (S.Korea).

    Collaboration with several multimedia artists a.o.:

    Peter Jacquemyn (B), Lazara Rosel Albear (Cuba), Audrey Lauro (Fr), Gasper Piano (Sl), PM Zaleski (B), Klaas Verpoest (B), Jin Young Park (Korea),Geraldo Si (Brasil),…  

    "the Art ensemble of Brussels", 

    “WORP” 

    “Duo” (with P Jacquemyn)

    "Pockets", 

    "Bass &voices" …

    Supported from festivals and venues such as: 

    "TicTac Art center (B)", Wiels (B), KANAL-BRUT (B), "Kunsthaus Rhenania-Room service (G)", "Nuit beauTas BXL (B)", Luca/School of Arts and University of Leuven (Be), "SummerBummerFestival (B), “SMAK (Gent, B), MAARK (G), Kampnagel (G) etc.