InstallAction von Cyrill Lim, Klara Schilliger und Valerian Maly
Cyrill Lim, Valerian Maly and Klara Schilliger failed miserably in their ambitious attempt to recreate Gattoni's giant weather harp on the old wooden bridge in Baden in a kind of historical reconstruction. Several tonnes of pressure – generated by the tension of the strings – would probably have caused the wooden bridge to collapse.
Now Lim, Maly and Schilliger are going right back to the beginnings of cultural history and instrument making. During the performance ‘Coincidence’, the bridge becomes a musical bow, resonance chambers are explored, and instead of wind and weather, the water of the Limmat is expected to make the strings vibrate. A kind of archaic music machine is being built here, possibly even reaching the next level of instrument making: the bridge piers become frets, the bridge gate becomes the bridge. But going back to the beginnings of cultural history also means learning what it means to build, invent and create collectively. How can we make use of the accumulated compost heap of historical, physical and instrumental technical half-knowledge, or do we want to pretend we know nothing? At what point does abundance begin to be produced across the river, at what point does specialisation come into play?
With thanks for advice and assistance to Musik Buchser AG, Baden Eliane Berger-Gfeller and Olivier Berger, Klavierbau Daniel Schoepke, Brugg Drahtseil AG
Photos © by Christian Glaus
