Site-specific composition for loudspeakers, space and performers
The statement ‘no way of knowing’ is both the conclusion and title of a poem by Robert Lax. The poet's philosophical openness is akin to that of John Cage, whose piece 4'33" references questions about nothingness and the examination of silence in no way of knowing.
Unlike in 4'33‘, however, the nothingness, the ’silence" here also consists of a complex, artificially generated sound structure and constantly questions the authenticity of our perception.
Which sounds are ‘real’, which are ‘virtual’, and how can we be sure that the real sounds really exist? We have no way of knowing...
No Way of Knowing is a loudspeaker piece that is performed live and specifically adapted to the respective performance space. During the performance, sounds that are present in the room are played. Sounds such as the dimmer noise, the ventilation noise, the church bells from outside, footsteps from the corridor and so on. The sounds are initially played in such a way that they are not perceived as recordings. Gradually, the artificial soundscape is revealed. For example, by making a distant sound seem very close, moving it or making it much louder, and vice versa. For this purpose, a reasonable number of loudspeakers are positioned in and around the room.