For two Nightingales, two Blackbirds and a Dove
Sound sculpture by Stephan Hüsch
composition and clarinet improvisation by Stephan Hüsch and Ulrich Hackenbruch
We can’t really reinvent anything, so nature has often been used as a model to create works of art. But it is neither in a mere imitation relationship, nor is it easy to grasp beyond its materiality and mediality what constitutes the respective more.
The hanging sound sculpture in the garden of the Sophienkirche, under which passers-by are invited to listen to a clarinet duet for two nightingales, two blackbirds and a dove, explores our relationship to nature. Birds have been a recurring inspiration in music history; an inspiration for this work is the 3rd movement from “Quatuor pour la fin du Temps” by Olivier Messiaen. This composition for clarinet is also initially based on real bird voices; likewise, the form of the sculpture is based on the amplitude of the respective bird call phrases.
The multiple translations ultimately form the score for the sound sculpture and contribute to changing the interplay of our acoustic and visual perception. The work also draws attention to what is not (no longer) heard and focuses on the relationship between silence and sound. It creates an in-between space both spatially and acoustically.
© 2021 sound sculpture by Stephan Hüsch
The exhibition was shown from June to September 2021 in the church park of the Sophienkirche in Berlin-Mitte.