Big Data Weekend: Seven Composition Commissions

Decoder Ensemble, Hamburg, Germany

Big Data Weekend is a short festival from the Decoder Ensemble that explores current manifestations of the Remix phenomenon and its significance in contemporary art. The term Remix originally comes from pop music culture and in this context describes the re-arrangement of already concluded, fully produced songs or instrumental tracks. On the basis of prefabricated material and by means of a cross-stylistic exchange of ideas a new version arises, occasionally even an entirely new work. Artists of all genres today have access to the Internet as a joint and constantly growing media archive. Big Data therefore changes the way works are received, triggering debate about dealing with intellectual property and provoking artistic reactions.

Decoder Ensemble wishes to further develop this aspect of remixing by means of commissioned compositions supported by the EvS Music Foundation. The commissioned composers Malte Giesen, Ole Hübner, Leopold Hurt, Stefan Prins, Philipp Krebs and Johannes Kreidler are invited to ‘help themselves’ from the tonal world of the present day. Unlike a remix from the recording studio, what arises here is not a completely produced track but a score that Decoder will perform live in concert. By means of this live transfer the audience can perceive and (re) discover the sound of the present day in an entirely new way in unexpected correlations. The audiovisual duo incite/ is also part of the concept. The program will be supplemented by guest performances, lectures and a series of debates on the topic of copyright in the digital age.

September 1 and 2, 2017
Resonanzraum Hamburg

Further Information
decoder-ensemble.de/