Photo: Richard Stöhr & Lorin Strohm

 

Leopold Hurt – Dissociated Press

Decoder Ensemble, Hamburg, Germany


Dissociated Press is a series of compositions by Leopold Hurt continuously added to as a work-in-progress since 2017. Here instrumentation ranges from solo pieces featuring electronics through to a septet – specially conceived for the characteristic line-up of Decoder Ensemble. The term Dissociated Press refers to an Internet algorithm for the automatic generation of texts on the basis of language patterns. Derived from this the cycle unites different approaches to the “Remix” principle, a genre term that is defining for art in the digital age. This principle is applied both on the language and musical level, as a constant interplay between the original, the copy and the “fake”. Each individual composition is paired with electronic audio and video feeds that create multimedia references to the algorithms and uninterrupted data flows. The individual parts can be played in any desired order one after each other or simultaneously. Thus, the solo pieces are performed in different rooms within the location, each with a limited number of spectators. The individual groups of listeners “wander” in a coordinated fashion through the rooms and experience the individual works one after another. Duo and ensemble pieces are then compiled into a live stream: the performing partner musicians are then broadcast in the individual rooms symbiotically. This means each group of listeners can experience the interplay as a combination of live performance and live stream. The Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation is enabling the performances of the new works by Dissociated Press.


Further Information:
decoder-ensemble.de