ENCYCLOPAEDIA online

ensemble mosaik, Berlin, Germany

François Sarhan and ensemble mosaik enjoy close collaboration in various contexts. The composer juxtaposes references to past projects with current situations. He forms collages out of constructed encounters and in this way creates a surreal reality that questions current social contexts through deliberate confusion. His works not only possess the possibility of spontaneous and flexible decisions, but also use random situations and formulate their immediacy as a mode of artistic design. ensemble mosaik uses this creative quality in times of planning uncertainty and, together with the artist, designs a website that further develops and publishes the theme of his encyclopedia in online format:

“ENCYCLOPAEDIA is a didactic work devoted to music, animals, customs, architecture, etc. It has the particularity of containing only fictitious articles. Far from being a paradox, the non-veracity of information in an encyclopedia was common practice in the Middle Ages – take, for instance, the example of bestiaries. In addition, these artists, animals, instruments and others offer other conceptions that only just exist.”

The multimedia performance project is a constantly evolving work that includes not only compositions but also sound installations, texts, animated films and collages. The work encounters social bias with facts, confronting the audience with a blend of truths, partial truths and pure fantasy. The Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation is facilitating the online version of ENCYCLOPAEDIA.

Further Information:
ensemble-mosaik.de