Mustpeade maja and Kanuti

Music in Mustpeade maja. (Interesting how words themselves have a musical dimension to them. Mmm.)

Arthur C. Clarke once said: "The limits of the possible can only be defined by going beyond them into the impossible." This is the heart of all exploration, I believe. And music offers a beautiful terrain to explore.

The journey began with Kannel Revisited by Anna-Liisa Eller (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/kannel-revisited). It was a performance based not on repertoire, but on sounds. Anna-Liisa spent half an hour showing the audience the beauty of what a kannel can do. Like a small child feverishly at play, only with years of experience, excellent instruments and technology, and superb aesthetic sense. I will never look at another kannel (or any instrument, for that matter) in quite the same way again.

Next came Pram Tak Mir by Sander Saarmets (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/pram-tak-mir), which might be described as a piece written for a violin and a tram or an experimental audio-visual violin piece inspired by trams. In a word: trippy. I especially enjoyed the first part, where the score was visualized on a screen so the listener-viewers could see the music. It was like watching someone creating every intricate detail of the sound a tram makes. When God created sounds, he most probably used a similar method.

In Kanuti, I saw Hole by Wojtek Pustola (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/hole). It put me at a strange ease for some reason. The scenery and the feeling of flying as a golf ball gave me a weird sense of liberation. I wonder if this is how the golf ball felt when Wojtek and his father and grandfather talked to it about themselves and their relationships. I hope so. I mean why shouldn't golf balls be allowed to experience art?

Especially when it's all gathered in one place like right now during the NeuNow LIVE festival in Tallinn. Oh do experience some of it for yourself. You can thank me later.

In the beginning there was art

In the graphic novel "Watchmen," one of the main characters asks another (with almost godly powers, including foresight) whether his actions were right in the end. The reply: "In the end? Nothing ever ends." Would that also mean that nothing ever begins?
But begin NeuNow LIVE did, in KUMU on a late Friday afternoon (18.11.2011, to be precise).

As is custom, there words were said. I liked the words. They were spoken by the people behind or right in the heart of the festival and they were brief and sincere.

Crossing borders seemed to be the idea of the day and I believe quite a few borders were crossed in Entrance With Charge by Les Filles Föllen (Tuixen Benet & Margherita Bergamo http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/entrance-with-charge-two-girls-smoke-a-cigarette-in-only-30-seconds)
The performance itself was a part of last years festival in Nantes and used as a bridge to connect the two festivals. But when it comes to writing about the two girls with their cigarettes and long-long legs, I find myself at a loss for words here. How do You adequately describe an artistic experience? There are words that come to mind, like dance, sex, symbol, smoke, society, pretty, intense, legs, hair, art, but do these help or hinder your understanding of my experience? If I say little, then I leave the door open for many different interpretations, but also risk remaining vague. If I say much, I paint clearer pictures, but risk simplifying something that is meant to broaden our minds.

So, You'll most likely be much better off experiencing all the art for yourself. Yes, that seems like a good plan. You won't regret it, honestly.

Kinomaja

Ooh, modern film! There was a whole bunch of it on display at Kinomaja today! (Such a bunch, that I am not even sure I can locate all of the names and links for You, but You can watch me try at the end of the post) Fear not, movielovers of today! We are in good hands!

There were animations, documentaries, mini-movies and everything in between. How did all of that fit into an hour? Ah, 'tis the magic of cinema You see. It gives You whole worlds in a mere hour. Oh, and what worlds!

There was Kafka, Hip-Hop, parkour, religion, art, colonialism, death, relationships. I found myself wanting to escape my day-job (well, if I had one), craving watermelons, yearning to create a private space, feeling a near irresistible urge to climb houses, contemplating on the role of religion in our lives and personal truths and much much more.
Art is a great way find questions You would most likely never ask on your own, at least not in the same form or from the same angle. Like walking into an airport and pressing the shuffle button.

Whoosh. Difficult describe the merry mixture of thoughts and emotions whirling around in my head after the screening. All I know is that I felt different, or the World felt different. I was seeing everything from a place of calm, contemplation and aesthetics. A paraphrase of Chuck Palahniuk came to mind: after art, everything in life has its volume turned down. Really.

So, if You are at all interested in modern cinema, do check out what NeuNow LIVE festival has to offer! (more information at http://neunow.com/)

(Ah yes, You wanted to know which movies were shown? Well, here goes:
The New and the Other by Joseph Carauna (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/the-new-and-the-other)
Subliminal Mind by Alya Manzart (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/subliminal-mind)
Störfaktor by Manuel Wiedemann (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/strfaktor)
Menu by Daniel Djamo (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/menu)
Packed Like Sardines by Stella Salumaa (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/packed-like-sardines)
Ticho by Slawomir Zrebny (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/ticho)
Karet by Shira Pinczuk (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/karet)
Occidental Totems bu Sebastian Berthier (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/occidental-totems)
And I still think I missed some)

Disaini- ja Arhitektuurigalerii

Went to Disaini- ja Arhitektuurigalerii today and I liked it. Especially the part where I started to get answers (or to be specific: the artists' versions of them) to many of the questions I had (many of which I've already posted here as well), but I'm getting ahead of myself.

The first thing You notice when stepping in is pillows. But not just ordinary pillows, super-duper high-tech space-age material state-of-the art totally ergonomically designed pillows, which are approved by all kinds of independent (and probably some dependent) medical specialists. And they're also black and yellow, which just looks really cool. This is Zuzana Šišovská's Collection of relaxation interior accessories (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/collection-of-relaxation-interior-accessories). 


Next up is Lauri Hirvesaar's Electric Cargoscooter (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/electric-cargoscooter). If anyone ever asks You, why the hell do we spend taxpayer money on oh, I don't know, the Art Academy, show them this. In a world where innovation is becoming a necessity for survival yet educational systems do little to produce original thinking, we desperately need people who can come up with creative solutions for our daily problems. This is one of them.


A quick turn around the corner and voilá: The Opera "Varieties of Religious Experience"- a Performance on Pages by Agnes Steiner (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/the-opera-varieties-of-religious-experiencea-performance-on-pages). I can freely admit I am completely biased on this one, for I have a soft spot for well-designed books. But this one also comes packed with a musical performance. I mean, why not fit an entire opera (the music, the feelings and all) into a book?


And now we come to Filippa Hanzon's You Gonna Find What You Search (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/you-gonna-find-what-you-search). An interesting experimental twist on the Schrödinger's Cat. Is there or is there not someone playing music in the box? I hear music, but it could also be recorded. But as long as I hear and can't tell the difference, does it matter? It is almost as if there is someone and no-one in the box at the same time. To experience a dilemma of this caliber in real life is a most interesting feeling, much more so than I would have expected.


And last, but not least, the live performance by Sarah Armstrong and Richard Moizer: Integrated (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/integrated). I could probably just say that You are going to see a dance with two people squashing themselves against a window together and You would already come running, but that is most definitely not all (although the squashing was cool). Integrated is a performance that is difficult to pinpoint and raises many interesting questions about dualities, relationships and change, but to get the effect, You will just have to see it. (Oh, and as the cherry on the cake, the dancers also seemed to have switched their accents (based on my expectations based on family names at least): Ms. Armstrong wielding a cute Danish accent and Mr. Moizer speaking pure British. Must have been all the Integrating they were doing.) 


But my favourite part was the discussion with the artists. I had all these questions about art and wouldn't You know, some talented young people had thought about the same questions (I hear it happens that one starts to ask questions about art when one is doing art) and kindly answered them. It's really interesting to see the faces and voices behind the art. Turns out they're people! Just like You and me, more or less. I can almost believe Da Vinci or Mozart really existed now! I wonder what they'd have thought about the art and music scene of today? Hmm, guess well never know, but if You want to form Your own opinion or answer (or ask) a load of interesting questions or just enjoy modern art, do visit the LIVE festival! (more information at http://neunow.com/)

The Burdens of Miss Betsy by Rebecca Helen Page (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/the-burdens-of-miss-betsy or in the Kullo gallery in Tallinn during the LIVE festival). Viewer participation is always at its most interesting when done in a theatrical setting. When done in other art forms it is a lot less personal. Interacting with a picture does not compare with interacting with a human. I've always wondered how emotions that are experienced during a performance differ from emotions experienced in "real life." (which is in itself strange, for art is also a part of real life, but lets stick to the topic at hand) What is the difference between the sorrow felt for an imaginary character and a real person? How much do the lines blur if the character starts to interact with You? What kind of real does our brain make a character when he or she suddenly comes to life? Luckily we'll have a chance to find out during the LIVE festival in the Kullo gallery.

But an altogether different type of participation is bringing a deceased artist back to life to explain how one of his most famous works came to be and how it was later mutilated, as is the case with the sculptor Jacob Epstein in Occidental Totems by Sebastian Berthier (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/occidental-totems or come see it in Kinomaja during the LIVE festival in Tallinn). I truly like the idea, I've always enjoyed immersion, especially when one can learn something in the process. Education, take note!

where's the puss by Carolin Weinert (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/wheres-the-puss or in real life during the LIVE festival in the Kullo gallery in Tallinn). A serious subject matter rendered with a twist. And cats. Always good to have cats.
Interesting how art has turned from pure aesthetics to works criticism and conscience. The aesthetics is usually still there, but rarely do we see beauty for the sake of beauty these days. I have friends who are studying art or making art and I can't think of the last time I heard one of them say: "I think I'll just make something beautiful today." Nope, making something meaningful is much more important. Something that will change the world for the better (or at least show how messed up everything is for starters). Reminds me of something my old theatre teacher used to say: "Changing the world with art is like hammering a nail into the wall with a telephone: it can be done, but there are much easier ways to do it." Still, it is a noble cause and each of us must use the toys the gods have given us I suppose.

I think music (especially classical music) has still mostly retained its purely aesthetic function. Although many songs have played key roles in revolutions, the majority of music is made purely for your listening pleasure. Like The Bridge of Music: From Lithuania to Estonia by Trio CLAVIOLA (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/the-bridge-of-music-from-lithuania-to-estonia  or live on 19.11. at 15:00 during the LIVE festival in Mustpeade maja, Tallinn), which is a chamber music concert. Sure, they have a clear artistic statement, but it is not in any way political. They just want to play a few great (but rarely-heard) pieces of music for their audience's listening pleasure and to help everyone relax. Splendid!

But like any rule, this also comes with a few exceptions. Take Pram Tak Mir by Sander Saarmets (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/the-bridge-of-music-from-lithuania-to-estonia or live in Tallinn during the LIVE festival on 20.11. at 14:00 in Mustpeade maja). The first thing You should know, is that it's musical material is derived from trams moving past the composers current residence. Yes, You read correctly. Trams. Which really changed the way I started to look (or listen, to be more specific) at trams. That's another wonderful thing art does sometimes: it makes one see (or hear) things differently. It offers an alternative viewpoint, something most people would never think of themselves. Very educational, in a truly good sense of the word.

of-pixels by Richard Schwarz (http://elia-artschools.org/festival/work/ofpixels) raises the topic of time. Time is a fascinating thing. Every moment consists of time and we would not exist without it (or at least we can't comprehend what we would do if there weren't any flow of time, for there is no doing without time, every action has a duration). Time is in a sense the only real currency each and every one of us is given and we must spend it wisely.

And on another note: why does time flow forward? If I remember correctly, there is no valid explanation for why time should only flow in one direction. As far as physics is concerned, time might as well go backwards. But we all know it doesn't (although we might feel like it does from time to time).

Time (in it's not so existential sense) has also played a very important role in the history of art. Firstly obviously because there would be no history without time, but what I really meant was the role time has been given as a judge. One of the safest ways to determine good or great art is to see what perseveres through the trial of time. Wait a minute (ah, again with the puns), but time does not have any real consciousness now(or at any other moment for that matter), does it? It does not make any decisions, You say? Well who or what does then? We, the people? All right, making sense thus far, but who exactly? The Ministry of Culture? Artists themselves? The audience? School curriculums? Or is it all a bit random? Hmm, getting trickier. Oh well, maybe time shall reveal the answer.